| In Michigan, backpacking usually consists of hiking the | | | | North Dakota that may never be completed. I haven't |
| trails of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, or the | | | | hiked it in four years or so, but when we used to hike |
| Porcupine Mountains State Park, or The Sleeping Bear | | | | here or float homemade rafts down the river, we |
| Dunes National Park. All of these are well worth doing, | | | | never had company. |
| by the way. But what if you want to really get away | | | | The part that I am referring to runs through the |
| from the crowds? Here are three places to try where | | | | Manistee National Forest from Highway 131, North of |
| you'll likely be backpacking alone. | | | | Cadillac, to Highway 37 near Mesick. The trail follows |
| Backpacking Isolated Islands | | | | the river on the north side. There is one road (and a |
| You'll need a canoe for this first destination. Off the | | | | bridge) that you'll pass the first day, downstream from |
| Garden Peninsula in Michigan's Upper Peninsula (take | | | | 131. After that there are no more houses or cabins for |
| Highway 2 to 183), there are several islands that are | | | | a long stretch. The terrain is rolling maple and beech |
| uninhabited. The first, Little Summer Island, is just a mile | | | | woods, with some big sandy bluffs overlooking the |
| or so offshore from the tiny community of Fairport. | | | | river. |
| We paid $10 to leave our car parked behind the barn | | | | Drummond Island |
| of a fisherman who lived there. | | | | A few years back, a friend and I took the ferry to |
| Summer Island and Poverty Island are next in the | | | | Drummond Island, with the canoe on the roof of the |
| chain. These are wooded islands, with some old | | | | car. We found a string of lakes on the map and put |
| foundations of houses remaining from long ago, as well | | | | the canoe in the first one. After paddling a ways, we |
| as a lighthouse still standing on one. They are primarily | | | | had to haul the canoe over a beaver dam. Then we |
| part of the Lake Superior State Forest (despite the | | | | were in the big open areas, where the seemingly |
| fact that they are in Lake Michigan). There aren't really | | | | floating islands of plant life made navigating interesting. |
| any trails for backpacking, but hiking the shore and | | | | We meant to camp somewhere on the shore of one |
| exploring the interior of Summer Island could fill a day. | | | | of the lakes, but maps don't show everything. The |
| From Poverty Island, you have to cross a shipping | | | | shoreline was all marshy areas, full of cattails, reeds, |
| channel to get to Saint Martin Island. This one is | | | | and chest-deep muck. We realized at some point that |
| privately owned, but the caretaker told us that | | | | it was not actually possible to get to shore. We could |
| camping there was no problem, and he even left the | | | | see dry land in the distance, but we couldn't paddle |
| lighthouse open for us to explore, with our promise to | | | | through the thick brush, nor walk well enough in the |
| lock it up when we were done. When he took a boat | | | | thick muck to get out and pull the canoe in. |
| home to Wisconsin (less than 10 miles south), we were | | | | By the end of the day, we were back where we |
| the only ones on the island. There are trails here, and | | | | started. We drove to an isolated part of the island |
| there may be a few rental cabins by the time you | | | | (easy to do, since it all seems fairly isolated), and |
| read this. | | | | parked the car right in the road to set up a tent next |
| The Manistee River Trail | | | | to it. Not a single car passed before we left at 11 the |
| There is a little-known trail along the Manistee River in | | | | next morning. If you want isolated backpacking - or |
| Northern Michigan that is never crowded. Part of it is | | | | paddling or even parking - this is one part of Michigan |
| the North Country Trail, a long trail from New York to | | | | you'll want to check out. |