I'm pretty sure it was Thoreau who once said, "The mere existence of wilderness refreshes us."
Take a trip to Black Mountain Forest Recreation Area 0, located southeast of Cheboygan, and you will instantly understand what he meant. As I pulled away from the area after two days of wonderful midweek cross-country skiing last March, my body felt tired, but my soul felt refreshed and uplifted for the time spent there.
The snow was still in great shape, and fresh grooming within the last couple of days had set the double-tracked pathway to near perfection. I saw a few deer throughout the afternoon and even an eagle soaring high overhead. Despite several cars in the parking lot I had the trails mostly to myself.
The trail system's eastern end, host to some of the easier sections, is just off CR-489. Launching at sign post 1, I skied my way up a ridge along well-marked trails; never going more than a mile without coming across a sign post complete with a number, arrows pointing to the next post and a map. Getting lost was impossible.
Climbing up the intermediate-rated trails along the ridgeline, nice overlooks between signposts 6 and 8 allows a few brief glimpses of Lake Huron's steely blue waters -- about six miles away -- shimmering in the distance. The trail climbed gently through the woods offering more views until I reached a shelter at post 12, a perfect snack stop spot.
One of two shelters the DNR has constructed along the 30-mile trail system, the three-sided sanctuaries open on one side to face grills and a fire pit. They are set to block often strong north winds, making them quite snug on a cold, windy day. I could see having a bonfire here on a moonlit night.
Black Mountain Forest Recreation Area has close to 31 miles of double tracked trail, plus another separate seven-mile section on the lower mountain's northeast side that is normally groomed only for skate skiing. At least that was the case until last winter when DNR budget restrictions allowed for grooming only about half of the lengthy trail system and none of the skate skiing section. A volunteer group periodically groomed a single-track along some sections of the marked trail on the west side of Black Mountain Road, which splits the recreation area almost equally in half. They weren't groomed as often or as conscientiously as the DNR groomed portion of the trails, but it was better than having to break trail.
Plans call for grooming to continue as in the past if the budget is in place this season. You can call the Atlanta DNR Office at (989) 785-4252 to check on grooming schedules.
The area itself was created 11,000-some years ago as the last of the glaciers retreated north leaving behind mounds of glacial debris called moraines. Much of the Lower Peninsula's landscape was formed with glacial deposition. This particular moraine is a fine example of the process. Looming over the eastside of large Black Lake, home to prehistoric sturgeon, the long ridge parallels Lake Huron's shoreline, visible from some of the pathway's higher points. Its serpentine ridges stretch through a transition forest of pine and hardwoods, punctuated by spring-fed lakes and populated by wildlife.
It's remote, scenic and has few signs of civilization anywhere along that side of Black Lake. Fortunately it never will. Michigan's DNR, through the Natural Resources Trust Fund, stepped in during the late 1980s and purchased 9,000-some acres of this striking landscape designating it as a recreation area. Part of it was once a privately owned downhill ski area, which was open during the 1960s, called Black Mountain, thus the name of the recreation area. Now abandoned, the ski area's open slopes are part of a snowmobile/ORV staging area to access a separate network of snowmobile trails bisecting the mountain.
"The trail systems are close together, but overall it works pretty well to keep the two winter sports segregated on their own trails," said DNR staffer Marty Osantowski, who oversees the recreation area and grooms the ski trails. "The snowmobiles are here mostly on the weekends. If you cross-country ski midweek, likely you won't hear or see any snowmobiles."
From mid-December well into March, as long as the snow lasts, Osantowski grooms the trails at least weekly.
"We try to groom as often as the trail needs it. The last couple of years we've had some of our best snow and skiing in March," he added.
You can almost think of Black Mountain in two quadrants with Black Mountain Road as the dividing line. The northwestern portion contains the most challenging trails, while the northeastern quadrant holds mostly intermediate and beginner level trails. It doesn't mean that trails on the west side of the road are all difficult. They offer a nice mix, from easy kick-and-glide along the mountain's spine to fall-line plunges down the flank of the mountain with steep climbs back to the top. There are three trailheads scattered around the bottom of the moraine and one on top off Black Mountain road.
One of my favorite sections of trail flows along the ridge on the west side of Black Mountain Road. It follows the ridge line from the top down to the trailhead on Twin Lakes Road, which is the northern most trailhead. Covering about three miles, it's slightly downhill much of the way and a blast to ski. Through the trees you can catch some nice glimpses of the huge white expanse of frozen Black Lake paralleling the west side of the mountain.
Cheboygan makes a good place to spend the night, partially because there isn't much else available in the area, but you have some nice lodging choices.
For more information on the Cheboygan area, log onto cheboygan.com.
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