Leaving civilization behind, hikers on the North Country Trail come for the beauty, the views, the solitude and the forests.

“It’s the longest, skinniest National Park in the nation being four feet wide and 4,600 miles long, and people from all across the nation come and they especially come to the western U.P. [Michigan] in general to see our trees,” said Connie Julien, president of the Peter Wolfe Chapter.

The stretch of trail includes the Trap Hills and some of the best views on the North Country Trail, Julien said.

This remote, foot travel-only trail does not maintain itself and requires hundreds of volunteers across the seven states it passes through to keep it open. In the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the Peter Wolfe Chapter is responsible for around 120 miles.

Maintenance is necessary to clear the trail of fallen trees from heavy winter snow and trim back overgrowth to keep the trail clear. With the work divided among around 35 chapters, each is responsible for around 100 miles. The volunteers adopt a portion of that, typically covering one to three miles.

In spring volunteers go in with chainsaws, loppers and bow saws whenever they have time with the goal of clearing the trail by Memorial Day.

Read full story…

Michigan’s Iron Belle Trail is the longest state-designated trail in the nation, encompassing more than 2,000 miles of hiking and biking routes, allowing users to explore pristine forests and cool rivers while connecting big cities to smaller and diverse towns.

The trail extends from Belle Isle in Detroit to Ironwood in Michigan’s western Upper Peninsula. It is slated to span 2,019 miles. The trail is approximately 68 percent completed.

In an effort to leverage funding to advance progress toward completion of this statewide trail, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has awarded $515,000 in local funding to 28 communities to help develop and enhance it.

Funded projects were eligible to receive up to $30,000 for trail enhancement projects including feasibility studies, preliminary construction, engineering of new trail segments, signage for trail segments and trailheads, environmental impact studies and other uses. For this round of funding, the DNR received 56 applications.

This is the fourth year the DNR has issued grants specifically for Iron Belle Trail development. The department awarded $250,000 in 2015, $350,000 in 2016 and $350,000 in 2017 for a variety of projects, many of which have been completed or are nearing completion.

Read full story…

The experience many hikers, bicyclists and afternoon strollers seek is simply being on the trail and enjoying their companions and surroundings. There are plenty of others, though, whose time on the trail is best topped off with a special reward—a unique experience, a breathtaking view, an intriguing discovery and Michigan trails can provide that.

Nationally known as “The Trails State,” Michigan offers thousands of miles of recreational trails, and more than a few of them offer an extraordinary twist along the way that will satisfy any reward seeker-types.

Just 8 miles in length, the Huron Sunrise Trail, running from Rogers City along Lake Huron’s western shoreline to Forty Mile Point, packs a wonderfully scenic wallop any time of day. For the all-time ultimate trail experience, however, hikers, bikers and skaters should do as its name suggests and be on the trail at dawn.

On the opposite side of the Lower Peninsula, sky gazers can experience the incredible beauty of a night sky over the Great Lakes at Emmet County’s Headlands International Dark Sky Park, and its Dark Sky Discovery Trail.

Visitors to the Iron Ore Heritage Trail in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula don’t have to wait ‘til journey’s end to enjoy a unique experience. Instead, there’s something all along the 47-mile trail that allows hikers, bikers and off-roaders to immerse themselves in the rich history of an industry that shaped not only the state of Michigan, but also the entire nation.

Here is but a handful that all will enjoy, especially early birds, night owls and determined trekkers…

Come autumn, of course, the state’s pathways add their finest feature, beginning a transformation that leaves them ablaze with color.

Typically, fall’s hues reach their peak the first week of October in the Upper Peninsula and later in the month farther south.

Here are 10 of Michigan’s best fall foliage hikes…

“This spectacular hike is a very popular event at Tahquamenon Falls State Park,” said Theresa Neal, park interpreter. “It allows us to showcase not only the breathtaking north woods splendor we have here, but also a slice of the tremendous opportunity Michigan has to offer as the Trails State.”

The River Trail parallels the mighty Tahquamenon River, and is also part of the North Country National Scenic Trail, which winds 4,540 miles across seven states from New York to North Dakota, the longest national scenic trail in the United States.

The River Trail is also part of Michigan’s signature Iron Belle Trail, which stretches from Belle Isle to Ironwood. When completed, the Iron Belle Trail will feature a 1,273-mile hiking route and a 791-mile bicycle route.

Tahquamenon Falls State Park (46,179-acres) is located off M-123, about 21 miles northeast of Newberry.

At the Upper Falls, the roughly 200-foot-wide river drops a roaring 50 feet, with peak water flows measured here at over 50,000 gallons per second. Downstream, the Lower Falls cascade over a staircase of five waterfalls.

For the “Hike Between Da Falls,” participants park their vehicles at the Lower Falls parking lot and take a free shuttle to the Upper Falls trailhead. From there, hikers explore the beauty of the River Trail as they make their way back to their vehicles.

Beginning at 9 a.m., the shuttle will run every 30 minutes, with the last shuttle departing the Lower Falls at 1 p.m. Members of the Hiawatha Shore-to-Shore Chapter of the North Country Trail Association will be on hand to promote hiking in Michigan and provide activities at the Lower Falls.

In addition to Sept. 24 being the closing day of National Trails Week, the day also marks National Public Lands Day and North Country National Scenic Trail Day.

For more information on Tahquamenon Falls State Park, visit the park’s webpage or call the park at 906-492-3415.

