Woodtick Peninsula Hike Reports

I posted the following hike reports to the Great Lakes Hikes Yahoo Group. They may contain some useful information:

09/28/00

If you live in SE Michigan and get the bug for a slightly more rugged hike, this might be a possibility.

The hike follows a peninsula of land along Lake Erie. You may have to over/under fallen trees and you will definitely have to wade if you want to go farther than a couple of miles. There is no "trail", but generally stay as close to the shoreline as possible.

At certain points, the hikeable portion of the peninsula breaks into a series of small islands. Just wade to the next one - the water is usually only about a foot deep.

Bald eagles nest nearby and all kinds of birds and aquatic mammals are present.

The drawback to hiking here is an obvious industrial presence. The hike starts just behind a power plant and other factories can be seen along the shore. But, you can also see lighthouses and passing freighters.

Camping is legal with a free DNR permit from Oct. 1 to April 1. Watch for hunters in season, hike with a partner and make drop-off arrangements if camping, rather than leaving your car at the trailhead.

Directions to Hike: Take I-75 to the Erie/Temperance exit just north of the Michigan/Ohio border. Go east from the exit towards the power plant. The road dead-ends into a small parking area. Continue east on foot to the beach. Then, hike south along the shore or up on the factory dikes.

Contact Information: Contact the MI DNR at Pointe Mouillee State Game Area: (734) 379-9692
1/19/01

Monroe County: Erie Marsh Preserve/Erie State Game Area. The Woodtick Peninsula in the game area is a 4 mile hike each way. It involves wading in the shallows and ends at an island at North Cape. And campable from Oct. 1 to April 1. And if the state ever got its act together, the peninsula could connect to about 8 or 10 miles of dike in the Nature Conservancy's Erie Marsh and about 2 or 3 miles of dike in Luna Pier. You could hike for 20+ miles with a little effort. Also, two or three more bald eagles nests.

1/28/01

Monroe: Erie Marsh/SGA: Take I-75 to the Erie Rd. exit just a fewmiles North of the Ohio border. Go East until this road dead ends ina parking lot in sight of a power plant. Hike East until you hitLake Erie. Begin hiking south to the end of the peninsula. [Note: Iwas out there this weekend, and winter ice forms a natural bridge into the preserve, allowing for a 10+ mile one-way hike.] Contact: Pt. Mouillee SGA at (734)379-9692; maps available at dnr.state.mi.us

7/16/01

I'd also like to backpack the Woodtick Peninsula in Monroe County. It's legal with a free permit during the fall/winter, but I know boaters camp there all the time in the summer and I think you might be able to convince a DNR guy to let you camp there. It's the only place where you can legally backpack on Lake Erie in Michigan - 4 miles or so each way in a little-known area.

9/22/03

On Sunday, I did a little exploratory hike at the Woodtick Peninsulain SE Monroe County. This was a small beach hike. My intent was to judge the current composition of the peninsula. I found that the series of islands that made up the peninsula last year are now connected. However, the connection to the southern peninsula is problematic. One route takes the hiker through knee to waist high water. The second passes through what looks like ankle high mud. The third passes through disorienting marsh reeds. None is a particularly easy solution. I didn't feel like running the gaunlet, so I stopped at 1.5 miles out and decided to return. I'll head back in the coming weeks to find the correct route. Still, the peninsula looks ripe for the taking.

10/04/03

Hike Report: Woodtick Peninsula

A few weeks ago, I reported on the status of the Woodtick Peninsula in extreme SE Monroe County. I had the choice between mud, water or marsh reeds. Today, I went back. The wind was blowing pretty strongly out to sea. This meant that the water in Lake Erie was being stacked up along other areas of the shore. This left water levels along the western shore noticeably lower. It was clear that this had been happening for a few days because the shoreline mud hada chance to solidify. This advantage to the hiker was nullified in some spots by the fact that the solidified wet sand that was present a few weeks earlier had turned into dry, shifting powder. But, I'll take solid mud any day.

Anyway, in years past, there had been a break in the peninsula very near to the base. This made it quite difficult to make it to the later portions of this 5 mile one-way shoreline hike. I even saw small boats pass through the gap at times. One of my favorite hiking moments was when one of these boaters asked me if I was shipwrecked. "No, just hiking," was my response.
This year, the peninsula seems pretty much solid. There was only a small section of weak mud. Several other hikers had placed drift planks on top of the mud. Patiently, I balanced my weight onto these and had little trouble passing onward.

Overall, I hiked about 5 miles, 2.5 miles each way. Lake Erie was quite placid. The beach grasses were very interesting. One section had about 30 or 40 bunches shaped like Afros that were turning purple on the beach. A few had broken from their root system and were tumbling down the beach. Temperatures were quite nice. I also had to pass over the Consumer's Energy hot water outflow area. This was actually quite interesting because it created a large area of whitewater into the lake. Sandbars had formed around this outflowarea. Birds congregated in the many hundreds on these small sandy islands.

Two lighthouses were visible, several sailboats, as well as a lonely fisherman in a boat offshore.

Nice day.

The "trailhead" (one of the most dangerous trailheads in MI) is offof I-75 at the Erie Rd. exit. Drive east to the power plant and parkby the blue barrels. Walk to the lake and hike south.

10/05/03:

Well, the thing is only a mile off of I-75. It's not a park, just a parking area put there by Consumer's Energy. There always seems to be broken glass and for several years, a guy was living in his van there. He was an old Vietnam Veteran who would write warnings on all the area signs warning people to take care of the area or else.

One time, I was a little late in getting back before dark and I ended up raising the awareness of some toughs with a shoreline bonfire. They started to follow me. I picked up a big piece of wood and waved it around as I headed back to my car.

That said, the power plant people have cameras focused on the parking lot and they sponsor beach cleanups. I also see Luna Pier police patrols occasionally. The peninsula is worth it. Bald Eagles, truly wild areas, lots of broad lake views. But it is hard to get past the first half mile.

01/08/04

The Woodtick Peninsula (Erie, MI) solidifies in winter and the vegetation cuts down to reveal a more dependable hike along Lake Erie. Constant wind action also takes snow off the hiking routes. The water outtake from the power plant gathers bald eagles in the wintertime.