Au Sable River (Michigan)

Au Sable River
Beauais River, Rivière au sable
The Au Sable River in Alcona County
Location of the Au Sable River
Location
CountryUnited States
Physical characteristics
Source 
  locationFrederic Township, Crawford County, Michigan
Mouth 
  location
Lake Huron at Au Sable, Michigan
  elevation
581 ft (177 m)
Length138 miles (222 km)
TypeScenic
DesignatedOctober 4, 1984

The Au Sable River (/ɔː ˈsɑːbəl/ aw SAH-bəl) is a 138-mile-long (222 km) river in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. Rising in the Northern Lower Peninsula, the river flows in a generally southeasterly direction to its mouth at Lake Huron at the communities of Au Sable and Oscoda. Like the nearby Manistee River, it is regarded as a premier brown trout fishery east of the Rockies and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has designated it a blue ribbon trout stream. A map from 1795 located in the United States Gazetteer calls it the Beauais River. In French, the river is called the Rivière au sable, literally "Sand River".