Beavers aren’t just busy — they’re swamped. But while building and maintaining a marsh can take time, it’s apparently worth the investment. The rodents’ ecosystem-shaping homes have long been known for their durability, and a recent study offers unique evidence that individual beaver dams can persist for centuries.

That evidence comes via an 1868 map commissioned by Lewis H. Morgan, a prominent American anthropologist who also worked as a railroad director. While overseeing a rail project through Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in the 1860s, Morgan came across something that amazed him: “a beaver district, more remarkable, perhaps, than any other of equal extent to be found in any part of North America.”

Morgan went on to study these beavers for years, resulting in his 396-page tome “The American Beaver and His Works.” Published in 1868, it included a map of 64 beaver dams and ponds spread across roughly 125 square kilometers (48 square miles) near the city of Ishpeming, Michigan. And now, almost 150 years later, a fresh look at Morgan’s map has revealed that most of the beaver dams are still there.

Other research has hinted at even longer resilience. A 2012 study, for example, found that some beaver dams in California date back more than 1,000 years. One of those dams was first built around 580 AD, making it older than China’s Tang Dynasty or the earliest-known English poetry. Later evidence shows the same dam was in use around 1730, when beavers apparently made repairs to it. It was finally abandoned after suffering a breach in 1850 — some 1,200 years after its initial construction.

Read full story…

Within the deep emerald twilight of the north woods, as the smell of pine and moss gives way to the lake-crisp air and the windblown expanse of Lake Superior washing up against the sandstone cliffs and rocky beaches, it’s easy to forget all of the stresses of civilization. On the North Country Trail — the longest and one of the wildest trails in the U.S. — you can.

If Gov. Rick Snyder’s plans come to fruition, the North Country Trail will form 1,069 miles of the proposed Iron Belle Trail, traversing forest, wetlands, Lake Superior shoreline and picturesque northern towns from Ironwood in the western U.P. to Detroit’s Belle Isle.

Lorana Jinkerson, president of the Central Upper Peninsula of Michigan chapter of the North Country Trail Hikers based in Marquette, hopes the excitement surrounding the proposed Iron Belle will bring increased funding, support and hikers to Michigan’s sections of the North Country Trail. The more people hiking the trail, the more volunteers, donations, grants and sponsorships can be secured to maintain it, she said.

More hikers such as Dawn Bower, a resident of Grand Rapids who hiked 100 miles of the trail near Pictured Rocks and Marquette this spring. She plans to hike through the rest of the U.P. in two sections over the next year. “When you start hiking the trail, you start noticing all of the beauty that is in front of you.” Bower said. “It’s just phenomenal how simply gorgeous it is.”

Much of that beauty is accessible because of volunteers like Jinkerson and her group, who keep the trail open to hikers by keeping it clearly marked and cleared of overgrowth, and by working with local landowners to keep the proper easements in place.

Read full story…

Michigan’s recreational trails offer jaw-dropping glimpses of the Great Lakes stretching out against the horizon. They feature cliffs that look like they were squirted with giant tubes of fingerpaint. And miles of soft sand to trudge ‒ a scenic way to tighten the glutes.

Wander off the public parks and more breath-taking vistas await (as well as the occasional trash-strewn shoreline, landfill or nuclear power plant). It’s the kind of journey that is an inspiration for the Next Big Idea for Michigan: A walking trail that traces the entire shoreline of the state.

Yes, that’s nearly 2,200 miles of trail around the Mitten and Upper Peninsula, the centerpiece of a 10,000-mile Great Lakes mega-route traversing eight states and Canada. To put a 2,200-mile Michigan trek in perspective, that’s roughly the length of the U.S.’s entire East Coast, from Maine through Florida.

“If Michigan leads, the rest of the Great Lakes states will follow. They’ll see what this could mean for local communities along the lake shore,” said Melissa Scanlan, an environmental law professor and leading proponent of ringing Michigan and the entire Great Lakes region with public-access trails.

Read full story…

The trail will run from Belle Isle Park in Detroit to Ironwood in the western Upper Peninsula along the border with Wisconsin. Michigan Department of Natural Resources Director Keith Creagh said in a statement the name “effectively captures the beauty and strength of our state’s exceptional natural and cultural resources.”

Portions already are open in Michigan’s Lower and Upper peninsulas, with additional segments planned to debut this year. The Parks and Recreation Division of the DNR, as well as other partners, is seeking private and public funding to secure and develop trail corridors.

Proposed by Gov. Rick Snyder in 2012, the trail will provide a 1,259-mile hiking route and a 774-mile bicycling route. A large portion of it follows the existing North Country National Scenic Trail, which runs from the New York-Vermont border to central North Dakota.

Read full story…

“USGS maps are excellent planning and navigation tools for hikers and other trail users” said Mark Weaver, Superintendent of the Trail. “The North Country Trail is a truly special recreational resource and we are quite thrilled to have the trail incorporated onto the maps.”

The North Country Trail is one of the 11 National Scenic Trails in the U.S. It is the longest national scenic trail, extending over seven states and 168 distinct land management units, from the vicinity of Crown Point State Park New York, to Lake Sakakawea State Park on the Missouri River in North Dakota, to the route of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. Plans are underway to expand the trail to include the Arrowhead region of northern Minnesota, and extend the eastern terminus to the Appalachian Trail in Vermont, eventually bringing the trail to approximately 4,600 miles long.

Read full story…