Hesperia Dam, White River

A Low-Head Dam on the White River

The Hesperia Dam forms a wide, rock-lined spillway where the White River tumbles from an upstream millpond into a shallow, fast-moving pool. Wading anglers and curious visitors line the rocky shoreline beneath the dam, watching the current churn white against moss-covered boulders and the concrete apron of the old structure.

A Fishing Landmark

As the first barrier fish encounter on their way up from White Lake and Lake Michigan, the dam pool concentrates runs of Chinook salmon and steelhead each year, making it one of west Michigan's best-known wading-friendly fishing spots. Anglers of every skill level cast from the gravel bars and boardwalk for a chance at a trophy fish fresh from the big lake.

Vida Weaver Park

The camera looks down from Vida Weaver Park, a riverside green space built around the dam with a raised wooden boardwalk, picnic tables, and shaded overlooks. It's a natural gathering point for the Village of Hesperia, drawing families for picnics and river walks alongside the anglers working the pool.

The White River Watershed

Rising from the swamps of northern Newaygo County, the White River winds west through farmland and forest before reaching Lake Michigan at White Lake. The Hesperia Dam sits at the boundary of Newaygo and Oceana County, an earthen structure that has shaped this stretch of the river since the 1970s.