Tales from our maiden backpacking voyage to Fife Lake, Michigan

We completed a Beginning Backpacking class in September; however, because practicing isn’t easy in Michigan winter months, we essentially became Backpack Gear Collectors! Thanks to some good friends and an easy loop trail, our first trip was a resounding success!

Fife Lake is near Cadillac, Michigan and the loop is part of the North Country Trail. A map of the loop can be found here.

Our backpacking adventure started at the Spring Lake Campground. In early May, there was only one other group braving the 30 degree nighttime temps. The wooded sites felt remote, but at the same time, had clean vault toilets (a plus!), potable pump water, picnic tables and fire rings. We spent the night around the fire coming up with our trail names (how about ‘Pigeon Lady’, ‘Skid Mark’ or ‘Ankles’? I agree … they all sounded better under the cover of darkness!)

We hiked on Saturday along the Manistee River to the Old US 131 State Campground. The weather was in the mid 60s, sunny and nearly perfect. This part of the trail was great for spending the day chatting with friends and taking pictures of the beautiful scenery. Although we came across a few hiking groups, we mostly had the trail to ourselves. If you plan to do this loop trail, I recommend doing the eastern side first and allow plenty of time to enjoy your day.

We left a car at the state campground, and soon after we arrived, the group started talking about a ‘take out’ dinner. Music, cards, pizza and beer … what’s not to like about backpacking? Several people preferred the Old US 131 Campground because it is situated directly on the Manistee River and, like Spring Lake, has water, toilets and several fire pits. Although the river was frigid, it was nice to dip our feet after a long day walking in boots and the Sunday morning mist was breathtaking (my guess is the proximity to hot pizza also played a role in favoring this site!).

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Sunday’s hike out of the woods was less scenic. Much of this trail route is through active logging operations and it was disheartening to see clear cut areas. We spotted two endangered blue racer snakes and they were a highlight of our day! If I did this trip again, it would be tempting to skip this half of the loop and return to Spring Lake by retracing my steps on the eastern side.

All in all, this was the perfect first backpacking trip!

• Parking cars at both ‘ends’ of the loop gave us an easy escape and pizza-run opportunity
• Camping with experienced friends helped with gear set up and resulted in a warm night’s sleep and hot coffee in the morning
• Hiking along a flat, Michigan trail ensured we could chit chat to our heart’s content and the miles easily passed
• Plus, camping with friends is always more fun than camping alone!

How to get there: Spring Lake State Forest Campground is located in Grand Traverse County, Michigan near Fife Lake. The nightly fee for a site is $15, payable upon arrival. Here is a link to the website.

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