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The East and West River Trails along the Presque Isle
River, and the western segment of the Lake Superior Trail, are accessed
by taking South Boundary Road until it ends at County Road 519.
Just before reaching 519, South Boundary Road crosses the Presque Isle
River, and both of the River Trails end at either side of the road
bridge. Turning right on 519 leads to a larger set
of parking areas where the road ends in a little under a mile. This
provides a more direct access to the Lake Superior Trail itself. It is
also possible to reach this area by taking County Road 519 north 16
miles from US Route 2 in Wakefield, Michigan.
On May 28, 1989, Mike and Aimee, along with Mike's brother Mark and his
then-girlfriend,
now wife, Nancy, hiked along the Presque Isle River on the River Trails
then Mike and Aimee completed a six-mile hike of the Lake Superior
Trail to the mouth of the Little Carp River.
They had previously reached that point as part of a loop hike of the
Cross and Little Carp River
Trails in 1986 and 1987. Mark and Nancy made it about four or five
miles before turning back
when faced with yet another descent and ascent where a stream valley
cut across the trail.
On August 2, 2005, Mike returned with his 10-year-old
daughter Maria to hike a short segment of the Lake Superior
Trail. After accessing it via the Pinkerton Trail, they followed
it down to cross the Little Carp River and had lunch on the shore of
the lake. Then they headed back west in the direction of Presque
Isle and got as far as planned, to the point where the trail crosses
Pinkerton Creek, about 1.2 miles beyond the Pinkerton Trail
junction. Considering the high humidity and near 90 degree
temperatures, it was a major accomplishment to complete what would end
up to be a 7.8 mile hike.
A pedestrian suspension bridge near the north (closest to the lake) end
of the West River Trail provides the only crossing point of the Presque
Isle River north of the South Boundary Road paved bridge. Turning right
on the East River Trail leads in a very short distance
to the Lake Superior Trail, just past a point where the East River
Trail crosses an old riverbed
which probably functions as a floodway during high water.
The park map would seem to indicate flat topography for this hike. That
is somewhat misleading between the park map only shows 200 ft contours.
In fact, the trail ascends nearly 100 ft from the Presque Isle River,
and includes several stream valley crossings with approximately 50 ft
descent/ascent. Most of the route between the Presque Isle River and
Little
Carp River, other than the valleys, lies about 60 to 80 ft above lake
level, although you don't notice it because you can't see the lake. The
trail typically runs about 1/4 to 1/2 mile inland
from Lake Superior over this segment.
The park map shows nine stream crossings not including the Presque Isle
and Little Carp
Rivers. With only one or two exceptions, there are no bridges so
stepping stones or logs are
used to cross. There are actually two or three other stream crossings
as shown on the USGS topo
map. See list of mileages at the bottom of this text.
One thing to remember: The name "Lake Superior Trail" may connote a
flat stroll across miles of sandy beach to some people. This six-mile
segment of the trail is not flat, and never follows a beach or
comes within viewing distance of the lake until the Little Carp River,
unless you take a side
trail. Most of the beaches are rocky, not sandy, anyway.
Mileages along this segment of the Lake Superior Trail:
Presque Isle River 0.0
Unnamed creek 0.5
Cardinal Creek 1.2
Speakers Creek 2.1
Tiebel Creek 2.3
Sahwa Creek (four branches) 2.6 2.8 2.8 3.1
Unnamed creek 3.6
Kenabeek Creek 4.0
Pinkerton Creek 5.1
Unnamed creek 5.8
Little Carp River 6.3
(All distances are approximate.)
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 Manido Falls
on the Presque Isle River, viewed from the West River
Trail on May 28, 1989. Like Lake of the Clouds and Summit Peak, this
scenic area is easily accessible by car since it is a short walk from a
parking area. |
 Mike's
brother Mark crossing Tiebel Creek, on the Lake
Superior Trail about three miles east of the Presque Isle River. He's
hard to see unless you look for the log bridge over the stream.
This segment of the trail is not an entirely flat hike due to stream
valleys cutting down to the
lake. |
 Aimee posing near directional
signs along the Lake
Superior Trail in the vicinity of Speakers Creek. At this point, we
were about halfway between the Presque Isle and Little Carp Rivers.
Mike always made a point of taking photos near such signs to "prove
where we were." |
 Mark and Nancy using stepping
stones to cross one of
the many streams along this route. Unfortunately, this photo in our
collection is not labeled, and it's been over ten years since we
hiked here, so it's not possible for us to determine which of the
creeks they are crossing. |
 One of the
best places in the park is the rocky beach at the mouth of
the Little Carp River. After hiking six miles along the Lake Superior
Trail, Aimee and Mike stopped there for lunch before doubling back for
the return trip. |
 Maria sits on
a large rock on the bank of Pinkerton Creek along the Lake Superior
Trail. This was our turnaround point for hiking on the hot humid
afternoon of August 2, 2005. The creek level was very low due to
dry weather and it was easy for a person to use stepping stones to
cross -- even a 10-year-old!
With the creek so low, Mike and Maria discussed hiking back up the
streambed to reach the Pinkerton trail. The topo map appeared to
indicate a distance of no more than a mile, compared to three miles to
reach the same point by doubling back on the Lake Superior and
Pinkerton Trails. In the end, they stuck with the traditional
route -- and began climbing up the switchback out of the creek
bottom. Yes, there is a switchback on the Lake Superior Trail,
although it seems like overkill for a rise of only 60 feet or so.
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