“Journey Before Destination," is a phrase from the book THE WAY OF KINGS by Brandon Sanderson. Way too often we plan our trips, our hikes with a goal of reaching an end point; reach a certain mileage goal, see an attraction. We want to remind you to enjoy the journey for the journey's sake."
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Boots And Paddles by Kelley and Katie Clark
Journey
Now that was a pleasant surprise! We have been visiting the lakes along the NCT and the larger popular lakes in the county. It’s the beginning of March (2022); the trails are icy, lumpy, and splotchy. Snowshoes, crampons and cross-country skis are just not practical for the main trails. We decided to go off-trail and hike into some of the smaller lakes while the lakes were still frozen. We packed our snowshoes and crampons and headed out.
Island Lake
The first lake we visited was Island lake in Troy Township located in the NW corner of Newaygo county. Accessing the lake was our first challenge with the lake surrounded by private property and wetlands. Turns out winter was the best time to access the lake for non-residents as there is a small cemetery (Volney cemetery – corner of W. Grant St and N. Dickenson Ave) that we parked in and hiked through to access the lake. The trek to the lake also involved hiking over/through 50 or so yards of wetland area.
The centerpiece of Island lake is Ambrose Isle. The lake itself encompasses 77.5 acres with the island located in the west-center portion of the lake. We set off across the lake with Ambrose Isle as our destination. The first thing we noted was the beaver cuttings on the island and were excited to see the lake has a happy contingent of critters. The second thing we noted was a couple of eagles hovering above us. A little closer surveilling, we observed their nest in a tree in the center of the island; pretty cool. After a walk across the island, we set off to see the rest of the lake and check out what looked like a public boat launch (it wasn’t). However, as we were walking on the lake around the island, one of the eagles did a bit of a dive toward us, and we got to wondering when do eagles lay their eggs? Mind you this is early March, it’s snowing, and nighttime temperatures are still in the teens.
The great thing we have found throughout Newaygo county is that the lakes are supporting a healthy population of common loons, eager beavers, and yes, bald eagles. We actually saw three different eagles over Island Lake; one was probably a juvenile being sent out on his own while the other two are planning on expanding the family. Juveniles reach adulthood around five years of age and will visit the area they were born in once mature and looking to start a family of their own. Turns out that eagles are early egg layers starting as early as mid-February, with hatching in mid-April to early May. The eaglets will stay in the nest for 8 to 14 weeks and leave about eight weeks afterward.
Is the Bald Eagle our national bird? Turns out, it is not! Then who is? No president has ever taken pen to paper and designated a national bird. At least that is what one article says. All articles agree that the Bald Eagle became the national symbol in 1782 when the eagle was chosen to be on the national seal clutching 13 arrows in one talon and an olive branch with 13 olives and leaves.
- National flower – Rose.
- National tree – oak.
- National sport – baseball,
- National bird…We’re going to go with the Bald Eagle, whether it is official or not.
This family has a nice location with access only by a few locals and those willing to tread across a marsh to visit them. We ask that you give them privacy to raise their family and observe them from a distance; Volney cemetery is a good observation location.
Dollar, Black, Bass, Triple Lakes, and an unnamed lake (we’ll call it K&K’s lake):
These five lakes are located west of Nichols lake between 11 and 13-mile roads. You can access them from the North Country Trail (NCT) or from National Forest Service Rd 5525. We initially tried to find the lakes coming off the NCT from the north. Internet service being what it is in the middle of nowhere, we wandered around through the woods and finally found Triple Lakes. We were only able to access the southernmost section of the lake as the northern area is private property. The lake is beautiful with a mature forest surrounding the lake. We were starting to drag a bit after snowshoeing into Island Lake and Triple Lakes, and we decided to come back the next day to visit the other lakes.
After treading through the snow on a cloudy, snowy day the day before, we were rewarded with a bright and sunny day. This time we came in from the south on NFS Rd 5525. The road was icy in spots from snowmobile use but was generally hikable. The road takes you right to Dollar Lake and K&K Lake. Dollar Lake is small, maybe five acres in size. At one time, it does appear that it supported a family of beavers as a beaver hut was located on the west side of the lake. We didn’t note any current activity. We did see some turkey tracks along the edge, as well as a small four-legged creature that appeared to be traveling with the turkey. K&K lake was about twice the size of Dollar lake and did have a public access site for those wanting to carry a small boat around with them. One lucky person does have a cabin on the north side of the lake, giving them the lake pretty much to themselves.
Bass lake is just to the west of K&K Lake. Bass Lake is actually smaller than this unnamed lake, which made us wonder why the lake is unnamed. In this case, it didn’t make us wonder enough to search hard for the answer. Not sure how Bass Lake got its name, perhaps because it looks a bit like a fish, we will assume that it has some bass in it for those wishing to fish. We crossed over Bass Lake and headed north to Black Lake. The internet was testing our orientation skills again, but after some trekking around, we did find Black Lake. Black Lake is the largest of the four lakes we went to today, but gave us the most trouble in locating; Google Maps only shows it as a small dot.
Island Lake, Newaygo County, MI
DESTINATION
One of our hiking goals is to visit all of the lakes accessible in Newaygo county. We have definitely not been working hard on this goal, so it was doubly rewarding to do this hike. Getting to some of the lakes is challenging to find an access point, such as we described above for Island Lake. All of the lakes in the Nichols Lake area are fully enclosed by mature woods and set in the bottom of a valley, making for picturesque settings to trek into. The challenge is that you have to go off trail and GPS is limited or nonexistent, so hike with care and some basic orientation skills. We totally enjoyed getting out of the house for some winter hiking and doing some off-the-trail hiking/exploring.
Whether you take the NCT or the service road, we think this is an area you will enjoy hiking. Besides the lakes we visited today, Atodd Lake and Nichols Lake can be added to your itinerary, not to mention several lakes north of 13-mile road. Plenty of parking at both the north (Cleveland Dr/13-mile Rd) and south (11-mile rd) sides of Nichols lake.
PS- We were hiking by Atodd Lake this Fall and noted several trees were recently gnawed down, big ones. A side trip down to Atodd lake rewarded us with two beavers actively swimming around, preparing for winter. One was huge and big enough to take down the large cottonwoods we observed.
Additional Resources of Interest:
Thank you for joining us on our journey. We hope you have found some inspiration, resources, and an appreciation to enjoy the adventure.
"It's A Dangerous Business, Frodo, Going Out Your Door. You Step Onto The Road, And If You Don't Keep Your Feet, There's No Knowing Where You Might Be Swept Off To."
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Continue the Journey
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The Coastal Plain Marshes of Michigan
As you go north a couple miles on the North Country Trail (NCT) from the 40th ST parking area in Newaygo county you will undoubtedly see a large sign about the area being part of the Coastal Plain Marsh. The sign is actually quite informative (hats off to the Nature Conservancy and the US Forest Service), but we have been wanting to look a little more deeply into the topic for ourselves and share it with our readers.
Hiking the Dragon Trail of Newaygo County
Take a trip to Newaygo County and hike the well-maintained Dragon Trail. It offers stunning views of forests, meadows, and streams. It’s perfect for a day of adventure, relaxing solo hike, or spending time with family and friends. Don’t forget to pack lunch and water and put on your hiking boots. It’s an experience you won’t want to miss.
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