SOME USEFUL LINKS

Here is a list of links which users of the North Country National Scenic Trail, as well as hikers, campers, and backpackers anywhere in Michigan, may find useful.  The Web is filled with resources for hikers and campers, and the following is only a sampling.  Plug just about any trail-, hiking- or camping-related term into your favorite search engine, and you'll reap pages of results that will keep you busy for hours!

► If you've had good experience with a resource
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Note: This list is informational and for convenience only.  Except for the link to the NCTA Trail Shop, the North Country Trail Association and the Chief Noonday Chapter have no control over and do not endorse the content of any external Web site. 

For more links, particularly if you are interested in portions of the NCNST outside of Michigan, check out the national NCTA Web site.

For the latest additions, see items marked ♦  New ► below.

A.  Government Agencies:

National Park Service (NPS)
NPS North Country National Scenic Trail Web Site

USDA Forest Service
USDA Forest Service Eastern Region Home Page -- Source of information on National Forests in our region

U. S. National Forest Campground Guide -- Not an official government Web site, but this Web site is filled with highly useful information about using this valuable Federal resource.  The site is maintained by Fred and Suzi Dow, who to date have completed research on 138 National Forests and 2,051 campgrounds including Michigan's.

Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
Michigan DNR Trails and Pathways Site
Michigan DNR Camping Information
Michigan DNR Locator Map for Campgrounds and Trails
The DNR's page on the Yankee Springs Recreation Area and Barry State Game Area.

DNR map of the Barry State Game Area. 
DNR map of the Middleville State Game Area.
DNR map of the Yankee Springs Recreation Area.

Ft. Custer National Cemetery is believed to be the only national military cemetery in the USA crossed by a National Scenic Trail.

In and around Battle Creek, the North Country National Scenic Trail goes through the following areas of interest:

• The Battle Creek Linear Park offers more than 17 miles of paved pathway winding through wooded areas, open fields, parks, and even some commercial areas.  It joins many picturesque spots for fishing in the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo rivers, canoeing or a picnic.  It provides measured miles and kilometers, and signs provide historical and cultural information and indicate points of interest.
• Kimball Pines County Park is 100 acres of mostly plantation pines planted in the 1930's and 1940's. Kimball Pines is one of the oldest stands of urban pines in Michigan.  The park also contains deciduous woodlands, ponds and a creek that is a tributary of the Kalamazoo River.
• The Historic Bridge Park lies along the Kalamazoo River and Dickinson Creek with a scenic overview of the river.  It houses a growing number of restored historic metal truss bridges that have been retired from vehicular service.  The Historic Bridge Park offers many passive recreational opportunities such as picnicking, walking/hiking, bike riding, fishing, boating and wildlife observation.  Click here for another Web site devoted to this unique park.
• Ott Biological Preserve:  Calhoun County's "hidden jewel," located just east of Battle Creek in Emmett Township.  This greenspace includes approximately 300 acres of natural habitats that have been shaped extensively by glaciers.

 All except the Linear Park belong to Calhoun County Parks and Recreation.

B.  Organizations:

The North Country Trail Association's Web site has a page providing links to NCTA affiliates including the Finger Lakes Trail Conference in New York, the Buckeye Trail Association in Ohio, and the Superior Hiking Trail Association in Minnesota.  There is also a page listing the local chapters of the NCTA.

W. K. Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) and W. K. Kellogg Experimental Forest

Cheff Therapeutic Riding Center.  The Cheff Center, located north of M-89, hosts the next off-road section of the Trail north of the W. K. Kellogg Experimental Forest.

American Hiking Society (AHS)

American Volkssport Association promotes walking for health, fitness and fun.  See its list of affiliates in Michigan with links to the walking events they sponsor.  The AVA affiliates in our neighborhood include the Historic Pathwalkers (their Web site works better in Internet Explorer) and Middleville MOVES (e-mail contact) which has walks scheduled for May 3 and Labor Day in 2008.

Michigan Audubon Society

Michigan Trails & Greenways Alliance is a non-profit organization that fosters and facilitates the creation of an interconnected statewide system of trails and greenways for recreation, health, transportation, economic development and environmental/cultural preservation purposes.  In particular, check out their Michigan Trails Finder. 

Pierce Cedar Creek Institute for Ecological Education   Biological Field Station with hiking trails in Barry County.

Otis Sanctuary    Celebrating the biodiversity of the Glass Creek watershed, Barry county and beyond.

Ronald "Pop" Warner Sanctuary    The 100 acre Warner Sanctuary is located about 2.5 miles from the Michigan Audubon Otis Sanctuary.  A marked trail system is near completion.  You can follow orange topped posts from one side of the sanctuary to the other.  Future trails are being considered.

Maher Sanctuary     Grand Rapids Audubon Society, located in Irving Township, Barry County.

The Paul Henry - Thornapple Trail, when complete, will be a 42 mile multi-use recreation trail, from Grand Rapids to Vermontville.  The trail is being constructed on or near a former railroad corridor. The route of this trail passes through farmlands, woodlands and small towns, along and over rivers and creeks. The scenic highlight of the trail is its close proximity to the Thornapple River.

The Silver Leaf Renaissance Faire and the North Country National Scenic Trail are cooperating neighbors in the Kimball Pines County Park in Calhoun County.  The Faire is held on weekends, July 8 through August 6, 2006.  Combine a hike with fun at the Faire.

The Southwest Michigan Planning Commission's Web page on Trails and Roadways.  Serving Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren Counties, SMPC's mission is to promote a sustainable, high quality of life through the facilitation of sound planning and decision-making.  Hiking trails are only one of the areas of development which benefit from its program services, which include transportation, economic development, community planning, and natural resource protection.

Check out the Thornapple River Adventure Club (TRAC) -- an informal organization of families and singles in the Middleville area who like to do outdoor things, such as biking, kayaking, canoeing, hiking, climbing, walking, birding, camping, XC skiing, geocaching, etc.  Their goal is to have as much non-motorized outdoor fun as they can stand while treading lightly in nature. Individual members plan the events and invite the other members to join them.  Cal and Jean Lamoreaux are ringleaders.

C.  Vendors:

The North Country Trail Association's own Trail Shop

Here is a sampling of vendors with a worthwhile selection of hiking and camping gear that can be ordered on line, by phone, or by mail: 

Campmor
L. L. Bean of Freeport, Maine.
R.E.I.
Cabela's
Sierra Trading Post
Taiga Works Hiking & Camping Gear (Vancouver-based)

You may also want to check out other vendors of camping and hiking supplies in our area, including Lee’s Adventure Sports, Bill and Paul's Sporthaus, Jay's Sporting Goods, Gander Mountain, Dunham's Sports, and Dick's Sporting Goods.

The following are links to businesses which are sponsors of Chief Noonday Chapter and its Newsletter:  Lee’s Adventure Sports, Katie and Christy's mid-Lakes Screen Printing, also Katie and Christy's Michigan Lakefront Homes rentals and sales.

D.  Publications & Forums:

Kirt Keck has started a Yahoo! group for hikers and backpackers with a name that is a mouthful -- southeastmichiganbackpackershikers.  The group is for (but not limited to) southeast Michigan counties including our NCNST neighbor Hillsdale County.  The group offers resources (including this useful links page) for Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan.  Activities will include day hikes, weekend outings. and week long excursions to places like Isle Royale, the Manistee National Forest, Hocking Hills, and any other place that has the room for week long excursions. 

Get Off the Couch!  A Web site started by indefatigable NCTA member Joan Young focusing on exercise and activity in the Manistee National Forest area.  Joan's site is a work in progress, so keep checking back for developments. 

