Peter Wolfe Chapter North Country Trail Association

See also Western U.P. NCT mileage calculator spreadsheet

Ownership: Michigan DNR, U.S. Forest Service, private lands
Responsible for maintenance: Michigan DNR, U.S. Forest Service, Peter Wolfe Chapter
Developments along trail: Numerous trail signs, Presque Isle Campground at the mouth of the Presque Isle River in Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park (the Porkies), several Porkies cabins (reservations needed, hard to get in summer) (cabins are Speakers, Little Carp, Section 17, Greenstone Falls, and Lily Pond), some developed remote campsites in Porkies  (but dispersed camping is permitted, too),  parking lots at Presque Isle, on Summit Peak Road, County Road 519 south of Porkies park boundary, Black River Harbor, and at several waterfalls on the Black River.  Several areas of boardwalk. Bridges over Black River, Presque Isle River, Little Carp River, etc. Black River Harbor Campground (Ottawa National Forest), Presque Isle Campground (Porkies).
Reservations are not needed for dispersed camping, but they are for cabins.  Cabin users must contact the park WELL in advance (sometimes a year) for cabin reservations.  Permits must be obtained before entering the park for overnight camping at dispersed sites (backpacking).  These may be obtained at the park headquarters off South Boundary Road, at Presque Isle trailhead near the Presque Isle Campground, at the large vehicle lot on Summit Peak Road, and perhaps elsewhere.  Dispersed camping is pretty pricey, $14 or more per night, depending on the number of people.  That's more than in many drive-in Forest Service campgrounds, where more services are provided.  Bring a check in case no one is there to take your money and you have to use the self-service option.

General description of segment: Much virgin old growth (hardwood/hemlock/some white pine) in Porkies and along Black River.  Otherwise, mixed second growth forest.  Spectacular waterfalls along Black and Presque Isle Rivers.  Terrain varies from river valley to rolling uplands.  Trail follows County Road 513 for 0.7 miles near the north end of the Black River Section.
Note:  Trailheads near Presque Isle Campground, at north end of Little Carp River Road, and on Summit Peak Road require a  state park sticker for vehicles.  These may be purchased at Presque Isle Campground contact station, Union Bay Campground contact station (northeast end of Porkies), park visitor center off South Boundary Road at northeast end of park, or at any other state park.  You can probably also get one through the mail.  No park stickers are needed to park at the Speakers Trail and Pinkerton Trail trailheads, or where there is roadside parking on South Boundary Road at the Presque Isle River. Day hikers need no permit to hike in the Porkies (parking stickers needed at lots requiring them, though).  Overnight users may camp anywhere they wish in the Porkies, except where posted (such as close to the cabins and drive-in campgrounds).  On Forest Service lands, camping is permitted anywhere except near drive-in campgrounds.  If camping near the mouth of the Black River, either stay at the drive-in campground or camp well away from the parking lot near the bridge.  There are no fees for remote camping on Forest Service lands, and no permit is required.  No camping is permitted on private lands.

Trail conditions (as of 1999-2005): The trail along Black River is typically in excellent shape. The trail from Black River Harbor east to County Road 519 was basically in good shape in 1998, though there were some muddy areas near the east end.  Hiker reports from July 2002 indicated a few trees across, but trail was easy to follow. More recent hikers various issues between CR 519 and Black River Harbor, but the trail was followable.  Trail from CR 519 south of park boundary north to CR 519 at south park boundary was in very good shape as of  7/02. Trail from south park boundary north to Presque Isle River bridge received major work in July 2002, and should be very easy to follow in summer, except that a new snowmobile trail just east of CR 519 has disrupted some of the NCT between South Boundary Road at the Presque Isle River bridge and a point about a mile and a half north of the south park boundary.  We hope to do reroutes this summer.  Also, several steps at the bottom of a steep hill just south of the Presque Isle River bridge have been washed out, but the trail is passable..  Blazing is still not line-of-site, but the entire trail was mowed with a brush mower, and in confusing areas, logs were placed to indicate trail alignment.  Remaining trails in Porkies are typically in excellent shape.  The NCT in the Porkies goes primarily by the long-established park trail names:  West River Trail, Lake Superior Trail, Little Carp River Trail, and Lily Pond Trail.  Note:  there is no bridge where the Lake Superior Trail crosses Pinkerton Creek, and there are no bridges on the Little Carp River between the bridge on the Lake Superior Trail and the bridge at Lily Pond (there is a bridge on the side trail from Little Carp River Road, however). Hikers should be aware that these crossing may be difficult from winter until mid-spring, or after very heavy rains.  Note also that as the NCT leaves the Presque Isle Campground area heading east, it crosses a suspension bridge onto a "presque isle" ("almost an island").  The river always flows on the west side of the "island" (under the bridge), and there is water in the north of the channel east of the "island" all year long.  Hikers typically cross from the "presque isle" to the land east of it by walking across bedrock.  This bedrock may be covered with water if the river is in flood and using both channels.  This condition usually only occurs a couple times a year, during rapid snowmelt (usually April) and after extremely heavy thunderstorms.

Links to online maps:
Copper Peak to Sandstone Falls
Sandstone Falls to West River Trail in Porkies
West River Trail to Greenstone Falls
Greenstone Falls to West Branch Big Iron River
Link to map of trail reroute at south end of Summit Peak Road