Maumee River Cruise-Waterville, Ohio

This popular 2-day cruising event takes place on the Maumee River in Northwest Ohio, upstream from Lake Erie and Toledo. It is a very fun and picturesque river to hover on.

Most of the places we cruise on the Maumee River are accessible only by hovercraft or canoe/kayak as this is typically a shallow river with a limestone bed (not sand). The limestone bed allows for occasional rapids that are fun to fly on.

The Roche de Bout or Roche de Boeuf (French for "rock of beef" or "buffalo rock") is a big limestone outcrop which forms an island near the center of the Maumee River.  It was a landmark for early explorers and natives. The landmark was used by the Miami, Shawnee, Lenape Native Americans and their allies as a location for councils. Along with Roche de Boeuf is the old Inter-Urban Bridge (1908) that may or may not be there when we have our event as it is scheduled to be demolished in 2026. The Roche de Boeuf rock was used as one of the supports for the now abandoned Interurban Bridge . At one time, it was the largest bridge that was filled with earth and reinforced by concrete.^[3] Today the bridge, which formerly served as part of a commuter rail line, is in ruins. There is a great deal of history in this area.

Host: Mike McFarland: wwjmmm@hotmail.com

Weekend Schedule

Saturday

(10:00a ish - 5:00p ish) - General Operations/ Rides from Mary Jane Thurston State Park upriver to Napoleon, Ohio and return.

Sunday 

(10:00a ish- 5:00p ish) - General Operations/ Rides from Independence Dam boat ramp near Defiance, Ohio cruising upstream. 

Registration 

No registration required- just show up and have fun!

Parking

On Saturday, Park at the public boat ramp at Mary Jane Thurston State Park, near Grand Rapids, Ohio.

On Sunday, Park at the public boat ramp at Independence Dam State Park, Defiance, Ohio.

Accomodations

Contact Mike McFarland wwjmmm@hotmail.com or search for nearby hotels.