Choose the Right Trail for Your Adventure
First Time Hikers
Everyone starts somewhere. Ready to wander out on your first trail hiking adventure? We have just the right spot for you!
Endurance
Want to Go Explore the North Country Trail? Newaygo County is home to some of the longest trail segments of this 4,000 mile hiking trail. Your adventure begins!
Looped Trails
Want the simplicity of ending up where you began? These loop trails offer trails of varying lengths and challenge that all circle back to your home base.
Stories from the Trail
First Time Hiker
I’m a bit embarrassed to admit, that even growing up next to the Manistee National Forest, literal minutes from the North Country Trail, my first time hiking it was this past winter… in my mid 30’s! While my preferred adventure typically includes a glass of wine on...
Traipsing Through the Winter Woods
I am in love with Newaygo County. We’ve lived here three years now and keep discovering hidden treasures. If you love to be out in nature as my husband and I do, then each season brings new adventures and experiences.I did not think snowshoeing sounded like much...
Fall Color Tour Time!
Top 5 places (and maybe a few more) to take great Fall color photosFall is my favorite time of year. I love watching the rainbow of colors change from day to day. Science says that water and temperature determine when a tree’s leaves turn colors. I don’t much care for...
Newaygo’s Riverfront Park – A Great Place to Walk Your Dogs!
We have 14 acres and some nice trails on our property that our dogs get walked on regularly, but we try to get them out for a ride in the truck and a walk “elsewhere” as often as we can too. They really like walks in the woods but sometimes, especially after work, we...
Flowers are Popping at Loda Lake Wildflower Sanctuary
This darn crazy spring and summer weather we are having is making it frustrating for photographers. I went to Loda Lake this week on the only day it hadn’t rained and was surprised by how I was joined by other photographers and hikers doing the same thing. School is...
Coolbough Natural Area Offers Birds, Bugs and Boot Prints
The Coolbough Natural Area is one of my favorite places to hike. Why? There are many reasons such as easy parking, looping paths, lots of wildlife and points of interest, a porta-john, and many more, but I will save my favorite for last.Coolbough has many options for...
The Wetland Trail – A Unique Ecosystem
I’ve mentioned before in a previous blog that I work for TrueNorth Community Services, the parent company of Camp Newaygo. Unless people attend one of Camp Newaygo’s public events such as their “Dinners on the Ridge” series this summer (July 20 or August 10) most...
Hunt for Karner Blue Butterflies at Sanctuary
Sometimes you want to do something different than follow a path through the woods. Maybe you want to create an adventure or a bit of a scavenger hunt for an endangered species. One of the good things about the late spring/summer season is the endangered Karner Blue...
A Branstrom Park Day
I had just bought myself a new pair of waterproof low hiking boots and I needed to try them out. If you live or work in Fremont, or if you’re vacationing in the area and stop there for supplies or to grab something to eat, do yourself a favor and do not overlook...
Our First Hike
Kelley and I had always dreamed on having a home near water when we retired. A place where we could sink down solid roots and flourish after many years of working and building a life for our family in the Detroit and the Grand Rapids areas. So, on weekends we’d go...
