I originally posted this hike report on the Great Lakes Hikes Yahoo Group.
05/22/02
Brighton SRA - Brighton, MI.
I hiked some of the horse trails on the west side of the park. I must have done about 6 or 8 miles. There are 18 miles of horse trail. The trails are nice and despite a few muddy patches were fun to hike. This is a well-used horse area on summer weekends, so that might not be the best time to use them. I also think that you could start on the far west end and backpack into the rustic horse campground - 9 miles in, 9 miles out. The next timeI head back, I'll look for a connection to the hiking and mountain bike trails on the east side. All told, there are 38 or 39 miles of trail and several rustic campgrounds and cabins.
http://www.michigandnr.com/Publications/PDFS/RecreationCamping/brighton_equestrian_trails_map.pdf
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Bear River Recreation Area Notes - Petoskey
I originally posted these hike notes on the Great Lakes Hikes yahoo bulletin board:
Bear River Valley
05/18/03
Here's a bit more on the lower peninsula waterfalls. Both "NaturalMichigan" by Tom Powers and "39 Petoskey Walkabouts" by GaryBarfknecht make mention of the waterfall in the Bear River Valley Recreation Area near Petoskey. I've never hiked it because I saw the fake waterfall near the gaslight district in town. However, there are trails on both sides of the river (3 to 4 miles total) that will supposedly take you to the real waterfalls upstream. Apparently, the Bear River loses 75 feet in less than a mile near Lake Michigan - according to Mary Hunt of Hunt's Guides, the biggest stream drop in the lower peninsula.
05/24/03
The Bear River Valley Recreation area is built right into the city. However, the valley is quite steep and allows for good isolation from urban feeling. This river is excellent. There were continuous rapids along the mile long section we walked. And, just to verify, there is definitely at least one waterfall there. It is possible to hike the other side for a 2 or 3 mile walk. Additional mileage can be gleaned by the many walkways in the area. If you are in the gaslight district, just find the creek close to the nearby pier and follow it upstream.
Update: I did eventually visit the waterfall upstream. It is very cool. I posted a report about it at www.blogsmonroe.com/expatriate
Bear River Valley
05/18/03
Here's a bit more on the lower peninsula waterfalls. Both "NaturalMichigan" by Tom Powers and "39 Petoskey Walkabouts" by GaryBarfknecht make mention of the waterfall in the Bear River Valley Recreation Area near Petoskey. I've never hiked it because I saw the fake waterfall near the gaslight district in town. However, there are trails on both sides of the river (3 to 4 miles total) that will supposedly take you to the real waterfalls upstream. Apparently, the Bear River loses 75 feet in less than a mile near Lake Michigan - according to Mary Hunt of Hunt's Guides, the biggest stream drop in the lower peninsula.
05/24/03
The Bear River Valley Recreation area is built right into the city. However, the valley is quite steep and allows for good isolation from urban feeling. This river is excellent. There were continuous rapids along the mile long section we walked. And, just to verify, there is definitely at least one waterfall there. It is possible to hike the other side for a 2 or 3 mile walk. Additional mileage can be gleaned by the many walkways in the area. If you are in the gaslight district, just find the creek close to the nearby pier and follow it upstream.
Update: I did eventually visit the waterfall upstream. It is very cool. I posted a report about it at www.blogsmonroe.com/expatriate
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Hidden Lake Gardens: Hike Notes
I originally posted these hike notes on the Great Lakes Hikes and thebackpacker.com forums.
Hike Name: Hidden Lake Gardens
Location: southeast MI
Length: 5
Submitted by: reformed lurker
Date Submitted: 12/4/00
Description:
Sure, it's not wilderness. But Hidden Lake Gardens has some nice hilly hiking in a part of Michigan where this is limited. The hiking is consistently up-and-down and is similar to the Waterloo-Pinckney trail to the north.
Animal life is typical of SE Michigan - deer, turkey, owls, etc. - and trail maintenance is superb.
This area is especially nice in winter. You can see tropical and desert environments in the conservatory.
No camping is available on-site, but Walter J. Hayes State Park is not far away.
