Mike Terrell

Features Mike Terrell The River Wild: The Sturgeon runs fast & feisty
By Mike Terrell
With a whoop and shout, one-by-one, six paddlers took turns easing
over a two-foot drop on the Sturgeon River.  It was an old dam site
that had been removed years ago.  Sizeable standing waves, which you
had to negotiate, waited at the bottom of the drop.

Features Mike Terrell Betsie Valley Trail: Scenic ride captures the essence of Northern Michigan
By Mike Terrell
The Betsie Valley Trail, which meanders for 23-miles through Benzie
County from Thompsonville to Frankfort, could be called the “gem” of
Northern Michigan’s rail/trail conversions. Connecting several rural
communities, it also passes through Beulah, Elberta and even a ghost
town.

Features Mike Terrell Let‘s Go: It‘s the camping season
By Mike Terrell
Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial kick-off to the camping season, and northwest lower Michigan is one of the top camping draws in the state, according to the DNR. It’s no wonder when you consider what a bargain camping on state land offers.
“State forest campgrounds in this region are located along lakes, rivers and floodings,” said DNR Recreational Specialist Todd Neiss, located in the Cadillac office. “It’s a great source for area residents, and a real bargain. I don’t know of a cheaper way to spend a night along a Northern Michigan body of water.”
A state forest camp site is just $15 per night. A few newer campgrounds, large enough to accommodate campers and motor homes, are $20 per night, making up about a sixth of the state forest campgrounds available in northwest Lower Michigan. There are 60 state forest campgrounds located in the 16-county region, ranging in size from as few as five sites to more than 50. All offer vault toilets and water.

Features Mike Terrell Lake Dubonet offers a great pedal-paddle combo
By Mike Terrell
Last spring in early April it was one of those picture-perfect days for outdoor activities: warm and sunny. The only decision to be made was would I go mountain biking with my labs or opt for a paddle in my kayak minus the dogs.
Fortunately, there was a solution that would satisfy both – a trip to Lake Dubonet where I was able to ride the seven mile Lost Lake Pathway and paddle the scenic lake afterwards. Both my dogs and I were happy. The pathway runs by the boat launch and shaded parking area, which is located within the state campground. You bike and paddle from the same spot. What could be easier?

Features Mike Terrell Visiting Lower Michigan’s Only Bat “Cave”
By Mike Terrell
It may not be your typical “caped crusader” bat cave -- in fact, it’s
not a cave at all, but Northern Michigan bats don’t seem to care. Up
to 20,000 bats hibernate every winter in the cavernous insides of
Tippy Dam’s spillway, located on the Manistee River between the
villages of Brethren and Wellston.

Features Mike Terrell By Mike Terrell
A few years ago I ran into friends the day after Valentine’s Day who
were doing a snowshoe hike along the Pyramid Point Trail in Sleeping
Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. They had spent the weekend combining a
little romance with cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

Features Mike Terrell Strap on Some Snowshoes...... and embrace your inner snowperson to get fit this winter
By Mike Terrell
Maybe this is the year you want to try snowshoeing? It’s healthy and a great way to prevent that dreaded winter ailment known as cabin fever.
There’s no easier way to get out into the woodlands and the scenic, silent beauty of a Northern Michigan winter. That’s probably why snowshoeing is literally the fastest growing snow sport today. Over six million people across the nation will strap on a pair of snowshoes and take a hike this winter.

Features Mike Terrell My Top Five Outdoor Adventures
By Mike Terrell
I look at the New Year as an adventure with lots of opportunity to
revisit many of my favorite outdoor activities and places; but it’s
also a time to plan ahead with some new outdoor adventures. There are
always outings left that I’d hoped to get in this past year that carry
over, and there are those adventures that I’ve been putting off for
years. Maybe this is the year to get some of those on my list.
Here are my five top outdoor things that I would like to accomplish in 2010.

