Pinckney SRA: Hike Reports

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

05/14/01

I got out twice this weekend.

On Saturday, I hiked the horse trail loop at Pinckney Rec. Area. And I had a really great hike (about 6 miles or so). There were very few horse droppings and the trail is pretty much the same quality as the Waterloo-Pinckney. And I found a connection to the Lakelands Trail SP. I saw three people on horseback and that's it. I think the Poto would have been a lot busier. And I think that it might be possible to connect to the Crooked Lake/Poto trail on closed roads, paths. That would make a nice alternative backpack.

Speaking of which... I remember reading a while back about camping rules in State Recreation Areas. Can you backcountry camp during the off season? There was a nice little peak in the hills that would begreat for a tent. I'd like to use it this fall.

03/13/03

Re: waterloo-Pinckney thru-hike

Hey guys!

I know that I've mentioned this before, but the horse trails in Pinckney are a very valuable hiking resource. They are completely open to hikers and, in most cases, have a much better hiking tread than the horse-open sections of the Waterloo-Pinckney. There are some really nice hills and good vistas.

If you ask for the horse maps at the park offices, they usually have them, but you have to be a bit insistent. Using the existing Poto,you can link from the Doyle Rd. area into the horse trails where a direct connection exists to the Lakelands Trail. It's a short roadwalk.

You can also create a loop by shooting north on the road that is closed near the Crooked Lake campground and walking through Hell to the horse trailhead on M-36. There is a very short section on busy M-36, but it doesn't last long. Then, you can double back onto the Poto near Doyle Rd.