NCT_friends · North Country Trail Friends -- a Yahoo! group started by Joan Young for people who have a passion for enjoying the North Country National Scenic Trail and want to learn more about it and spread the word.  Joan started the group in November 2007, and it's already busy and generating a lot of interesting traffic.

Speaking of Joan Young, you can catch a glimpse of all she's into by clicking here and the subpages of her Web site such as this one.  You can spend a week following all the links she has and still not see everything!  Sort of like following her in real life....

Backpacker Magazine

Join HikingForums.net as a virtual place to get together with hikers from all over -- to share ideas and viewpoints, ask (or answer) questions, make comments, share your knowledge, and gain information about hiking, trails, and gear.

E.  Maps and Navigation:

The NCTA Trail Shop is the premier source for maps of the NCT.

DNR map of the Barry State Game Area. 
DNR map of the Middleville State Game Area.
DNR map of the Yankee Springs Recreation Area.

See also the Maps page on this Web site.

A handy GPS coordinates translator is available from the FCC if you need to translate your GPS unit's coordinates read-out from one format to another for mapping purposes, etc.  Formats available are degree-minute-second and degree decimal.

How to use a compass.  A lot of material.

Navigation With Map and Compass.  Includes sections on How To Use A Compass, Reading Topographic Maps, Adjusting a Compass For Magnetic Declination, Measuring Distance With Paces, Navigation Without A Compass, Navigating Switchbacks, Orienteering, How To Walk Softly and Leave No Trace While Navigating

Finding directions WITHOUT a compass -- a survival skill that could save your life!  This is a sub-page of the Navigation With Map & Compass page.

GORP's page on using Global Positioning System (GPS) devices.   Lewis & Clark never had it so good!

F.  Hiking and Camping tips, trips and techniques:

Suzi Dow's "Camping w/ Suzi" page.  Fred and Suzi Dow (right) are on the road every camping season traveling all over the country gathering information and lore that makes them an invaluable resource for campers, especially if you use National Forest campgrounds.

Outdoorplaces.com -- Source of info on parks --- with a collection of links on their home page to a lot of instructional content on camping, hiking, paddling. travel, gear.

GORP's page on the North Country National Scenic Trail.

Hiking & Walking Homepage --- gazillion links

Day and Backcountry Hiking -- drawing on the experience of L L Bean

GORP's basic page on hiking --- loads of links.  See also GORP's Home Page.

Outdoor cooking from Love the Outdoors.

♦  New ►  First Aid:  There is no substitute for good hands-on wilderness first aid training from a qualified source.  But until you can take such a course, you can learn a lot from Backpacker Magazine's First Aid Center.  Also see Answers.com page on First Aid which contains an abundance of worthwhile information and links. 

American Academy of Dermatology's page on Poison Ivy, Oak & Sumac.  Includes useful illustrations of the plants, rashes, blisters, and severe reactions.  And there are more images and info about poison ivy here.

G.  Gear (especially boots):

The Walking Stick: Hiking Poles & Walking Sticks & Staffs.  All you'd ever want to know about them.

Buying hiking boots: what you need to know when shopping for boots -- from the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club.

Choosing hiking boots: One of L L Bean's "Field Skills" pages --- good one on choosing, breaking in and maintaining hiking boots, regardless of brand.  Has links to other worthwhile topics as well: Choosing/Loading Your Backpack, Dayhiker's Checklist, Cold-Weather Camping Tips, Low-Impact Hiking and Camping, Hiking Tips, First Aid, Steps to Take When Lost, Dressing for the Outdoors

Speaking of boots, check out offerings by the Tractor Supply Company.  TSC might not be the first place technical hikers might be inclined to look specifically for hiking boots, but if you're looking for good work boots to wear on a trail workday, or you're a member of a trail crew or working on puncheons in the wetlands, TSC merits a look-see.

REI's Expert Advice -- links to useful how-to pages from an organization that's had a whole lot of experience to draw on.