HCP Day 4: Rattlesnake Hill to Pigeon Bridge Campground

July 25, 2016

There was a nice sunrise as I packed up camp.

I began the descent from Rattlesnake Hill.

I reached Rattlesnake Creek.

There was a short section of road walking.

The trail went back in the forest.

Then went through some clearings.

I neared a two track and heard a noise.  It was an elk. I couldn't get close enough to get a good picture, but it was exciting.

The trail went back and forth through clearings.

There was a somewhat distant view over the trees.

There was a sign indicating that the Black River Bridge was closed.

I reached Tubbs Creek which was flowing well.

There were lots of badger holes near the trail.

Black River

I reached the detour to avoid the dangerous Black River Bridge.  I decided to go ford the river.

Black River Bridge

Crossing the bridge could be quite dangerous.

I had enough water, so I continued on the HCP when I came to the junction to the Town Corner Lake Campground.  I passed a few day-hikers.

A short side trail went to a lookout with a bench.

Back on the HCP I came to another bench.

The HCP crossed the co-located northern spur of the Shore to Shore Trail and Midland to Mackinac Trail

I came to the other side of the detour.  Here's a map.

I hiked through some pleasant open areas.

I came to the only recent logging area of the hike.

The junction to Round Lake Campground.  The loop was nearly complete as I made my way to Pigeon Bridge Campground.

I reached the Pigeon Bridge Trailhead and another adventure was complete.

Overall, I didn't have high expectations for the HCP but I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of scenery and wildlife.  It seems that the area is starting to recover from all the logging activity and there was only a brief section of recent logging.  It's a fairly remote hike that crosses few paved roads and other hikers.  I think this hike is best completed with high mileage days. I anticipate that shorter mileage days would result in some uneventful and non-descript days. It's still doable though if you're interested in a long distance hike in the lower peninsula.

At times, finding a backcountry campsite on the HCP will be challenging.  By spacing the distance, I was able to camp at probably the two best places on the loop: Canada Creek Shelter and Rattlesnake Hill. Water sources were typically available as indicated on the map, but I wasn't able to get water from Dog Lake.  This is an area to be careful for ticks.

The HCP is a good option for experienced backpackers looking for a long distance hike. For those just getting started backpacking in Michigan, I recommend starting with something shorter and more scenic (Pictured Rocks, Sleeping Bear Dunes, Isle Royale, Porkies, NCT, ect).