River Road Scenic Byway
River Road Scenic Byway is a National Scenic Byway in Michigan. Within Michigan it covers roughly 24 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along River Road Scenic Byway with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
Michigan's River Road National Scenic Byway follows M-65 and River Road for about 23.5 miles through the Huron National Forest to Oscoda on Lake Huron. It traces the Au Sable River, which once floated the state's giant white pine downstream to sawmill towns, a logging-era history commemorated at the Lumberman's Monument, a 14-foot bronze depicting a river rat, a surveyor, and a sawyer, cast by sculptor Robert Aitken and dedicated in 1932. Farther along, the Iargo Springs Interpretive Site marks a spring-fed overlook used recreationally since before white settlement, developed for visitors in the 1920s and 1930s. The Forest Service designated the route a National Forest Scenic Byway in 1988, and the Federal Highway Administration added National Scenic Byway status in 2005. Every summer the river hosts the Au Sable River Canoe Marathon, a grueling 120-mile overnight race from Grayling to Oscoda that's run since 1947, adding a living tradition to the byway's logging-camp history.
- Au Sable River
- Lumberman's Monument
- Iargo Springs
- 23.5 miles
- Huron National Forest
- Canoe Marathon
- Oscoda
Plan a drive on River Road Scenic Byway →
What is a National Scenic Byway?
National Scenic Byways are roads recognized at the federal level for at least one outstanding quality — scenic, natural, historic, cultural, archaeological or recreational — that gives travelers a reason to seek them out rather than just pass through.
Where to Stay along River Road Scenic Byway
3 campgrounds and RV parks sit within about 5 miles of River Road Scenic Byway.
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