Even in the “Great Lakes State,” rivers play a huge role in the lives of every Michigander. From recreation to creation, Michigan’s rivers have carved paths for industries to rise and cities to thrive. The state has over 300 named rivers — several names are shared by different rivers (e.g., there are eight Pine Rivers and seven Black Rivers). In four cases, two rivers of the same name are in one county.

Michigan has approximately 51,438 miles of river, of which 656.4 miles are designated as wild & scenic — just slightly more than 1% of the state's river miles.