Huron-Manistee National Forest-Manistee River Trail

My friend Paul Imm took me on a 7.6-mile hike on the Manistee River Trail while visiting him in the Cadillac, Michigan area. We accessed the trail from the Slagle Creek Road.

A bridge that crosses over the Slagle Creek

We took several breaks along our hike and took in the panoramic views from the high banks.

There weren't many hikers so Sunny, and Gypsy was able to go leashless for most of the trip.

I found this an intriguing portion of the forest. Instead of the forest floor being covered in dead leafs this area was very grassy.

Our destination was here at a small waterfall from a creek that emptied in the Manistee River.

The dogs and I viewing the falls from the bridge.

One of many designated campsites with a fire ring for backpackers.  

The Manistee River Trail is 11 miles long, and if you combine the North Country Trail on the other side of the river, you can make it a loop of 20 miles. This would make a nice 2-3 day backpacking trip. 

Huron-Manistee National Forest- Wakeley Lake

All the years living no more than forty-five minutes from Wakeley Lake,  I never hiked the trails, but do remember walking once to the lake, and fished on an intertube. While on vacation in my hometown of Mio, Michigan, I took the 20-minute drive West on M-72 from where I was lodging and hikes for two and a half hours (approximately 5- miles). 

Wakeley Lake land area is 2100 acres and is considered moderate in size. I'm not sure the size of the lake, but it was larger than I had remembered. If I hadn't had some commitments later on in the day, I would have hike most all the trails, but on this day I hiked from the trailhead to intersection 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, then back to 4, 3,2, then out. 

Gypsy and I started off going down the Beaver Pond Loop.

Much of the Wakeley Lake Trails looked like this- a narrow footpath through a typical Michigan mix forest overgrown with Bracken ferns.

One of the larger beaver ponds that I had passed by loaded with Lillypads.

Ant mound.

Intersection 6 the post is leaning up against tree and map is missing. I got my first glimpse of the lake.

If it has been rainy, between intersection 6 and 4, there is no way in which your feet are going to stay dry.  The trail goes between two swampy bodies of water on a somewhat elevated portion of land. I thought maybe walking on the edge where you see the grass would have been dry but still had to slush through several inches a muke and water.

Wakeley Lake.

The lake access and campsite 1 (5 campsites total) are only approximately quarter miles from the trailhead.

Huron-Manistee National Forest- Lost Creek Trails

I last step foot here in April of 2014 before I moved to North Carolina.

At many of the intersections, you will see a map like this one.

The first bridge you cross on Creek Circle.

Along with maps, there are these directional signs.

The Leaky Hills Trail Bridge.

An open grassy area called "The Meadows".

Looking down at the Valley View Bridge.

Loud Creek Trail would be more appropriately named "Trails" because there are eight different trail loops. I have been on all the trails at one time or another, but today I took a counter-clockwise route going left at every intersection staying along the outer edge of the trail system. I made one large loop that calculated to 7.7 kilometers or 4.8 miles.

I am very familiar with Loud Creek, as a young man growing up in Mio these were the first cross-country ski trails built by the Forest Service in the 1980's. They are a very challenging cross-country ski trails with huge hills and sharp turns. As for hiking, they are a pleasant walk in a prototypical Michigan woodland. A few of the hills would be considered strenuous.

Wildlife is in abundance, and if you are observant, enough you might see a deer, grouse, or maybe even a fox along with many other Northwood's creatures.

Huron-Manistee National Forest-Wolf Creek Trails

I walked these trails many times. My last steps here was in April of 2014.

The Forest Service completed the Wolf Creek Trail System in Fall of 2013. The trailhead is about a mile east of the stoplight in Mio, Michigan on 8th Street/South River Road.

The trail system covers an amazingly large portion of prime AuSable River real estate. The trails twist and turn its way through a mixed forest of oak and pine, with nearly a mile of trail following the banks of the river.

From the Wolf Creek Trailhead entrance going in a counterclockwise direction I connected with intersections  3,4,7,8,6,5,2, and back to where I started. This loop took me about 1 hour and 15 minutes to complete. The total walking distance calculates to 3.14 miles.

Another access point for walking the trails is by the MDOT roadside park at the bridge on M-33. The park has picnic tables, pit toilets, and a boat launch. During the Summer, the park can be extremely busy especially on the weekends.

Starting at the MDOT park, I began on a gravel footpath, which runs into a 500-foot boardwalk, leading to a bridge that crosses Wolf Creek. On this day, I started at intersection 10 and connected with intersections 9,8,7,4,3,4,5,6,8,9 and back to where I started. This loop calculates to 2.82 miles.

Gravel path at MDOT roadside park.

The 500+-foot boardwalk.

 A bridge is crossing over Wolf Creek.

 A trail junction map.

The scenery from the high banks of the AuSable River, combined with the peaceful sounds and pleasant smells of the forest makes the creation of the Wolf Creek Trails another recreational jewel in Oscoda County.