- How cool is it that we, in Newaygo County, can basically step out of our homes and onto secluded forest trails that pass by rivers, streams, and lakes? On top of that, we have 65+ miles of established, well-groomed North Country Trail running through some of the most scenic areas of Michigan, connecting us to six other states: New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North Dakota!
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I’m lucky because I have some wonderful friends from down south who love a good hike on a beautiful trail. The other day, my friend Teresa, drove the 50 minutes from her home in Standale so that she could take a short hike with me.
Our North Country Trail hike took us first to a quaint breakfast/lunch cafe, Hit the Road Coffee and Cafe, with some of the yummiest food around ( Elm north off of M82). After our brunch, we drove to the trailhead (continuing on Elm and taking Croton Drive south across the Muskegon River). There were a light sprinkle and grey skies, but we weren’t deterred. Parking just southwest of the Croton Dam, we headed along the Muskegon river for a bit before traipsing into the woods. Dainty pink wild roses and yellow primroses dotted the undergrowth. I told Teresa that we could come across a black bear, lovingly named Stumpy due to missing her front right paw, and her three cubs. A local Facebook group, Newaygo Watercooler, tends to post about her whereabouts which had recently been close to where we were hiking.
There’s just something fun about the NCT sign-in box when you come to it. Seeing those before us explaining where they’re from and why they were out hiking is always interesting and adding our own story to the list seems to make the hike more significant. As we walked and talked, the sprinkles stopped and the clouds broke up. We hiked down clearly marked, easy paths through the woods until we came to a crossing of roads (S. Pine Ave. and Croton Dr.). Using the NCT sign as our guide (and NCT online app because we didn’t spot it at first and still had enough signal), we headed diagonally across Croton Dr. back into a wooded path.
Even though it had rained quite a bit the past previous days, we had no muck or issues with the trails. There weren’t even any pesky bugs to get in our way. That’s probably why the time and miles pass without us really noticing. After two hours, we found ourselves about 3+ miles in, past E. 56th Ave. Being this wasn’t a loop hike, we decided to head back, finishing back at the parking lot about 4 pm, an hour later than Teresa had planned for. However, we both felt rejuvenated by the company and by soaking in nature. Stumpy never did cross our path, which I was okay with. Not sure I want to meet her out in the woods with her three cute cubs.
If you are interested in learning more about the North Country Trail in Newaygo County, check out: https://northcountrytrail.org/trail/michigan-lower/ I love the Interactive online Trail Map, especially handy for someone who has absolutely no sense of direction. If you are interested in being one of the faithful trail volunteers who keep the trails clear, you can contact the NCT West Michigan Chapter for organized times and events: https://northcountrytrail.org/volunteers/local-contacts/western-michigan-chapter/.
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