No site in MDNR's access file falls on Phelan Creek, so the way in is public ground and road crossings rather than a marked landing. 2 blocks of public land touch the river, which is where you can stand without asking — 220,436 acres between them, counting each unit whole rather than the part beside the water. The nearest town we map is Alpena, 39.8 miles from the river's midpoint in a straight line, with the water south of the town.
| Town | Distance | Direction to the river |
|---|---|---|
| Alpena | 39.8 mi | south |
Straight-line distance from the river's midpoint, and the direction you would travel from the town to reach it. The roads are not mapped here, so there is no drive time — a travel time nobody measured is the kind of number that gets somebody lost.
Ownership from PAD-US as the state publishes it. Where a block has its own page, the name links to it.
Phelan Creek — live water temperature, regulations and access