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.