PETOSKEY - PICKEREL LAKE SFCG, MI
Charlevoix and Antrim Counties
60.9 mi total 31.6 certified 0.0 connecting 29.3 marked 0.0 bare
All trail in this section, on and off road, is marked with blue diamond assurance markers. Water sources can be few and far between, especially in the southernmost part of the section, but there are some excellent campsites. There are some sections between the starting point for this section and the end of the Jordan River Pathway that are quite hilly and wooded; expect steep climbs. In the northernmost sections, some areas are a little rocky.
CAMPING: Where trail is located off-road in this section, it's on state forest land, and trailside camping is permitted, as long as it's off the trail. The trail also passes several small state forest campgrounds. INFORMATION AND MAPS: Michigan mapset, available from the North Country Trail Store. The Hutchins Guide also covers the area from Doubesky Road south to the end of the section. The sketch maps in either, as well as the maps here, should be adequate to find the trail, but a compass and a good county map may prove useful.
0.0 [0.0] HARMON ROAD TRAILHEAD
The certified trail continues south from its Emmet County trailhead on Harmon Road, passing through two pine plantations and an old farmstead. In places, the trail is hilly and heavily wooded. About 1.8 miles south of the trailhead, there's a side trail to a lookout.
4.5 [4.5] CROSS SPRINGVALE ROADOnce across Springvale Road, certification breaks, and the trail follows an old two-rut road southward for about 1.2 miles before certification picks up again, crossing a small stream about 2 miles south of Springvale Rd. The trail continues more or less southerly, climbs steeply up Chandler Hill, a large ridge, then descends off the ridge to cross Chandler Road.
7.5 [3.0] CROSS CHANDLER RD.
About 1/2 mile south of Chandler Road is a rustic campground at a spring. The trail continues south until reaching C48, also known as C626. The trail passes near, but does not use, Spring Brook Pathway, which was once certified as part of the NCT, but has now been bypassed.
9.7 [2.2] TURN WEST ON C 48
The route continues westward on the paved road through the wide, open farming valley as a roadwalk, with the blue diamond assurance markers.
11.0 [1.2] TURN SOUTH ON BAKER RD.
Baker Road is a small two-rut leading southward.
11.5 [0.5] TURN WEST ON HUDSON RD.
Hudson road is a paved road, also known as Camp Ten Rd.
12.3 [1.0] TURN SOUTH ON KUZMICK RD.
Kuzmick Road, gravel, goes south for a mile, east for half a mile, south half a mile, then west half a mile before off-road trail in the forest picks up where the road turns to the south again.
14.3 [2.0] PICK UP MARKED OFF-ROAD TRAIL
The trail route heads west for about 0.6 mile on an ORV trail, then heads south through a rather rugged section of the state forest with lots of ups and downs, angling slightly to the southwest, until reaching Giem Road, a dirt forest trail. NOTE: New trail development is expected soon between here and Doublesky Rd.
17.8 [3.5] TURN WEST ON GIEM RD
Shortly after turning west on Giem Road, enter Antrim County. The road crosses a railroad grade, and reaches US131.
19.0 [1.2] TURN SOUTH ON US131
This heavily-traveled road is followed southward for about 0.5 miles, then takes Dobesky Road, which angles off to the southeast.
19.5 [0.5] TURN SOUTHEAST ON DOBESKY ROAD
Doblesky Road is followed to the south for about 1.5 miles, where the trail heads off to the west.
21.0 [1.5] TURN WEST ON MARKED TRAIL
The trail winds around a little, and after about 0.2 mile crosses US131. Plunging into the other side and up Elmira Hill, the trail winds around through a hilly, second growth brush and timber section generally heading west for about three miles, then turns south and crosses M32. In the middle of this section, the trail follows a road through an oil well complex.
24.6 [3.6] CROSS M32
South of M-32, the trail picks up the long-certified Warner Creek Pathway, developed as a cross-country ski trail, and marked by skier symbols on a blue background, and follows it to the west, where there is a parking lot, then to the south through hardwood hills, and a flooded area and leaves the path at O'Brian's Pond, crossing Warner Creek at the dam.
25.8 [1.2] O'BRIAN POND DAM
The trail continues south on an old railroad grade, then southwest on an old two-rut for about .5 mile, crosses a road bridge on Old State Road over the Jordan River, and continues for about 1.1 mile south through the woods to Deadman's Hill on the Jordan River Pathway. The trail is joined in an aspen forest on the side of Deadman's Hill, (a great view can be had by climbing the hill to the east).
