Мичиган көлінің саласы: Гранд өзені

Tributary of Lake Michigan in southern Michigan

The Grand River (Ottawa: owashtanong, "Far Flowing Water") is a 252 mile (406 km) river in the Lower Peninsula of the U. S. state of Michigan. The longest river in Michigan, the Grand River rises in Hillsdale County, and flows in a generally northwesterly direction to its mouth at Lake Michigan in the city of Grand Haven. The river flows through a number of cities, including Jackson, Lansing, Ionia, and Grand Rapids. The river was famous for its mile long, 300 yard wide, and 10 to 15 foot tall rapids, for which the city of Grand Rapids was named. These rapids were submerged following the construction of numerous dams, starting in 1835, and flooding of areas behind the dams. The river has not had any rapids for nearly a century.

The headwaters of the Grand River begin from natural springs in Somerset Township in Hillsdale County near the boundary with Liberty Township in Jackson County. From there, the river flows through Jackson, Ingham, Eaton, Clinton, Ionia, Kent, and Ottawa counties before emptying into Lake Michigan. The river runs through the cities of Jackson, Eaton Rapids, Lansing, Grand Ledge, Portland, Ionia, Lowell, Grand Rapids, and Grand Haven.

It is estimated that 22% of the pesticide usage in the Lake Michigan watershed occurs in the Grand River drainage, which accounts for only 13% of the lake's total watershed. The river is a trout and salmon stream for much of its length.

As the glacial ice receded from what is the central Lower Peninsula of Michigan around 11,000 years ago, the Maple River and lower Grand River served as a drainage channel for the meltwater. The channel ran east to west, emptying into proglacial Lake Chicago, the ancestor of Lake Michigan. About 2,000 years ago, the Hopewell Indians settled along the Grand River near present day Grandville. Their presence is still seen in the preserved burial mounds. By the late 17th century, the Grand River band of Odawa had established villages on the banks of the Grand River at the sites of what would later become several towns and cities, including Grand Rapids, Forest Hills, Lowell, Lyons, and Portland. For these peoples, as well as for later explorers, fur traders and settlers, the river served as an important navigational trade route and cultural hub. Grand River Avenue (or Grand River Road) was built early in the settlement of Michigan and ran from the head of navigation on the Grand to downtown Detroit. It formed an important part of an early route between Chicago and Detroit, along with the Grand itself, from Grand Rapids to Grand Haven on Lake Michigan. A fish ladder installed in 1974 replaced the West Side Water Power Canal headgates removed in 1960. In recent years, Grand Rapids Whitewater, a private nonprofit organization, is working toward restoring the rapids to the river in Grand Rapids. The project, which began in 2019, will remove five dams between Sixth street and Pearl street to restore an 18 foot drop in the Grand River's elevation.

Two of Grand Valley State University's campuses are located on the banks of the Grand River. The main campus in Allendale and the Pew Grand Rapids campus in Grand Rapids both border the river in separate locations miles from each other. The Grand is home to GVSU's rowing team, and the crew boathouse sits parallel to the river on the Allendale campus's north side. Coast Guard Station Grand Haven is situated near the mouth of the river in Grand Haven. The station gives Grand Haven its nickname Coast Guard City USA.

At least 80 bridges cross the river's 250 mile span, with most bridge structures clustered in metropolitan/municipal areas along the river. County road and state highway crossings can be found in less densely populated areas along the waterway:
+List of Bridge CrossingsRouteTypeCity County LocationUS RouteGrand HavenOttawaMichigan Highway68th AvenueCounty Road (Lake Michigan Dr) Michigan Highway Allendale (Wilson Avenue SW)Michigan HighwayGrandvilleKentKent Trails Grand River Bridge TrailPedestrian BridgeWyomingInterstate HighwayWealthy Street SWCity StreetGrand RapidsUS RouteFulton Street WestCity StreetPearl Street NWCity StreetBridge Street NWCity StreetInterstate Highway6th Street NWCity StreetLeonard Street NWCity StreetAnn Street NWCity StreetInterstate HighwayNorth Park Street NECity StreetJupiter Avenue NECity Street (Northland Drive NE)City StreetKnapp StreetCounty Road (Fulton Street)Michigan HighwaySegwun AvenueCity StreetLowellSouth Division StreetCity StreetNorth Bridge StreetCity StreetSaranacIoniaFred Meijer Grand River Valley TrailPedestrian BridgeIoniaMichigan HighwayCleveland StreetCity StreetWest Bridge StreetCity StreetLyonsDavid HwyCounty RoadWest Grand River AvenueCity StreetPortlandWest Bridge StreetCity StreetInterstate HighwayKent StreetCity StreetCharlotte HighwayCounty RoadJones RoadCounty RoadClintonWest State RoadCounty RoadBridge StCity StreetGrand LedgeEaton/Interstate HighwayWebster RoadCity StreetSouth Waverly RoadCity StreetLansingInghamMartin Luther King Jr. BlvdCity StreetNorth Grand River AvenueCity StreetEast Cesar E. Chavez AvenueCity StreetEast Oakland AvenueCity StreetEast Saginaw HighwayCity StreetLansing Riverwalk Grand River Railroad BridgeCity StreetEast Shiawassee StreetCity StreetEast Michigan AvenueCity StreetEast Kalamazoo StreetCity StreetInterstate HighwaySouth Washington StreetCity StreetLansing River TrailPedestrian BridgeWest Elm StreetCity Street (Northbound)Michigan Highway (Southbound)Michigan HighwayIsland AvenueCity StreetLansing River TrailPedestrian BridgeMartin Luther King Jr. Boulevard NBCity StreetMartin Luther King Jr. Boulevard SBCity StreetSouth Waverly RoadCity StreetEatonSouth Creyts RoadCity StreetInterstate HighwaySouth Bridge StreetCity StreetDimondale (Southbound)Michigan Highway (Northbound)Michigan HighwayNorth Waverly RoadCounty RoadWest Columbia RoadCounty RoadBunker HighwayCounty RoadPetrieville HighwayCounty RoadEast Knight StreetCity StreetEaton RapidsState StreetCity StreetSmithville RoadCounty RoadSouth Waverly RoadCounty RoadGale RoadCounty RoadInghamKinneville RoadCounty RoadSouth Onondaga RoadCounty RoadOld Plank RoadCounty RoadJacksonTompkins RoadCounty RoadRives Eaton RoadCounty RoadJackson and Lansing RailroadRailroadChurchill RoadCounty RoadUS RouteLansing AvenueCounty RoadBerry RoadCounty RoadMaplegrove RoadCounty RoadParnall AvenueCounty RoadInterstate HighwayMonroe StreetCity StreetJacksonNorth StreetCity StreetGanson StreetCity StreetPearl StreetCity StreetMorrell StreetCity Street