Athletes
Route variation
Standard route (driving between)
Multi-sport
No
Para athlete
No
Gender category
Female
Style
Self-supported
Start date
Finish date
Total time
2d
4h
51m
0s
Verification
GPS track(s)
Report
I camped between the Jordan Valley Pathway and the Fife Lake Loop trail near Kalkaska so I could stay in one spot for two nights. It was an easy 30 minute drive north to the JVP start.
- Jordan Valley Pathway: Started at Deadman's Hill Overlook and went clockwise. Trail conditions were good, completely clear. Stopped at the Pinney Bridge State Campground and refilled on water as there was a potable water pump there. There is a potentially confusing spot where the actual loop takes a 290 degree turn and does a loop rather than going straight - don't be fooled by that half broken bridge!
I went back to the original campsite near Kalkaska for a second night. The drive to the start of the Fife Lake Loop trail was only about 20 minutes away.
- Fife Lake Loop: Began at M186 and went clockwise. The trail was well marked, clear, and had much less elevation than the day prior at Jordan Valley. Though there were many water sources and I brought my filter, the water that I packed out was enough for the day.
I moved camp to prep for the Manistee River Trail by camping near Mesick on a tributary to the Manistee River. It was about a 5 minute drive to the start of the MRT.
- Manistee River Trail: Started just off of Upper River Road near the suspension bridge and went counterclockwise. This was a gorgeous trail that had a decent elevation gain on the North Country Trail side in the ravines and good views on the Manistee River side. Similar to Fife Lake, though there were a lot of good water options, the water I packed out was enough.
Overall, these 3 trails were a treat and were completely doable on consecutive days.