Manistee River Trail-North Country Trail Loop in April

[michigandave]

I was thinking of getting out for a 2-3 day, early spring (1st or 2nd week of April) backpacking trip on the 21 mile loop of the MRT-NCT. Has anyone been there at that time of the year and what type of trail conditions could I expect. I'm planning on taking a small group there in July, but I'd like to check it out first. It's also going to be my first solo hike!

[Backpacker534]

Michigandave,

My son and I just hiked the MRT/NCT loop in May 2009. I don't know what the trail would be like in early April, but it was great in May. The NCT was pretty sparse in terms of other people, and the MRT side was a bit more crowded, in comparison, but don't get me wrong, it wasn't like the trail was shoulder-to-shoulder with people. The NCT side is pretty much in the woods with not too many views, but the MRT side had quite a few spectacular views. My son had never been hiking before that trip and he did it in tennis shoes and did just fine. It was an easy 3-day hike. I found quite a few sites about the trail on the internet so you may want to do some research on the trail. If you are interested, I wrote a complete trip report ( http://briansplace.ynt1.com/backpack/20 ... 9mrt_1.php ) of our hike and posted it on my website. There are quite a few photos and a lot of descriptions of the trail -- I'm sure it will give you a pretty accurate "feel" for the trail. The trail and views will not disappoint you, I just can't give you any advice on the weather/trail conditions that early.

[michigandave]

Thanks for the info! That's a great report you wrote about the trail. It looks like it will be a perfect getaway for a couple days.

[Backpacker534]

Yeah. No matter where you live in Michigan's lower peninsula you aren't more than a 3 to 4 hour drive from this trail. It is the perfect length for a two or three day hike, and the scenery is icing on the cake!

[DaveH]

My uncle and me hiked the Manistee River Trail a couple times in the last few years and it has some very nice views. The last time we went was Mother's day weekend 2 or 3 years back. We had my dog with us and all of us ended up with ticks on us near the southern end of the trail, apparently it was a bad year for ticks that year. I will go back, but I won't stop and sit on the side of the trail in the grass anymore.

[Backpacker534]

Fortunately, we didn't have to deal with any ticks. We hiked the trail around third week of May so maybe they weren't out at that time. Whatever the reason, I'm glad we didn't have a problem, because there were several times we were walking through or loitering around in areas with high grass. We even had one night when our camp/tent was in the grass. Whew!

[michigandave]

Trip Update: I made it up there April 8-10 with a friend and what an awesome early spring trip. One car in the parking lot at the Red Bridge access site. Got on the trail by 5:00 on Thursday and did a few miles before settling into a great campsite overlooking the valley from the North Country Trail side. The temp did drop down to around 28 and we did get some snow, but the fact that we were getting out for a couple days made it all worth it. Day 2 of the trip took us further up the North Country Trail, over the bridge and down the south side of the MRT to Campsite 6. 11 miles that day and the only other people we ran into were a father and son coming north on the MRT. We were off the trail by 4 and settled into our site and relaxed. Temp for the day was between 50 and 60. Last night out wasn't a cold as the previous and it didn't snow, so that was a bonus.
Final day on the trail took us south for about 5-6 miles through some nice scenery and river views and much warmer temps. Met another hiker in the parking lot getting ready to head north. A couple of cold ones stashed in the car made for a nice ending. All in all, I'd recommend this trip to anyone but personally, I liked the NCT side the best

[Backpacker534]

From what I remember, campsite #6 was set back from the trail and the trail ran right next to the edge of a cliff overlooking the river. Very nice view at site #6! Thanks for posting the pictures.

[michigandave]

That's right, #6 is right on the edge of the drop off to the river and the path. It was pretty windy and not much protection, so we went for the site on the far east side of the clearing. Had a nice fire pit and some logs to sit on, plus we got out of the wind. In the summer, I could see how the one on the river bank would be hard to beat.

[Backpacker534]

My son and I stopped there for a 10-minute or so break. We really enjoyed the view from the edge of the trail and took a few photos there. The only problem we saw with that site and, actually, site #7 was that they both had no water close by. Although they were only a "stone's throw" from the river, getting down to the river, and especially back up such a steep bank/cliff would have been very difficult if not almost impossible. Luckily, we hiked right past those sites. We hiked the MRT/NCT loop late last May and really enjoyed it.

[michigandave]

A little south of the site is a side trail that takes you down to the river bank. It's steep and slow going, but we had a 2.5 gallon water bag that we took turns carrying back up to camp. Luckily, we only had to do the trip once.

[conmcb25]

Just out of curiosity how would you compare the ups and downs of the MRT side to sections of the Minong?

My son and I did the NCT and MRT last June and really enjoyed it despite a lot of rain.

Im just wondering if the Minong is comparable with the ups and downs

[Backpacker534]

The MRT / NCT is still fresh in my mind since we just hiked it in May 2009, while the Minong was several years ago (2001). However, if I had to compare the two trails, I would say that the Minong definitely had more ups and downs and they were more steep than the ones on the MRT loop. The Minong was a more strenuous hike than the MRT but not so much so that you couldn't tackle it. The only tiring part of the MRT as I remember it was a steep climb up from the Slaggle Creek bridge and then the last 1/2 mile or so right before reaching the Red Bridge access. That section was pretty hilly and sandy which tired us out a bit. But, if you've never done the Minong you have to give it a try at least once. The views from several sections of the ridge were very nice as you could see out over Lake Superior and parts of Canada on a clear day.

[michigandave]

I've never done the Minong, but it's on my "to do" list. One thing that was nice about the NCT-MRT trail was that you weren't always looking down to find a good foothold because the trails are pretty smooth. The up's and downs weren't too bad either and were gradual enough to where they didn't tire you out to quickly. It's always easy enough to stop, take a break and enjoy the view!

[PatrickBDunlap]

Just got back from the NCT/MRT loop on a 2 day/1 night hike. Parked at the Manilla trail head and hiked south on the NCT to the Red Bridge and then up to Arquilla Creek to camp and to treat water. Hiked north on the MRT then crossed the "Little Mac" bridge back to the trail head. That last 2.6 miles after the bridge killed us because we underestimated our water needs and did not treat enough (always have water to expect to have left over on a hike then use it right up).

I thought this was the best way to do the loop because you have the hard, less interesting park of the hike, the NCT, on the first day and have the more scenic part on the second day when you are more tired and need more motivation to crest the next hill. It also allows you to camp next to water to treat. Plus the camp sites on the MRT are nicer.

Did not have any tick issues but we wore long pants tucked into our socks. Next trip I would like to get some gaiters to keep the grit out of our boots. I like to wear shorts but Lyme disease scares me.