We don't paddle the Pere Marquette very often, and with only 8 watercraft permits allowed per party per day, we have reserved that number for our group. The club pays for the permits, reservation fee and shuttle.
You will need a vehicle pass to park at the accesses for the river: $5 per car if you don't already have one. The National Parks senior pass will do the trick.
We will be paddling from Bowman Bridge to Upper Branch Bridge. One book that I trust says it's 13.5 miles, while the Huron-Manistee National Forest says 13.1 miles. Both list the paddling time as 4 hours. The outfitter (Baldwin Canoe Rental) says it's 20 miles, and that it takes 4.5 hours - I think that's for folks who never actually paddle. The river is fairly easy, with a sand bottom all the way. If the mood suits us, there will be lots of swim breaks.
Here is the report from a previous trip:
The meeting time will be sent with your e-mail confirmation. It's about 75 miles from TC, so please plan accordingly.
Here is a map of the access:
http://www.fishweb.com/maps/lake/pere_marquette_rv/index.html
From Baldwin, take 7th street west 5 blocks to Cherry Street, then south 1.5 blocks to 52nd Street (Carr Road), go west 4 miles to the Bowman Bridge access. Here's a MapQuest link: