Beginner Backpack on North Manitou Island, Michigan

The Trip

Our trip begins with a boat ride on Lake Michigan out to North Manitou Island, some seven miles from the mainland. In the 1800s the island was home to a number of families that farmed and homesteaded the area, but since 1970 the island has been part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. While there are still remnants of the old farms, most of the 22-square-mile island is in a natural state and is managed as wilderness. A few trails crisscross the island, and there is one large lake in its middle. Backpackers come to North Manitou for its sandy beaches, wildflowers, hardwood forests, sunsets, and serenity. Wildlife includes deer and bald eagles and a variety of birds, including the endangered piping plover.

While on the island, we will go over all the details that make for an exciting and interesting backpack trip: campsite selection; cooking meals in the backcountry; water purification options; navigation on and off trail with map, compass, and GPS; how to carry your pack; and how to pack. Before the trip, the leaders will help with gear selection, conditioning for the trip, and any other aspects of backpacking. We will also talk about many of the excellent areas to backpack in and around Michigan, the Midwest, and farther afield. There will be free time to relax, enjoy the island’s sandy beaches, look for birds and other wildlife, and maybe even do some fishing on Lake Michigan or the island’s one large lake.

The trip leaders look forward to sharing their experience in the outdoors. Over the years, they have both spent hundreds of nights in the outdoors, often in remote places that only a backpacker could get to. They are looking forward to sharing their experiences with you, and helping you become a self-sufficient backpacker.

Getting There

Located in Lake Michigan, North Manitou Island is about seven miles out from the town of Leland, which is about 20 miles from Traverse City, Michigan, the closest airport. Otherwise, Leland is about five hours from Chicago and five hours from Detroit. The leader will help coordinate carpooling to Leland if asked, and will provide help with travel arrangements as needed. Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader.

Accommodations and Food

For the four nights/five days of the trip, we will be camping on the island. All meals from lunch on Day 1 to lunch on Day 5 will be backcountry meals. All meals are included in the trip price. The meals will be a mix of nutritious, tasty backpacking meals, showing trip members the variety of meals possible in the backcountry. Participants will be encouraged to help with meal planning.

Trip Difficulty

This is a level 2 backpack trip, suitable for nearly all abilities. The topography of the island is generally flat, though there are some small hills, and we will be hiking on sand from time to time. Distances will not be great, though we will explore nearly the entire island so some day hikes might be in the 6- to 8-mile range.  The weather at this time of year ranges from the 80s to the 60s during the day, to 70s to 50s at night. Rain is a possibility. The trip is suitable for people in good physical shape with limited or no backpacking experience. As with any backpacking trip, good physical conditioning is always important.

Equipment and Clothing

Trip members will need all of the gear necessary for a five-day/four-night backpacking trip. This includes: backpack capable of carrying all gear and food for five days, sleeping bag to 40 degrees, tent, hiking shoes, raingear, and appropriate clothing. The leader will provide a full gear list upon acceptance on the trip. The Sierra Club will provide stoves, fuel, water purification, and cooking pots, pans, and utensils.

References

• Sleeping Bear Dunes: www.nps.gov/slbe/planyourvisit/the-manitou-islands.htm

• Rusco, Rita Hadra, North Manitou Island: Between Sunrise and Sunset. The story of the people who lived on the island before it became a national lakeshore.
• DuFresne, Jim, Backpacking in Michigan.

Conservation

We will discuss a number of issues that are germane to this area. We will talk about the efforts to keep quality habitat for the piping plover, an endangered shorebird that nests on the sandy beaches of North Manitou Island. We will discuss the interesting history of the creation of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in 1970. We will also encourage trip members to share their stories about conservation concerns and actions.