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Manistee River Loop Trail

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Distance:
23.0 Miles / 37.0 km
Type:
Loop
Difficulty:
Moderate
Time to Hike:
11 hours, ~30 minutes
Features:
Surface Type:
Dirt
Park:
Huron-manistee National Forests
Town:
Dickson Township, Michigan
Get Directions:
Forest Road 5993 Cadillac, MI 49601

44.28394, -85.860982
Added:
December 19, 2016
Updated:
February 21, 2018
Guide by:
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437'

Total Change
1,221'

Ascent
1,190'

Descent

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Key Takeaways

  • The Manistee River Loop Trail, located near Marilla, Michigan, offers an 18-23 mile hike combining the Manistee River Trail and the North Country Trail.
  • The trail features diverse terrain including rolling hills, wetlands, creek crossings (with bridges), a waterfall, and scenic overlooks of the Manistee River.
  • Access to the loop is available via multiple trailheads (Marilla, Upper River Road, Red Bridge, and Seaton Creek), with dispersed campsites available along the trail.

Manistee River Loop Trail

The Manistee River Loop Trail near Marilla, Michigan follows the east shore of the Manistee River for 8.8 miles through rolling hills and connects with the North Country Trail along the western shore to make an 18+ mile loop hike. The trail passes several wetlands and there are bridges crossing two creeks along the way along with a waterfall near the northern section. There are several lookout points sites along the trail provide hikers with vista views of the Manistee River and surrounding area and there are several dispersed campsites along the trail.

An 18+ mile loop trail is formed with the North Country Trail along the Manistee River's western banks with two entrances. The loop trail can be accessed from the Marilla and Upper River Road Trailheads for the North Country National Scenic Trail and the Red Bridge and Seaton Creek accesses for the Manistee River Trail.

Note: the GPS data provided here on the map is not include the entirety of the Mantisee River Trail as it has a few spur out-and-back segments. The data also starts off along the North Country Trail along the south end of the loop before it meets up with the Manistee River Trail in the northern part of the loop, after about 9 to 10 miles in. Plan for an 18 to 23 mile trip if you plan to hike the entire loop and each out-and-back segment.

  1. Parking

    44.28394, -85.860982
  2. Main Trailhead

    44.284222, -85.861588
No community routes found. To add your own hike as a Community Route for this Trail guide, leave a Trip Report with an attached GPX file.

Hazards

Ticks - Lyme Disease More Info (CDC)

Season

Spring

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23.0 miles / 37.0 km
December 19, 2016
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Weather Forecast

In Dickson Township, MI

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