Rapid River (Kalkaska County, Michigan)

The Torch River is a short river in the Northern Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. At 2.1 miles (3.4 km) in length, the river connects Torch Lake to Lake Skegemog, and is a crucial link in the Elk River Chain of Lakes Watershed. The river is divided along its entire length between Antrim and Kalkaska counties. The northern source of the river is home to a Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Access Site. The Rapid River is a major tributary of the Torch River.

Lake Skegemog ( SKEE-guh-mawg), formerly known as Round Lake and Skegemog Lake, is a lake in Northern Michigan. The lake is part of the Elk River Chain of Lakes, itself part of the Lake Michigan watershed. Within the lake is the tripoint of Antrim, Grand Traverse, and Kalkaska counties.

Rapid City is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Kalkaska County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the CDP had a population of 1,357. Rapid City is located within Clearwater Township, and is about 8 miles (13 km) northwest of Kalkaska.

Clearwater Township is a civil township of Kalkaska County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the township population was 2,497.

The Skegemog Point Site, also known as the Samels Field Site or Samels Site and designated 20GT2, is an archaeological site located on the property of the Samels Farm at 8298 Skegemog Point Road, near Williamsburg, Michigan. Material at the site spans over 10,000 years, and the site is unique in that, due to glacial rebound, it is horizontally stratified rather than vertically stratified. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

Alden is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located in Antrim County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located within Helena Township, the community is located upon the shores of Torch Lake. The population of the CDP was 123 at the 2020 census.

Elk Lake is located in Antrim and Grand Traverse counties in Northern Michigan. The lake is about a one and a half miles (2.4 km) wide and nine miles (14 km) long, and is centered at 44°51′N 85°23′W near the town of Elk Rapids. It has maximum depth of 192 ft (59 m), making it Michigan's second deepest after Torch Lake. It is a popular lake for fishing, featuring lake trout, rock bass, yellow perch, smallmouth bass, muskellunge, ciscoes, brown trout, rainbow trout, and whitefish. Elk Lake lies to the west of the larger Torch Lake, which lies just to the east. It is part of a watershed that begins in northern Antrim County with Intermediate Lake, which is connected by the Intermediate River with Lake Bellaire. The Grass River flows from Lake Bellaire into Clam Lake, which in turn drains into Torch Lake via the short Clam River. Torch Lake is drained by the Torch River, which flows into Lake Skegemog, which opens into Elk Lake. Elk Lake flows through Elk River into the east arm of Grand Traverse Bay at Elk Rapids. This watershed is popularly known as the Chain of Lakes.

Milton Township is a civil township of Antrim County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,355 at the 2020 census.

Helena Township is a civil township of Antrim County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,001 at the 2010 census. Helena Township was organized in 1865 by a division of Milton Township. It was named for Helena M. Thayer.

Kewadin ( kə-WAY-dən) is an unincorporated community in the U.S. state of Michigan. The community is located in Milton Township, Antrim County, and is located on the northern shore of Elk Lake, roughly 2 miles (3.2 km) northeast of the village of Elk Rapids. As an unincorporated community, Kewadin has no legally defined boundaries or population statistics of its own. However, a post office operates out of the community, with the ZIP Code 49648.

Thayer Lake is a lake in Antrim County, Michigan, in the United States.Thayer Lake was named for a family of early settlers.

Elk Rapids Township is a civil township of Antrim County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,521 at the 2020 census. The village of Elk Rapids is located within the township.