Kalamazoo

You can also put in at Darrow Park in Plainwell and paddle upstream to the spillway. Darrow Park is on Hicks St. in Plainwell. To get there from M-89 (going east): Turn right on Hicks just prior to crossing the Kalamazoo River. Go down about 1/4 mile. The park is on the left (just before Gilkey Elementary). It's a pretty easy paddle upstream -- just one or two slight riffles in your way -- maybe 10 minutes of paddling tops (it beats hauling a boat up the Gilkey Nature trail).
Noted a big tree blocking the dam at the end of last summer, be careful. On May 24 09 the tree
move to river left and the wave is surfing better then ever.