I want to hike!

March 15, 2012 8:10 AM

(Michigan filter) Looking for good , woods, and isolation. More details inside.

Hello, hopefully someone has a good suggestion. I am looking for a place to escape it all. I find that being around nature seems to bring balance and clarity to my life. What I am looking for is a place to get away from it all. I am in Southeastern Michigan, and figure there has to be some good hiking trails somewhere near by. I don't mind driving to reach the destination and just want a place where I can just enjoy nature, and not see a single soul. So while Kensington, and other similar parks are nice, I want to be off the beaten path. I know further north there are more opportunities, as I've had the pleasure of experiencing them, but there has to be places nearby outside of the suburban sprawl.

So fellow mefis, where do I find this paradise? Any resources are appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

posted by handbanana to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (5 answers total)

Hrm. Have you tried the Downriver or western Metroparks, out where it's less settled)? IIRC, Oakwood (Flat Rock) and Hudson Mills (Dexter) have some nice trails. Or the State Parks? Holly and Pinckney Rec have some nice trails.

We've had some good hikes in county parks, as well -- Lyndon Park (out N. Territorial) has some nice trails. Waterloo Rec has some nice trails, and they're usually pretty empty, unless you happen to be there when there are guided tours.

Or go into the Thumb -- there's got to be places in Lapeer and Sanilac counties where you won't see anyone.
posted by jlkr at 8:53 AM on March 15, 2012

Seconding Waterloo Rec area. I spent a lot of time out there on foot and on two wheels during my lengthy sentence in Ann Arbor.
 
posted by Herodios at 9:20 AM on March 15, 2012

Thirding Waterloo Rec...though this pattern of enthusiasm perhaps implies that it is unlikely to be as deserted as you desire?
posted by Ausamor at 10:53 AM on March 15, 2012

Pinckney Rec Area, also. You can hike the Potowatami. If you're ambitious you can hike Pinckey to Waterloo.
posted by dzot at 11:12 AM on March 15, 2012

I spent my youth wandering the Waterloo Rec Area, then, from college on, in the Pinckney Rec. area. Both are fantastic.

If you're walking trails, do it during the week, especially if it is a trail shared by bikes (nothing against bikers, just find that walkers/bikers don't mix well, for either side of the coin).

Pickerel Lake near Hell is a nice place to start on some of the trails in the Pinckney Rec. area.

Kayak or canoe the Huron from Portage lake down to Ann Arbor... again, do it during the week... don't EVER do it on a holiday weekend. Bring a fishing pole/fly rod.

There's also a great Rails to Trails walk from Hamburg to Stockbridge (it may even go beyond that)..this is also bikeable in a lot of sections.

Memail me for other thoughts.. I live 2 miles from Hell and 50 feet from the Huron River...
posted by HuronBob at 6:14 PM on March 15, 2012