The first dam built on the Chain was in Elk Rapids to provide power for the iron works and saw mill. Later another dam was built north of Bellaire to provide electric power. A legacy of the dams are the many areas along the shores that are littered with the logs and stumps of the trees that were killed by the flooding. There are smaller fields at the north end of Elk Lake and the north end of the Torch River. But the government can't make it rain, so try as they might, the current water levels are now below average.
Several launches are now too shallow for all but the smallest boats.
Check with local authorities if you are not sure. Unlike the Inland Route , the other major waterway in northern Michigan, there are no numbered channel markers that you can follow. The channels leading into the Torch River, Grass River and Intermediate River are maintained by local authorities or property owners and are not consistent along the route from year to year. The depth in the channels can range from only a foot or two to several feet.