Directions to Hike: The Gardens are on M-50 ten minutes west of Tecumseh. Drive time from Ann Arbor, Jackson or Toledo is less than an hour.
Contact Information Contact Hidden Lake Gardens (run by Michigan State University).
Phone: (517) 431-2060
Address: Hidden Lake Gardens, Tipton, MI 49287
04/21/02
Sunday, I did a 5 mile loop at Hidden Lake Gardens (on M-50 nearTipton in Lenawee County). This is some really great trail. It's got some up and down, but the best part is the way the trail often hugs the edge of a hill. At times you have to balance yourself on a little ledge of trail. Fun. Fun. Fun. Lots of deer. Beautiful trees and flowers. The place is 4 minutes from my house, so it's a nice after work hike. I wish they would extend the trail to 10 miles, but hey, it's a landscape arboretum. When it's snowy you can hang out in the desert conservatory and dream you're in Arizona. That's better than hot chocolate.
Hike Name: Hidden Lake Gardens
Location: southeast MI
Length: 5
Submitted by: reformed lurker
Date Submitted: 12/4/00
Description:
Sure, it's not wilderness. But Hidden Lake Gardens has some nice hilly hiking in a part of Michigan where this is limited. The hiking is consistently up-and-down and is similar to the Waterloo-Pinckney trail to the north.
Animal life is typical of SE Michigan - deer, turkey, owls, etc. - and trail maintenance is superb.
This area is especially nice in winter. You can see tropical and desert environments in the conservatory.
No camping is available on-site, but Walter J. Hayes State Park is not far away.
Directions to Hike: The Gardens are on M-50 ten minutes west of Tecumseh. Drive time from Ann Arbor, Jackson or Toledo is less than an hour.
Contact Information Contact Hidden Lake Gardens (run by Michigan State University).
Phone: (517) 431-2060
Address: Hidden Lake Gardens, Tipton, MI 49287
04/21/02
Sunday, I did a 5 mile loop at Hidden Lake Gardens (on M-50 nearTipton in Lenawee County). This is some really great trail. It's got some up and down, but the best part is the way the trail often hugs the edge of a hill. At times you have to balance yourself on a little ledge of trail. Fun. Fun. Fun. Lots of deer. Beautiful trees and flowers. The place is 4 minutes from my house, so it's a nice after work hike. I wish they would extend the trail to 10 miles, but hey, it's a landscape arboretum. When it's snowy you can hang out in the desert conservatory and dream you're in Arizona. That's better than hot chocolate.
Heritage Park (Adrian): Hike Notes
I originally posted these hike reports on the Great Lakes Hikes Yahoo Group:
07/06/04
One thing that I would like to point out is how personal this kind of stuff is. The Adrian hike/bike trail is about ten or 15 miles in length. It was built by a bunch of twentysomethings who make their living fixing bikes at the local bike shop. They are cool guys who love their sport and their much-maligned town of Adrian. They decided to do something to make the place a little nicer by creating and maintaining a trail. They had some technical help from the MMBA but, for the most part, it's just a bunch of locals who pull branches every couple of months. It is nothing sinister. And I love hiking the trail. It helps make hiking a part of my everyday life.
01/23/03
I figured with the weather like it is, it was a perfect day for an afternoon hike. So, I zipped on over to Heritage Park and did one of my usual six mile loops.
Notes:
A) The sound of the very dry, windswept snow made whistling noises when I crunched my feet. The pitch of the crunch was directly related to the depth of the drift that I was stepping into. I literally spent 20 minutes just listening to the snow.
B) Ski goggles are a blessing and a curse. They kept my eyes from watering in the cold weather, but they really fogged my glasses up. I fell into the pattern of removing the goggles until my face got cold, then putting the goggles on until my glasses fogged. Back and forth. Back and forth.
C) With my ski mask and hood on, I became very aware of my breathing. After I lost interest in listening to the snow, I started to listen to my breathing. In and out. In and out.
D) I felt very comfortable temperature wise with several thick layers. I normally generate a lot of heat when I hike. I took my pulse on several occasions and noticed that I was getting a really good workout without any accompanying persperation.
