North Country Trail: Kalkaska to Fife Lake Trailhead

May 23-25, 2015

Pere Marquette State Forest

Distance: ~55+ miles roundtrip

Highlights: Sand Lakes Quiet Area, Dollar Lake, Muncie Lakes, Boardman River, Valley of the Giants

Of all the national scenic trails, I have currently hiked the most miles on the North Country Trail, a 4600 mile trail from North Dakota to New York (soon Vermont). Whether it be beautiful segments in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (Border Route Trail, Kekekabic Trail), along Lake Superior's beautiful shoreline (Superior Hiking Trail, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore), or in Michigan's Lower Peninsula (Manistee River, Jordan River Pathway), the NCT has provided exceptional backpacking opportunities.

I will have time to hike a significant portion of trail this summer in the northern Lower Peninsula.  This hike, similar to the one described in Jim Dufresne's Backpacking Michigan, while not quite as well known as others is well worth the effort.  I did an out and back going on the NCT and returning on a combination of mainly the NCT and Shore-to-Shore Trail.

The map below shows the majority of the trails that I used.  Click on the printer symbol to print a map for on trail use.

I began my hike in the afternoon on Saturday.  It was a pleasant, sunny day as I began my hike on some scenic two-tracks.

In one instance I believe I missed a turn and wandered through the woods for a short period before finding the trail again.  Otherwise the trail was marked quite well.

The first section of my hike overlapped with the Traverse City to Kalkaska Trail which allows a user to journey between the two cities with the use of several other trails.

The trail went through some nice open areas.

It alternated between pleasant two-tracks and also single track trail.

There were signs indicating mileage along the way.

I came to my first of many lakes as I entered the Sand Lakes Quiet Area.

I quickly came to the north arm of Guernsey Lake.

There were beautiful flowers along the trail.

I arrived at Sand Lake No. 1 and found a campsite nearby and had a relaxing evening.

There were quite a few others camped out around the lake due to Memorial Day weekend, but my campsite was still relatively secluded.  There was some nice evening light across the lake.

There was some noise of others carrying across the lake through the night so my sleep was somewhat disrupted but I awoke to a beautiful morning reflection.

I departed and began a long and exciting day.  Soon I was at Sand Lake No. 3.

There was a pleasant stretch of single track.

I came to the North Fork of the Boardman River and there was a great section of trail right beside it.  There were some car campers nearby out enjoying the weekend.

The trail climbed to a ridge above the river.

Then descended...

After leaving the North Fork, I came to the Dollar Lake Trailhead and in a short distance I enjoyed great view of the lake.  I took a quick snack break.

After leaving the lake, I made my way to the Muncie Lakes Pathway.

Like Sand Lakes, the Muncie Lakes Pathway has an informative numbered mapping system which makes navigation easy.

The first of many lakes along the pathway.

I added a Horseshoe loop as recommended in the book, adding Marker 6 to my route which the NCT actually skips going from Marker 7 to Marker 5.

The added mile was worthwhile.

At the point I saw a group camped out by the lake.

I returned the pathway on a great graveled trail.

I came to the trailhead as I left Muncie Lakes Pathway.

From the trailhead I made my way to Scheck's Place State Forest Campground and the Boardman River.

Boardman River

After replenishing my water supply I continued on the south side of the river.

I soon entered the Valley of the Giants and enjoyed old growth forest.

Next I came to the scenic Twenty-two Creek.

The trail also followed a gas pipeline.

I continued on mainly two-tracks to Cedar Creek road.  Here I dropped my pack and decided to jog south to the Fife Lake Trailhead on M-186, where there is a new loop that I plan to do in the near future.

The Fife Lake Trailhead had new signs.

I turned around and started my journey back to Kalkaska.

I was quickly back at my pack and on the two-tracks, hoping to get some big miles in for the day.

I took a nice break at a campsite by the creek.

There were some nice flowers by the trail.

I made my way back to Scheck's Place as I crossed the bridge over the Boardman River.

Back on the Muncie Lakes Pathway I took a different route past Markers 12 and 11 as it began to rain.

From Marker 11, I descended to the Boardman River and found a campsite. It had been a long and eventful day, potentially my most miles ever.  I estimate at least 30 miles, probably more counting the part to Fife Lake Trailhead and back.

It continued to rain throughout the night. In the morning I discovered my camera was taking blurry pictures due to some moisture accumulation so I was unable to take many photos on my return the final day.  I took a route back to Dollar Lake and then joined the Shore-to-Shore Trail which crosses Michigan from Lake Huron to Lake Michigan. It is used primarily for horses and its tread is not quite as nice for hiking.  The Shore-to-Shore Trail was a shorter route and went past the South part of Guernsey Lake.  I did manage an interesting picture showing the amazing amount of green after the rain.

After rejoining the NCT, I discovered a section of trail I had accidentally bypassed when heading south.  It took me to a pleasant campsite at Smith Lake.

Back on the two-track, I was soon back in Kalkaska and my hike was complete.  This was a great hike with lots of variety.  Many of these scenic areas could provide a weekend destination just by themselves.  It was also nice to not have to backtrack entirely on the NCT.  Overall, it was a great hike and a worthy backpacking destination in Michigan's Lower Peninsula.