It all started with a challenge: To tackle 100 miles within a calendar year.
Participants in the North Country Trail Hike 100 Challenge trek sections of the trail at their own pace and choose locations that best suit them. My passion is pairing my wanderlust with the lens of my camera, so photographing my journey was a natural fit. I started at a section near my Boyne City home, then pushed farther north. From a tiny sphinx moth on a wild iris to sweeping vistas of Lake Superior along Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, the trail’s grandeur enthralled me, and I couldn’t resist the allure of discovering more. So, I set out on several day trips and weekend adventures, venturing deeper into the wilderness. Unlike other long-distance trails, the North Country Trail (NCT) is often regarded as more suitable for section hikers rather than thru hikers. Section hikers do shorter portions of the trail, allowing them to fully immerse in the scenery of each region. Here are a few of my favorite spots.
THE JORDAN VALLEY PATHWAY AND WARNER CREEK PATHWAY, SOUTH OF BOYNE CITY Conveniently located a few miles from my front door in Boyne City, these two sections along the Jordan River have quickly become my go-tos. The Jordan Valley Pathway greets you with panoramas of the river valley below, filled with lush greenery stretching as far as the eye can see. Towering hardwood trees, including sugar maple and oak, create a shady canopy, while delicate spring ephemerals like trillium and lady’s slipper orchids dot the forest floor. The melody of the Jordan River provides a soothing soundtrack, and the river banks are teeming with life, from deer foraging in the distance to migrating warblers flitting through the trees with boundless energy. The Jordan Valley Pathway is an 18.5-mile loop that overlaps the NCT for about 12 miles and is considered one of the top overnight backpacking loops in the Lower Peninsula. Warner Creek Pathway is a 3.8-mile loop through the Mackinaw State Forest, with roughly two miles overlapping the NCT. This shorter route is a popular year-round destination for hikers, snowshoers and cross-country skiers. Nice to know: The largest tributary to Lake Charlevoix, the Jordan River was Michigan’s first designated National Wild and Scenic River. It’s also a blue-ribbon trout stream— a gem for fly fishing.
Clockwise: I use the Avenza Maps app for navigation. On the North Country Trail website, you can download map sections from the Avenza app or printable PDF maps, both available at no charge; Hikers in the Jordan River Valley section get to cross the 45th Parallel—the halfway point between the Equator and the North Pole; Our misty hike near Boyne Falls.
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