- All right, you guys are all set.

Crystal River Outfitters has been in operation since 1994.

My husband, Matt, actually started working here when he was 14.

And then in college he decided to buy the business.

He graduated from college, returned here, opened up the shop for another season, and now 20 years later we're still doing it.

- [Matt] Got two adults to sit inside kayaks.

- [Presenter] Whether you're a first time paddler or making your return trip to Leelanau County, the calm beauty of the Crystal River is absolutely enticing.

(bright upbeat music) - [Katy] The water, it's always the water, people come to the area and they're just astonished.

Especially this time of year, you can see it more.

I was out on the lake yesterday on Glen Lake and the water is Caribbean blue, it really is, so I think that's the biggest draw.

When people come, they're just awe inspired by it.

- [Presenter] Michigan is filled with sensational recreation locations that showcase exquisite vistas, and Glen Arbor is certainly no exception.

(upbeat music continues) (bird twittering) - In 2011, "Good morning America" had a poll and they ranked Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore as the most beautiful place in America.

Well, Glen Arbor is very lucky in that it's basically surrounded by Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, so people wanting to visit the Lakeshore, obviously Glen Arbor saw a huge spike in traffic from that.

The biggest thing that it did for the area is it really expanded the season.

Before, I would say Glen Arbor was kind of Memorial Day to Labor Day.

It was always busy in those months.

So people, if they wanted to come up, they had to think about maybe early May, they had to think about September and October.

And that's been really, really great for business.

And from that, all the businesses in the area have kind of learned how to, like, "What are other things "we can provide to keep people coming back year after year."

- [Presenter] One trip on the Crystal River and you might be hooked, it captivates newcomers and welcomes returnees back with its gentle flow.

(gentle music) - The Crystal River, from the head of the river down to our shop, four and a half miles.

It is a very naturally shallow river, super clear.

This is a great river that's super engaging for all kinds of different paddlers, beginners, families, even people that have paddled a lot.

I feel this is like the tale of two different rivers.

The first half goes strictly through the National Lakeshore.

There's no private properties or anything up there.

So we work with the National Lakeshore to trim stuff back, but still they come at it with habitat in mind, rightfully so.

So with that being said, you're still navigating around some trees and things like that.

The river twists and turns itself.

On average, this river, 18 inches deep.

But you could find some holes that are like a good three or four, and the water level does fluctuate, we just had rain a couple days ago, so right now the water levels are rising on the Crystal River because of that rain.

I find that people come out here and they're just amazed at the clarity, the amount of wildlife that they're able to see.

Again, an engaging river, not necessarily your lazy river, and I don't say that to scare anybody off.

I say that just because unlike some other paddles, during this whole thing, you're seeing nature, you're paddling around it, you're managing your boat.

There are three different portages to be able to manage on this river currently.

(gentle music continues) - [Presenter] Part of the fun of paddling on the Crystal River is appreciating your surroundings, taking in what's above, on, and below the water.

(water gurgling) - So when it comes to fish, small mouth bass, rock bass, the head of the river, because it's close to the Fisher Lakes leading into Big Glens, there will be trout that hold up there, steelhead.

We've had pike cruise through, and that's actually part of that whole culvert program, is to be able to help establish better fish habitat back and forth through this river.

At the same time, once the fall gets here, salmon will run this river.

And that's a super unique time to be able to come out and paddle on the Crystal River 'cause you're out there with the school of salmon.

And when they're hitting your boat, it kind of feels like a torpedo and they're right there next to you in that shallow water, it's pretty unique.

Then when it comes to birds, I mean you're gonna see kingfishers and all kinds of different heron, bald eagle are spotted on the river.

When it comes to mammals, there's deer, there's raccoons, possum.

I saw with my own eyes, even though there's sign of it all over the place, I saw my first beaver out on the river.

It was very cool to be able to see all the different wildlife that's available.

(gentle music continues) We get a lot of persons that have paddled a lot of different rivers, and they come here and they speak so highly of how we help manage this river, how the National Lakeshore manages the river, but how, again, I'm gonna use that word, engaging.

They've paddled a ton, they come here and they're like, "That was super fun."

It might not be super challenging for them, but they've enjoyed the entire experience because of how much you're paying attention to the wildlife and to the river itself.

For first time paddlers, I think that it lends itself very well due to the clarity, due to the depth, due to the speed.

Sure, there'll be a person or two that dumps, but that's the nature of kayaking, being on the water anyways.

The nice thing about this being a naturally shallow river is it's typically very warm.

It's very easy to just stand up.

We'll encourage everybody to wear PFDs, to be nice and safe, you know, and we help try to educate people when it comes to paddling as well.

Trying to give people lasting memories with these simple little adventures that we've got.

That's another big reason that we've got a lot of people coming to this area.

(gentle music continues)