We first visited the Hartwick Pines near Grayling, Michigan a couple of years ago and recently returned to spend a little more time hiking through one of the state's few remaining old-growth forests.
My desire to see Hartwick's Chapel in the Pines and a long-ago hike through the Estivant Pines, billed as Michigan's last stand of virgin pines, inspired our original visit to Hartwick Pines.
Our desire to have enough time to dawdle and take more photos along the park's entire Old-Growth Forest Trail (plus Tim's desire to go canoeing on the nearby AuSable River, which I'll write about in coming weeks) was behind this latest visit to Hartwick Pines on our way home from Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
We spent a lot more time in the park's logging museum and checking out a tribute to the Civilian Conservation Corps workers responsible for building the museum, expanding the picnic and campground areas and many other park improvements during the 1930s the last time we visited. You can read about that visit and learn a bit about the history of the park with my story, Visiting one of Michigan's few remaining old-growth forests at Hartwick Pines.
The 1-1/4-mile-long Old-Growth Trail is paved with asphalt and reasonably accessible. There are a couple of short, steep grades along the way and one or two spots with ramps built alongside a few steps on the path (mostly at the beginning and end of the trail). Plus, there are also a few benches along the route for those who need to rest or just want to sit and enjoy the serenity of the woods.
Stop by the park's 1,500-square-foot visitor center first to check out exhibits detailing the history of forests and logging in the state.
Be sure to pick up the brochure guide to the Old-Growth Trail's interpretive stops so you can learn about the forest and fauna as you walk the trail. Hikers will learn about the different types of forests at Hartwick Pines, the wildlife in the forest, the history of the Hartwick Pines and how storms, fires and other events change the environment over the years at twelve marked stops along the trail.
The visitors' center is also a good place to stop post-hike for the restrooms, gift shop and to relax in the lobby to do a little bird watching by the huge picture windows overlooking the trail and multiple bird feeders.
Want to learn more about hiking trails and getting around the back woods in Michigan? Check out Trail Atlas of Michigan (third edition) by Dennis R. Hansen and Michigan Atlas & Gazetteer from the Delorme Mapping Company.
Learn more about the CCC in Michigan by checking out Proud to Work: A Pictorial History of Michigan's Civilian Conservation Corps by Annick Hivert-Cathew.
© Dominique King 2013 All rights reserved
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