01
Paddle the AuSable High Banks
Tea-colored water through a sandstone canyon. Rentals from Oscoda Canoe Rental at the river mouth.
Mile 55 · Iosco County, Michigan · ★ Editor's pick
Lat 44.44° N · Lon 83.33° W
Oscoda & the AuSable.
Where the AuSable River meets Lake Huron — our editors' pick base for first-time visitors. Paddle the High Banks, hike River Road, and watch the Lumberman's Monument keep watch over the canyon.
Mile
55
US-23 N
Quick facts
River
AuSable
22 mi designated scenic
Forest
Huron NF
440,000 acres
Best month
September
Color · crowds gone
Drive
2 hr 30 min
Detroit via I-75 / M-65
Things to do · 5 picks
What to do in Oscoda.
Curated by Sunrise Coast Council editors. Half a day to a week, family-friendly to wilderness-grade.
02
Drive River Road Scenic Byway
A designated National Forest Scenic Byway above the AuSable. Five pull-offs, each with a different angle on the canyon.
03
Lumberman's Monument
A bronze of three loggers overlooking the river that built the town. Visitor center, interpretive trail down to the water.
04
Iargo Springs boardwalk
300 steps down to a series of clear cold-water springs feeding the AuSable. The boardwalk is half the experience.
05
Old Orchard Park campfire
A state-park campground at the river mouth. Beach campfires, river paddling, lake fishing all from one site.
The river that built the town
A river of white pine logs.
In 1870 the AuSable was the busiest river in Michigan — log drives stacked end-to-end from Lumberman's Monument all the way out to Lake Huron. Oscoda was sawmill town, boom town, fire town: the great fire of 1911 took the lumber economy with it.
What's left is the river and the trees that grew back. Both are the point now. The High Banks south of town are 175 feet of sandstone over slow brown water, and there is nothing else in the lower Midwest that feels remotely like it.
22 mi
Scenic byway
440K ac
Huron NF
175 ft
Highest bank
Oscoda · the river that built the town
"The river there moves like it knows where it's going. The lake just waits."— Loren Eiseley, on the AuSable, 1959
Where on the coast.
Where to stay · 3 picks
All Oscoda lodging →
Cottages, inns, campgrounds.
Lodge
AuSable River Lodge
12 rooms on a bluff above the river. Hot breakfast, fly-fishing guide on staff.
from $185 / night
Cottage
Oscoda Beach Cottages
Four cottages between the river and the lake. Walk to either in under five minutes.
from $145 / night
Camp
Old Orchard Campground
426 sites. The waterfront ones go fast in July — book six months out.
from $28 / night
Questions · 5 answers
Common questions about Oscoda.
Quick answers to what travelers ask most before driving up.
Q.01
Why does Oscoda make a good base for visiting the Sunrise Coast?
Oscoda sits roughly mid-coast at Mile 55, putting Tawas's beaches 25 minutes south and Alpena's Thunder Bay shipwreck sanctuary about 50 minutes north. The AuSable River, the Huron National Forest, and the Lumberman's Monument scenic drive are all at its doorstep.
Q.02
Where can I rent a canoe or kayak in Oscoda?
Oscoda Canoe Rental, near the river mouth on US-23, is the closest outfitter. The standard High Banks trip runs about four hours at Class I — easy water suitable for first-time paddlers — and rentals start around $40.
Q.03
What is the AuSable High Banks?
The High Banks are a stretch of 175-foot sandstone bluffs above the lower AuSable River, in the Huron National Forest. River Road Scenic Byway runs along the top with five marked pull-offs; the most dramatic view is from the Lumberman's Monument overlook.
Q.04
When is the best time to visit Oscoda?
September is the editorial pick — peak fall color along River Road, water still warm enough for paddling, and crowds gone after Labor Day. July offers the warmest Lake Huron swimming if a beach day is the priority.
Q.05
What is Lumberman's Monument?
A bronze sculpture of three nineteenth-century loggers overlooking the AuSable Valley, with a visitor center, interpretive trail down to the river, and a stairway to a clearwater spring. Free, open daily April through October.