Michigan Hike Suggestions

[sparky32]

In mid-August myself and two of my buddies will be heading out for 6 days of backpacking. I hiked the NCT/MRT loop once before but neither of my friends have been there. We plan to do the NCT/MRT loop in two days and then head off to another place, hopefully not too far from there, for another few days. I looked around, very briefly, and found some interesting info about a loop hike in the Jordan River Valley, and also an interesting hike in the Nordhouse Dunes.

Does anyone here have experience at one or both of those two places (not the MRT)? What would be a better secondary hike? Any other suggestions in the area?

By the way, we've been backpacking for about 15 years, but this will be the very first trip for all three of us where we will be hanging for the entire trip...not a single night of being ground dwellers. Can't wait to give it a try. I'm sure we won't go back to tents.

[RevKev]

It sounds to me like you are looking for loop trails? One thought might be to include more of the NCT in that area in your MRT loop. That, however, would require you to backtrack some of the same trail. There is some beautiful NCT along the Manistee River in that area. I look forward to hearing a trip report. I plan to pass through that area 1st week in Sept.

[Mountain Gout]

Jordan is a very nice hike.. Fife lake is a loop hike also.. you could hit it on the way up from mrt..
If I had to choose favorites, 1. mrt, 2. jordan, 3. fife lake..

[michigandave]

A couple of us from the forum did the Jordan this past weekend. We went in Friday night and ended up spending two nights at Pinney Bridge Campground. Watch out for the detour from Deadmans Hill trailhead. I'd recommend going south down the NCT and pic up the trail detour there. It saves alot of uphill climbing. Another place I'd suggest is North Manitou Island!

Here's a trip report I did last September on the the NCT-MRT, but I went in at High Bridge and made it into a mega-loop with big mile days: https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...olo-44-9-miles

[punkisdead]

I have a buddy who mountain bikes the High Country Pathway once a year, and it's a rather large loop of a trail.

[punkisdead]

I also some day want to get up and hike Grand Island off of Munising.

https://www.gobigsmile.com/applicati...randIsland.cfm

[sparky32]

A couple of us from the forum did the Jordan this past weekend. We went in Friday night and ended up spending two nights at Pinney Bridge Campground. Watch out for the detour from Deadmans Hill trailhead. I'd recommend going south down the NCT and pic up the trail detour there. It saves alot of uphill climbing. Another place I'd suggest is North Manitou Island!

Here's a trip report I did last September on the the NCT-MRT, but I went in at High Bridge and made it into a mega-loop with big mile days: https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...olo-44-9-miles

Thanks for the information. I'll have to keep that in mind if we decide to do the Jordan.

We have already hiked North Manitou Island, so we're looking to find something we haven't done yet, but NMI was a good trip.

I don't have my trip reports posted on HammockForums because they are somewhat long and have quite a few photos, but here is a link to my 2002 North Manitou Island hike: http://briansplace.ynt1.com/backpack...m/2002nm_1.php

I usually write up a trip report for my hikes (never got around to last year's hike at Hocking Hills / Zaleski State Forest in Ohio), so this is a link to my trip report archive (my writing skills definitely got better over the years). http://briansplace.ynt1.com/backpack/backpack.php

[sparky32]

I also some day want to get up and hike Grand Island off of Munising.

https://www.gobigsmile.com/applicati...randIsland.cfm

You won't regret the Grand Island hike when you finally get around to it. I hiked there in 2011 and it was a really nice hike, especially on the west side of the island -- constant views of Lake Superior. Here is a link to my Grand Island trip report: http://briansplace.ynt1.com/backpack...11gi_intro.php

[sparky32]

I have a buddy who mountain bikes the High Country Pathway once a year, and it's a rather large loop of a trail.

Don't have time to watch this video right now, but it is in my Watch Later playlist.

[T.Monk]

Nordhouse and L M Rec. Area are really cool spots to hang and hike did that early this summer and will have to get out that way in the fall!