Seek solace among old-growth pines. Ride 500 miles of groomed snowmobile trails. Visit a place known simply as “the big wild.” These are some of our favorite wintertime activities in the Gaylord and Grayling region.
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Call it the most perfect of storms: Sweet lake-effect snow and a higher-than-usual elevation put Gaylord right in the heart of a tiny, perfect snowbelt, gaining 20 to 30 more inches annually than surrounding spots even a few miles away. Longer-lingering snow means great conditions for snowmobiling, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. If winter is your jam, this region definitely warrants a road trip. Some highlights?
Seek solace and snow along the Old Growth Forest Trail at Hartwick Pines State Park near Grayling, where you’ll be awed by white pines that are centuries old. The towering trees reach heights of over 160 feet, and trails here are just right for snowshoeing and winter hiking. The lantern-lit snowshoe hikes, held on select dates throughout the season, are especially gorgeous.
Swish, swish, glide. Nothing kills a good day of skiing faster than poor snow, bad waxing, ill-fitting skis or bummer rental gear. But cross-country skiing goes from good to great when you do it at a Nordic center like Forbush Corner in Frederic—you can count on professional grooming, tuning and waxing, lessons, gear demos, rentals and sales. Forbush also has a state-of-the-art SMI snowmaking system on a 2 km loop, so there’s always something skiable.
Photo by Beth Price
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Start your engines. Gaylord is a snowmobiling paradise. Rent a sled or trailer your own and explore the 500 miles of groomed trails that branch out from this central hub. Riders can jump on Trail #7 and head north to the Upper Peninsula, or take it easy on Trail #4 and meander into East Jordan and Mancelona. February’s Michigan Snowmobile Festival is always a good time.
Picnic by the river. Grayling’s Rayburn property on North Down River Road has a scenic trail open to the public. This combination 2-mile paved path and two-track winds down to the Au Sable River where cross- country skiers can cross on a primitive bridge and continue to M-72 East. The high-banks property overlooks the river; a beautiful spot for a winter picnic!
Snowshoe the “big wild.” The 109,000-acre Pigeon River Country State Forest is home to one of the largest free-roaming elk herds east of the Mississippi and was once called “wild as the devil” by a young Ernest Hemingway. It’s undeveloped, meaning there is a limited amount of infrastructure and signs. Cell-phone coverage is spotty. And it’s glorious. Miles and miles of ungroomed trails will take you along rolling hills and twisting rivers. A few favorites: Shingle Mill, Green Timbers, Towerman’s Watch. The Pigeon River Discovery Center has some great intel online.