Sturgeon River is a river in Baraga County

Baraga County, Michigan

-National protected areas:* Keweenaw National Historical Park * Ottawa National Forest -Demographics:As of the 2000 census, there were 8,746 people, 3,353 households, and 2,223 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile . There were 4,631 housing units...

 and Houghton County

Houghton County, Michigan

-National protected areas:* Keweenaw National Historical Park * Ottawa National Forest -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 36,016 people, 13,793 households, and 8,137 families residing in the county. The population density was 36 people per square mile . There were 17,748 housing...

 counties in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

. 25 miles (40.2 km) of the river were added to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System in 1992.

Description

The Carp River rises on the glacially-eroded plateau that forms much of southern Baraga County. Flowing westward through the Copper County State Forest, it enters the Ottawa National Forest

Ottawa National Forest

The Ottawa National Forest is a 1.0 million acre national forest in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It includes much of Gogebic and Ontonagon counties, as well as slices of Iron, Houghton, Baraga, and Marquette counties. The forest is under the jurisdiction of the U.S...

 north of Watton, Michigan. The 25 miles (40.2 km)-length of the river's course in this national forest has been listed as a wild and scenic river, with 16.5 miles (26.6 km) designated as wild and 8.5 miles (13.7 km) as scenic. On this stretch, which crosses and recrosses the border between Baraga County and Houghton County

Houghton County, Michigan

-National protected areas:* Keweenaw National Historical Park * Ottawa National Forest -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 36,016 people, 13,793 households, and 8,137 families residing in the county. The population density was 36 people per square mile . There were 17,748 housing...

, the river helps to form the Sturgeon River Gorge Wilderness

Sturgeon River Gorge Wilderness

The Sturgeon River Gorge Wilderness is a unit within the Ottawa National Forest. It is located in Baraga County and Houghton County within the U.S. state of Michigan. The wilderness is accessible from M-28, which runs south of the unit in a west-to-east direction...

 and flows over Sturgeon Falls.

After leaving the Ottawa National Forest west of Baraga, Michigan

Baraga, Michigan

Baraga is a village in Baraga County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,285 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Bishop Frederic Baraga....

, Sturgeon River flows northward, again crossing and recrossing the Baraga-Houghton County line and running generally parallel to the western shore of Keweenaw Bay

Keweenaw Bay

Keweenaw Bay is an arm of Lake Superior in North America. It is located adjacent to the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan, to the southeast of the Keweenaw Peninsula. It is also the name of a small community near the bay....

. The river discharges into Portage Lake near Chassell, Michigan

Chassell, Michigan

Chassell is an unincorporated community in Chassell Township of Houghton County in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located on Pike Bay at the south end of Portage Lake and is the largest community in the township....

.

The Wild and Scenic portion of the Sturgeon River, within the Ottawa National Forest, is classified as a Blue Ribbon Trout Stream.