Features Mike Terrell Easy Glider
Snowmobile trail busting
in the Boardman River Valley
By Mike Terrell
George VanKersen, one of the volunteer snowmobilers who regularly
helps groom the Boardman Valley Trail, said “it’s time to do a little
trail busting.” 

Features Mike Terrell XC Xcitement
6 must-do ski trails in Northern Michigan
By Mike Terrell
As an avid cross-country skier, I’ve skied delightful trails in every corner of the Lower Peninsula. Here’s a rundown on a few of my favorite trails offered by the DNR, National Forest Service, and National Park Service. Each of the trail systems mentioned has a variety of paths to suit all levels of cross-country skiers, from those seeking easy, meandering glides, to those looking for more difficult terrain with hills and thrills. Enjoy, and good touring to you.

Features Mike Terrell Want to Become an ‘Outdoor Woman’?
...the DNR has a program for your wild side

By Mike Terrell 11/2/09

If one of your goals is to get outdoors more often this winter, and you’re a woman, you are in luck.
Becoming an Outdoors Woman (BOW), a program offered by Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has once again scheduled a number of winter events that will offer everything from learning how to build igloos to cast-iron cooking over campfires. Of course, practical applications like cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and winter survival skills will also be covered.

Features Mike Terrell Take a Hike
The North Country Trail is the nation’s newest long distance trail

By Mike Terrell 10/19/09

What is four feet wide and thousands of miles long?
The North Country Trail, and it’s coming near your neighborhood.
The NCT stretches about 4,600 miles over seven states from the New York/Vermont border through the Adirondack Mountains, around the Great Lakes and across the Mississippi River to Lake Sakakawea, North Dakota. Over 1,100 miles of the long trail meanders through Michigan’s two peninsulas, which is one of the longest segments among the seven states.
The pathway is the nation’s newest – and longest – long distance hiking trail; twice the length of the famed Appalachian Trail. The NCT is now one of eight National Scenic Trails designated by congress.

Features Mike Terrell The Little Traverse Wheelway
Newly-completed 25-mile trail hugs Lake Michigan

By Mike Terrell 8/31/09

The Little Traverse Wheelway, which travels a little over 25 miles from Charlevoix to Harbor Springs, is northwest Michigan’s newest trail-way, and it’s a beauty.
Much of the paved pathway hugs Lake Michigan and Little Traverse Bay shorelines, offering incredible scenic vistas. In addition to the lake views there’s a lot of history attached to the pathway, and much of it is made available at various points along the way; a little history lesson with your pedal.

Features Mike Terrell Float Your Boat
Northern Michigan’s best paddling adventures

By Mike Terrell 8/10/09

Summertime and the paddling is easy in Northern Michigan. One of the best ways to beat the heat and crowds at local beaches is to take a float on one of the many fine paddling rivers that lace the northland.
Canoeing has a long, rich history in northern Lower Michigan. Two of the more famous rivers – the 150-mile Manistee and 120-mile AuSable – provided the first link between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. There’s a portage of about 15 miles between the rivers’ upper reaches north of Grayling. Early European settlers and Native Americans before them used this link to traverse the bog-laden hinterland between the Great Lakes.
Today these two rivers and numerous smaller ones provide fine experiences for a new generation of recreational paddlers. Many waterways have been protected from development through the Wild/Scenic River designation, and are still as scenic and beautiful as our forefathers found them.
Some of the more popular rivers, in addition to the Manistee and AuSable, are the Boardman, Jordan, Lower Platte and Pine. These rivers are normally not bad to paddle midweek during the summer, but weekends can be very busy to the point of being like “bumper boats” as you float downstream. The Pine actually has a permit system, which you have to obtain from National Forest Service offices from mid-May through Labor Day.

Features Mike Terrell Arcadia Dunes
Nature Preserve
Has Arrived

By Mike Terrell 6/29/09
 
Arcadia Dunes, in case you haven’t heard, is the latest completed natural
area along Lake Michigan’s coastal dunes.  It offers beautiful, secluded
trails that lead to panoramic overlooks and exploration of the 2,000-some
acres set aside for recreational use and hunting.