Flint River (Michigan)

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Flint River
The Flint River Watershed
Length	142 mi (229 km)

For other rivers named Flint, see Flint River (disambiguation page).

Map of the Saginaw River watershed including the Flint River

The Flint River is a river in southeast Michigan, 142 mi (229 km) long, that flows through the city of Flint.

1 Course
2 Features along the Flint River
- 2.1 Cities and villages along the river
3 References

[edit] Course

The Flint River drains 1432 sq mi (3450 km²) of Michigan, mostly in the counties of Lapeer, Genesee, Shiawassee, and Saginaw. It also drains parts of Oakland, Tuscola, and Sanilac.

The river is formed in Lapeer County near Columbiaville where the river's South Branch and North Branch come together. The river is supplemented by four major creeks, the Kearsley (draining the south and central portions of the east side of Genesee County), Thread (draining the south central part of the county), Swartz (draining the Swartz Creek area), and Misteguay (draining the area near the northern section of the border of Genesee and Shiawassee Counties).

The river empties into the Shiawassee River in the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge near the city of Saginaw. Within the refuge, the Cass and Tittabawassee combine with the Shiawassee to form the Saginaw River. The Saginaw empties into the Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron.

[edit] Features along the Flint River

The river is dammed in Richfield Township to form the Holloway Reservoir. Another dam just west of Genesee forms Mott Lake. Another dam exists on the University of Michigan - Flint campus. Local attractions along the lake include Crossroads Village, Huckleberry Railroad, and Stepping Stone Falls, and the riverboat Genesee Belle.

In the city of Flint, the river flows past the sites of former General Motors factories, most notably Chevrolet's first assembly plant, which was bisected by the river, and downtown through the campus of the University of Michigan-Flint and the Riverview Park. Continuing to the west, the river runs past Kettering University and McLaren Hospital out into Flint Township and Flushing. The stretch of the Flint River from downtown Flint to Kettering University is channelized with concrete sides.

A recreational trail called the Flint River Trail runs along the river from Grand Traverse Street in Downtown Flint to Carpenter Road on one side and Johnson Elementary School on Pierson Road on the other. It is a paved path, except behind the Flint Water Plant. North of Carpenter Road, the trail connects to the Mott Lake Trailway, which goes to Bluebell Beach on Bray Road and Stepping Stone Falls on Branch Road in Genesee Township. Another portion of the Mott Lake Trailway runs alongside the lake from the corner of Center Road and Coldwater Road to the corner of Genesee Road and Stanley Road. Together, the trails run 21.5 miles. Map of the Flint River Trail.