27.0 [1.2] JOIN JORDAN RIVER PATHWAY
The trail follows the west loop of the Jordan River Pathway southwest. This long-established trail has long been a Michigan favorite, but had been allowed to fall into disrepair, under the Michigan DNR Forestry Division policy of ignoring hiking trails. A NCTA work party some years ago came to the vicinity to work on other trail, but wound up brushing out and cleaning up the Jordan River Pathway instead. There are many exposed roots and soft areas, especially where the trail goes along the riverbank. The sectiom ranges from high lookouts to riverbanks, and is hilly and heavily wooded. Trailside camping is permitted. The trail proceeds southwest and descends to the river, which it follows near the bank for 2.3 miles climbs up to cross River Road, crosses to the north bank, and then continues on another 5.1 miles along the north river bank to Pinney Bridge Campground. Along the way are several plankways and bridges.
35.1 [8.1] PINNEY BRIDGE
Drinking water and toilets are available at the campground, which is otherwise not highly developed; a fee is charged, however. It was a logging camp a century ago during the great clearcut that devestated virtually all of the tall virgin timber in northern Michigan. Sixty men worked here, including loggers, a blacksmith, cooks and teamsters. Much of the woods in this vicinity was scorched or burned in a large fire in 1909. The trail heads southwest to Pinney Bridge across the Jordan River, then turns south, crossing Cascade Road and Cascade Creek after 1.5 miles, then southeast to another 1.6 miles to Landslide Scenic View. There are several large springs that emerge to form Landslide Creek, just before climbing the hill to the overlook. The trail then turns east to the parking lot for the overlook. The section is all heavily wooded, except for a short stretch south of Pinney Bridge.
38.2 [3.1] LANDSLIDE SCENIC VIEW PARKING LOT.
The route heads south as a roadwalk out of the Landslide Scenic View parking lot on Harvey Road, and after 1.5 miles, crosses Alba Road. Alba is one mile to the east. The route continues south on Harvey Road, crosses US 31, and becomes Corey Road, which continues south for another mile. The route then turns east on Doerr Road and the Doerr Road Extension, until reaching trail on the west side of Five Lake. South of Alba Road, the public rights of way on the roads are poorly maintained.
ALBA, MI 49611. Small town with convenience store, 2 gas stations, hardware, restaurant, church, Landslide Inn Bed & Breakfast.
43.0 [4.2] PASS FIVE LAKE
The trail skirts the south side of the small Five Lake. A spur trail follows the east side of the lake north to a small campground, where there is a pump, and not much else. There are no other water sources along this leg. Leaving the south end of the lake, the trail then angles southeast, crossing a two-rut, then Cinder Hill Road, then climbs a steep ravine. The terrain is covered with mixed hardwood and aspen groves, and dodges gas and oil wells. Atop the ravine, the trail turns to open forest, turns south, crosses Wisler Rd., then turns east again, crosses Bocook Rd., skirts a resort development, then turns south to Mancelona Road (Shown on some maps as Manistee Rd. or CR C-38)
48.5 [5.5] CROSS MANCELONA RD.
The trail continues straight south on an old two-rut sand road to near the north shore of Sand Lake, then turns east (where certification begins) to circle the lake on the east. Once around the lake, the trail continues heading south on an old fire break, passes through a red pine plantation, reaching Starvation Lake Road half a mile south of the county line, and the changefrom the Mackinaw State Forest to the Pere Marquette State Forest.
STARVATION LAKE (No post office): About a quarter mile to the west of the trail on Starvation Lake Road is a small country general store and gas station.
52.9 [4.2] STARVATION LAKE RD
.The trail continues south through the forest for about a mile, then makes a sharp turn to the west on an old logging grade until reaching the shores of Eagle Lake, two miles south of Starvation Lake; there is a potentially good camping site here. It follows the shore of the lake for a short distance, then turns south, through a confusing welter of gas pipeline cuts and ATV trails; follow blazes carefully to Twin Lake Road.
57.7 [4.8] CROSS TWIN LAKE RD.
In the next half mile, the trail crosses an old woods two rut, some ATV trails, and a gravel road. Shortly to the south of the latter, the trail bears west, crosses Kennel Road, and after about 3/4 mile, reaches a fork in the trail. The fork leading to the west continues on about another quarter of a mile to Pickerel Lake State Forest Campground. The fee campground has pit toilets, and 12 sites, a boat launch and a beach. For information about the campground, contact Pere Marquette State Forest, (616) 775-9727. The North Country Trail continues on the south fork.
59.0 [2.3] SIDE TRAIL TO PICKEREL LAKE SFCG
The trail leaves the fork to the south, and goes south about 1.9 miles to County Road 612 along a ridge covered with hardwoods.
60.9 [1.9] REACH MANISTEE LAKE RD.
Description of this segment ends at this point.