Hiawatha National Forest

Location and Area

The Hiawatha National Forest is in two parts, east and west, located in the eastern and central portions of Michigan's upper peninsula.

The eastern portion of the forest lies in parts of Chippewa and Mackinac counties.
The western portion of the forest occupies portions of Schoolcraft, Alger, and Delta counties.

The Hiawatha National Forest is the only forest adjacent to three of the Great Lakes

Principal access routes:

Statistics

The following data is from the Land and Resource Management plan for the Hiawatha National Forest of 1986 by the United States Forest Service.

Potential Supply, Projected Demand, and Current Output Management levels
* Includes only developed campgrounds
(1)MRVD Thousand Recreational Visitor Days
Decade
Output Category Unit of Measure 1 2 3 4 5
*Developed Recreation MRVD's/yr (1)
Potential Supply 2,269 2,269 2,269 2,269 2,269
Projected Demand 354 450 490 525 550
Current Mgmt 834 *** *** *** ***
Dispersed Recreation MRVD's/yr (1)
Semiprimitive Nonmotorized
Potential Supply 73 73 73 73 73
Projected Demand 42 48 52 56 58
Current Mgmt 18 18 18 18 18
Semiprimitive Motorized
Potential Supply 185 185 185 185 185
Projected Demand 23 26 28 30 32
Current Mgmt 28 28 28 28 28
Roaded Natural
Potential Supply 3,175 3,199 3,251 3,203 3,205
Projected Demand 856 932 1,021 1,089 1,133
Current Mgmt 2,720 2,740 2,780 2,700 2,780
Rural
Potential Supply 673 673 673 673 673
Projected Demand 18 20 21 23 24
Current Mgmt 610 610 610 610 610
Wilderness
Potential Supply 30.9 30.9 30.9 30.9 30.9
Projected Demand (not available) -- -- -- -- --
Current Mgmt (Prefered Alternative) 27.8 27.8 27.8 27.8 27.8

Wilderness Areas

The Hiawatha National Forest has 46,456 acres of roadless areas At the time of the management plan (1986) there were 26,830 acres that were being studied for recomendation as Wilderness status.

Trails

Snow Free Season
West Side
Rapid River Ranger District
Name Use Length (mi)
Bay de Noc-Grand Island Hiking/Horseback 23
Rapid River Trail Hiking 9.2
Haymeadow Trail Spur Hiking/walking 1.2
Haymeadow falls walking .5
Manistique Ranger District
Haywire Grade ORV Motorized 6
VanWinkle Trail Walking 3
Stuts Creek Walking 2
Iron Jaw Hiking 5
Indian River Campground walking 1/10
Munising Ranger District
North Country Trail Hikinge 7
Bay-de Noc-Grand Island Hiking/horseback 3
Bruno's Run Hiking 7.3
Porcupine Spur Hiking 1
Pete's Lake Campgrnd Walking 3/10
Haywire Grade ORV Motorized 11.5
East Side
Sault Ste. Marie Ranger District
North Country Trail Hiking 37
Arbutus Spur Hiking 1.4
Monocle Lake Trail Walking 2
Three Lakes Trail Hiking 1
St. Ignace Ranger District
North Country Trail Hiking 34
Horseshoe Bay Hiking/walking 1
Ridge Trail Walking 1

Proposed Trails (1986) Snow free season

West Side
Rapid River Ranger District
Name Use Length (mi)
Bay de Noc-Grand Island Hiking 2 (+trailhead)
Lake Country Trail Hiking 20
Manistique Ranger District
Iron Jaw Hiking 10
Stueben Horse Trail Horseback 25
Lake Country Trail Hiking 20
Munising Ranger District
North Country Trail Hikinge 18
Bay-de Noc-Grand Island Hiking/horseback 12.5
Rock River Area Hiking 4
Widewaters Campgrnd Walking 2
Pete's Lake Campgrnd Walking 2
AuTrain Campgrnd Walking 2
Big Island Lake Area Hiking 5
Lake Country Trail Hikingg 13
East Side
Sault Ste. Marie Ranger District
North Country Trail Hiking 8
Bay View-Pendills Creek Walking/x-cntry ski 3
Monocle Lake Trail Walking 2
Voyageur's Trail Hiking 20
St. Ignace Ranger District
Lake Michigan Campgrnd Walking 1
CArp River-Horseshoe Bay Hiking 20
Carp River Area Hiking 10

Minerals

The Hiawatha's potential for minerals is considered low. However, there is a strong local demand for sand/gravel, with a growing interest in exploring for energy minerals.

Timber

Endangered Species (by county)

County Common Name Species Endangered Threatened
Alger Gray wolf (Canis lupus) E
Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) T
Piping plover (Charadrius melodus) E
American burying beetle (Nicrophorus americanus) E
Pitcher's thistle (Cirsium pitcheri) T
Chippewa Gray wolf (Canis lupus) E
Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) T
Piping plover (Charadrius melodus) E
Dwarf lake iris (Iris lacustris) T
American hart's tongue fern (Pyllitis scolopendrium var. americana) T
Houghton's goldenrod (Solidago houghtonii) T
Pitcher's thistle (Cirsium pitcheri) T
Delta Gray wolf (Canis lupus) E
Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) T
Kirtland's warbler (Dendroica kirtlandii) E
Dwarf lake iris (Iris lacustris) T
Houghton's goldenrod (Solidago houghtonii) T
Pitcher's thistle (Cirsium pitcheri) T
Mackinac Gray wolf (Canis lupus) E
Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) T
Piping plover (Charadrius melodus) E
Hine's emerald dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana) E
American hart's tongue fern (Pyllitis scolopendrium var. americana) T
Dwarf lake iris (Iris lacustris) T
Houghton's goldenrod (Solidago houghtonii) T
Pitcher's thistle (Cirsium pitcheri) T
Michigan monkey-flower (Mimulus glabratus var. michiganensis) E
Schoolcraft Gray wolf (Canis lupus) E
Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) T
Kirtland's warbler (Dendroica kirtlandii) E
Dwarf lake iris (Iris lacustris) T
Houghton's goldenrod (Solidago houghtonii) T
Pitcher's thistle (Cirsium pitcheri) T

Follow this Link for information provided by the League of Conservation Voters on how to get involved.

An environmental assesment done on the forest in 1985 addressed oil and gas leases on the entire forest. There was conditional consent given by the regional forester for the issuance of leases on approximately 220,000 acres of National forest system land.

For further information contact