The Highbanks Trail is situated along the towering bluffs above the Au Sable River. This trail is open year-round and is located in the Huron National Forest. It provides stunning views of the Au Sable River and the Cooke Dam Pond. This FKT route is a 6.3 mile point-to-point between Iargo Springs and Sawmill Point Parking, following the main trail and excluding any alternate routes. The trail itself is a well marked singletrack. This route is considered easy as it's mostly flat and not very technical. This FKT can be completed as a one-way (either direction) or as an out-and-back.
From the Iargo Springs, the trail heads east where it follows the edge of the bluffs briefly, skirts a gully, and then merges into the powerline corridor. You'll follow this man-made intrusion for a quarter mile until you come to another panorama of the river. The trail continues to hug the forested edge of the banks for another mile, providing you glimpses of the Au Sable River valley between the trees. After roughly 2 miles, you'll arrive at the parking lot for Canoer’s Monument where the trail continues on the other side of the stone monument.
Beyond the monument, the trail again skirts the powerlines for a half mile through a terrain that is very sandy and rolling. Eventually the trail swings north to return to the edge of the bluff. You'll stay close to the edge for the next half mile and then breakout again at the powerlines before passing underneath them. The next half mile is a flat stroll through a red pine plantation. Shortly after this, you'll arrive at the Lumberman's Monument which offers some of the best views of the Cooke Dam Pond.
The final 2.8 miles from Lumberman's Monument to Sawmill Point is mostly flat and relatively easy. After leaving Lumberman's Monument, there are areas where the adjacent sand dunes becomes part of the trail. After this, a majority of the trail is in a nice flat wooded area, crossing a couple of roads along the way. It's not until you reach the last mile where the trail becomes quite steep for a bit but it's not overly technical or difficult.
