Lakelands Trail State Park: Hike Reports

I originally posted these hike reports on the Great Lakes Hikes Yahoo Group:

07/27/01

I've been scouting the western end of the Lakelands Trail SP. And I've come up with an 80+ mile loop between Jackson and Ann Arbor.

Start at the Waterloo-Pinckney Trailhead at Portage Lake in Waterloo Rec. Area. Hike 36 miles to Silver Lake in Pinckney Rec. Area.

Hike 5.5 miles north on the Potowatomi Trail to it's brief encounter with Kelly Road (dirt, low use, wooded).

Hike north on Kelly Road for one mile to horse trail head in Pinckney Rec. Area. I'm looking for a trail alternative to the Kelly Rd. hike.

Hike two miles or so on the horse trails to their intersection with Lakeland Trail SP.

Hike west on Lakeland Trail 30 or 35 miles (gravel and natural surfaces) to intersection with Sayers Rd.

Hike south on Sayers, east on Coon Hill Rd. and south on Dunn Rd. Half of this road hike section is paved. Half is not. This is the least desirable section of the hike and lasts 3.5 miles. There are possible alternatives on possible state owned rail beds or the Haehnle Audubon Preserve.

At the end of Dunn Rd. you are close to Portage Lake. From here there are a couple of miles of rough trail back to the Waterloo-Pinckney trailhead and your car.

Camping on the north side would be a challenge, but I think it's cool that there is an 80 to 85 mile route in southern Michigan with less than 5 miles of road hiking.

08/04/01

I hiked the Lakelands Trail from N. Territorial Rd. in Jackson County almost to Stockbridge tonight - about 7 miles out and back. The trail is in good shape for hiking. I did run into a problem area. A farm seems to have taken over the right-of-way about a half mile west of the Stockbridge trailhead.

I also have a question for anyone who knows. On the back of the state game area maps DNR rules prohibit camping on "state lands other than state parks and recreation areas" from April 1 to Oct. 1. This of course means it's possible to camp in, say, a state game area in the fall/winter months. Does this rule apply to Department of Transportation rights of way? The far western end of the Lakelands trail is apparently owned by the Michigan DOT. If the above camping rule applies, then a hiker could camp in the right of way - making a backpack possible.

Thanks in advance!

08/09/01

I haven't forgotten about you. I pulled all my maps together tonight and I'm gonna try to get 'em photocopied to send out. I probably won't send them out until I have a little more of a chance to check out some spots in person and make a legible guide.

BTW, I've hiked probably half of the Lakelands Trail and it looks like it would make a nice hike. You would pass through some little towns that would make nice lunch/dinner breaks and potential places to stay. I'm scouting potential camping spots in Gregory and Unadilla State Game Areas. Sections of both seem within about a mile of the trail and are legal for dispersed camping Oct. 1 to April 1.

Problem spots:

1) West of Stockbridge: A farm breaks the trail. I think the states till owns a right-of-way through it and it's definitely physically possible to hike through. But, a hiker might want to hike really fast on this section of the trail.

2) Trail connection to Portage Lake Campground/Waterloo: I spent afew hours last week trying to hike a rough trail along the south side of Portage Lake and ended up with prickers all over. I concluded that the trail doesn't exist. This probably adds a mile or two of road hiking - Total: about 7 miles.

11/26/01

Well, start at Big Portage Lake in Waterloo RA. Use the cabins at Sugarloaf Lake or Mill Lake Center. Then, use existing trails to hike into the town of Pinckney. I'll bet there is lodging of some type there. Then hike the trail west to Stockbridge. There is a place to stay there. Then, hike the trail back to Big Portage Lake - and 2 miles of roads. Each day would probably be about 20 miles. I know the whole route is 67 miles or so. That would be a nice challenge nearby without much road hiking.

02/19/02

Re: Waterloo-Pinckney

Hey, John!

Funny that you mention that attempted connection from Losee Lake to Stinchfield Woods. I tried that last summer. I got stuck up to my ankles in muck and was besieged by thorn bushes. Kind of took mybreath away. But there is a spot where you can pop out onto a short road hike.

On the other side of Stinchfield Woods, there is contiguous metropark land. I've been wanting to test the hypothesis that you could hike through into Hudson Mills Metropark. Then, there is contiguous land pretty much to Dexter.

I've also been working on a route from the extreme western Waterloo Pinckney across state land to the Haehnle Audubon Sanctuary. I've found some really interesting paths and it looks like a definite possibility.

I'm also trying to traverse Haehnle. If I'm right, I'll be within a mile or two of Lakelands Trail and an almost complete 70 mile loop.

04/01/02

Oh, yeah, on my way home, I scouted the eastern sections of the Lakelands Rail Trail. I tracked it from the Pinckney horse trail area to a few miles east of Hamburg. Much of it is undeveloped old railbed perfect for hikers. It may go further, but I've checked it to almost US-23.

10/04/03

Andy!

It's my understanding that the Lakelands Trail railbed is continuous - and in public ownership to Hamburg. I even remember scouting this section of trail within the past few years. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

BTW, there is a Jackson County Park campground at Swains Lake very near to the western end of the Falling Waters Trail in Concord.

10/06/03

Re: Great SE Michigan Traverse (was WP extension)

Okay, okay, I am not encouraging anyone to tresspass on prison property. However, the Jackson prison complex contains quite a bit of land that is not behind gates. In fact, normal county dirt roads traverse the complex. You can't go off the road and walk across the empty fields, but you can certainly drive on these roads to get to a restaurant or home or whatever.

Given the fact that I can take my car down these roads, I don't think that there is much problem in walking down them. In fact, the roads that I was on were quite picturesque.

10/06/03

Re: Great SE Michigan Traverse (was WP extension)

Hi Dave!

It's okay. These are public roads that pass within the prison complex. They have farm areas and lots of unused land. If you can drive through, I don't see any reason why walking would be illegal. Of course, it might be good to call the prison beforehand. Oh, and don't say hi to hitchhikers:)

07/20/04

Lakelands Trail

I would advise anyone to read the "State Land Rules" on the following website. It covers all state land that is NOT a state park or recreation area. It opens some additional camping possibilities that might help with a backpack. For instance, sections of the Lakelands Trail and, I believe Falling Waters Trail are state owned but not designated "state park." This likely means that there are some sections of the corridor in which it is legal to camp.

www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10370-31657--,00.html