The boardwalk is located at the northeast corner of Mason County on the North Country National Scenic Trail, within the Manistee National Forest. It was built to traverse a section of "Dead Horse Marsh" which is seasonally flooded. The NCT extends from New York to North Dakota!

From US 31 take Freesoil Road east through Freesoil. Continue another 9.5 miles to the North Country Trailhead on the south side of Freesoil Rd. (just after you enter Lake County where this road is called 8-Mile Rd.) For a shorter hike, turn north on Tyndall Road, 9 miles east of Freesoil. At 2 miles the road starts up a small hill and curves to the right. Watch closely for the trail crossing, and there is room to park a car on the west side of the road.

There is a $3/day or $20/year fee to park at Trailheads in the Manistee National Forest. There is a self-pay station at the Freesoil Trailhead. If you want a short hike, you can park on Tyndall Rd and the round trip to get the answer will be 3 miles. For a longer hike, park at the Freesoil TH, and the round trip will be about 8 miles. Or park at 9-Mile Bridge and this round trip will also be about 8 miles. The questions are listed on the entry form, and the question for this hike is on the printable information sheet.

The map below appears on the printable version, and should be adequate for this short hike, However, if you so desire, you can purchase maps for this section of trail from the North Country Trail Association, 1-866-hikeNCT. Request map "Freesoil to Cedar Creek." Also free paper maps of the NCT throughout the entire Manistee National Forest are available from the Baldwin (231-745-4631) or Manistee (231-723-2211) Ranger Districts. Also see Mason County Trails for a description of this section.