E) Tinted goggles are a great thing. Mine are yellow. Once my eyes adjusted, the color of the world seemed to match that of a dusky summer evening. Of course, the sunset was incredible in its own right. Didn't need the goggles for that.
F) Not much wildlife out today. I only saw one dove flying overhead.
G) The water of the South Branch River Raisin was still open. And the water seemed very, very clear. I didn't see any fish.
I really love the isolation of winter hiking.
04/29/02
Tonight I did a 6 mile loop at Adrian's Heritage Park. This place is one of the coolest urban hikes in SE Michigan. It is hilly and has a bunch of streams. There is one ascent that rivals a section of Waterloo-Pinckney and the NCT in Lost Nation for steepest hill in southern tier Michigan. Of course, one section of trail goes so close to some baseball fields that you should bring a glove for homeruns. Anyway, I talked to a guy named Brett who helps build the trail. He says they have 6.8 miles of trail currently and they'll get it up to 9 in the near future. Adrian also purchased an easement along the River Raisin on the southern border that will eventually make the trail about 15 or 16 miles in length. This probably ties Hidden Lake Gardens for best hike in Lenawee County. Go M-52 to north of Adrian. Turn east at the sign for the park. Multiple trailheads. Maps are available at the bike shop just a few miles south on M-52.
07/06/04
One thing that I would like to point out is how personal this kind of stuff is. The Adrian hike/bike trail is about ten or 15 miles in length. It was built by a bunch of twentysomethings who make their living fixing bikes at the local bike shop. They are cool guys who love their sport and their much-maligned town of Adrian. They decided to do something to make the place a little nicer by creating and maintaining a trail. They had some technical help from the MMBA but, for the most part, it's just a bunch of locals who pull branches every couple of months. It is nothing sinister. And I love hiking the trail. It helps make hiking a part of my everyday life.
01/23/03
I figured with the weather like it is, it was a perfect day for an afternoon hike. So, I zipped on over to Heritage Park and did one of my usual six mile loops.
Notes:
A) The sound of the very dry, windswept snow made whistling noises when I crunched my feet. The pitch of the crunch was directly related to the depth of the drift that I was stepping into. I literally spent 20 minutes just listening to the snow.
B) Ski goggles are a blessing and a curse. They kept my eyes from watering in the cold weather, but they really fogged my glasses up. I fell into the pattern of removing the goggles until my face got cold, then putting the goggles on until my glasses fogged. Back and forth. Back and forth.
C) With my ski mask and hood on, I became very aware of my breathing. After I lost interest in listening to the snow, I started to listen to my breathing. In and out. In and out.
D) I felt very comfortable temperature wise with several thick layers. I normally generate a lot of heat when I hike. I took my pulse on several occasions and noticed that I was getting a really good workout without any accompanying persperation.
E) Tinted goggles are a great thing. Mine are yellow. Once my eyes adjusted, the color of the world seemed to match that of a dusky summer evening. Of course, the sunset was incredible in its own right. Didn't need the goggles for that.
F) Not much wildlife out today. I only saw one dove flying overhead.
G) The water of the South Branch River Raisin was still open. And the water seemed very, very clear. I didn't see any fish.
I really love the isolation of winter hiking.
04/29/02
Tonight I did a 6 mile loop at Adrian's Heritage Park. This place is one of the coolest urban hikes in SE Michigan. It is hilly and has a bunch of streams. There is one ascent that rivals a section of Waterloo-Pinckney and the NCT in Lost Nation for steepest hill in southern tier Michigan. Of course, one section of trail goes so close to some baseball fields that you should bring a glove for homeruns. Anyway, I talked to a guy named Brett who helps build the trail. He says they have 6.8 miles of trail currently and they'll get it up to 9 in the near future. Adrian also purchased an easement along the River Raisin on the southern border that will eventually make the trail about 15 or 16 miles in length. This probably ties Hidden Lake Gardens for best hike in Lenawee County. Go M-52 to north of Adrian. Turn east at the sign for the park. Multiple trailheads. Maps are available at the bike shop just a few miles south on M-52.
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