Spotlights
The Au Sable National Scenic River, is a 23-mile portion of the Au Sable River that stretches from Mio to Alcona Pond. President Ronald Reagan signed the law establishing the segment of river as a National Scenic River on October 4, 1984. By receving this designation, this free-flowing segment from below Mio Pond to the upper end of Alcona Pond received national recognition for its outstanding and remarkable scenic, recreational, biological and historical values and a national commitment to its protection. People have enjoyed the scenic beauty of the Au Sable for hundreds of years.
In pre-European settlement times, Native Americans used the river as a travel route. After European settlement of the area, the Au Sable River was a major throughway for floating white pine to sawmills or waiting barges at ports on Lake Huron. During those years many of the logs and fallen trees that littered the river were carried downstream with the harvested white pine. In recent years efforts have been made to replace logs in the river to help reduce erosion and maintain the world-class trout fishing river as an aquatic habitat.
Did you know that the North Country National Scenic Trail (NCNST) passes through three National Parks, eight National Forests, and one National Grassland?
The North Country National Scenic Trail is being constructed across federal, state, county and private land. Upon completion the trail will extend from Crown Point, New York to Lake Sakakawea, North Dakota. It will be the longest, continuous hiking trail in the United States.
The 128.8-mile portion of the NCNST that goes through the Manistee portion of the National forests has 15 spur trails to other forest hiking and interpretive trails.
The NCNST is marked with blue rectangle-shaped blazes. Connector trails are marked with white rectangle blazes on trees. For information on the NCNST visit the National Park Service website.
The lower 26-miles of the Pine River was designated a National Scenic River in 1992. The Pine River provides a unique recreation experience for lower Michigan, supporting quality opportunities for a diversity of recreation activities in a relatively undeveloped setting. Canoeing and kayaking are the primary activities on this river, with much of the appeal being the fast water and light rapids. The Pine River has a river gradient of 7% and offers the fastest average flow of any river in lower Michigan.
Scenery is one of the most outstanding attributes of the river. The designated portion of the river contains a unique riparian landform with its deeply incised river channel and high, exposed sand banks. Diverse vegetation contributes to the overall "scenic" feel of the river. Tree species vary from cedar-hemlock, ash, elm, sugar and red maple, and basswood in the lowland portions to mixed oak, pine and aspen in the upland areas. There are small openings scattered throughout the corridor that provide habitat diversity for many species of wildlife.
In July 1978 the Pere Marquette River and its major tributaries were designated a Michigan Natural River by the State of Michigan. This same year the river was added as a National Wild and Scenic River, the first in Michigan. The scenic portion of the river is a sixty-six mile stretch from the junction of the Middle and Little South Branches east of Baldwin to the Old Highway 31 Bridge. The Natural River designation includes the main stem and major tributaries.
The Manistee River between Tippy Dam and the M-55 Bridge was designated as a National Recreational River in 1996. The river is wide and characterized by steep banks and sharp bends, with a swift current and mostly slow, wide bends.
The river corridor supports a wide variety of recreational activities throughout the year, including hiking on the North Country National Scenic Trail and Manistee River Trail.
In the fall, hunters come from all over to take advantage of the abundant white-tailed deer, waterfowl and small game hunting available along the river.
Anglers are lured by the annual salmon and steelhead runs, as well as brown trout, smallmouth bass and walleye. However, salmon season is particularly busy on the river.
Backwater bayous, extensive riparian areas and mature forest communities provide habitat for a diverse number of wildlife species. The lower Manistee River is considered to be the most extensive and least disturbed remnant of true red-shouldered hawk habitat in the state.
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The Huron-Manistee National Forests are 976,043 acres of public lands across the northern lower peninsula of Michigan. With many recreation opportunities for visitors, habitat for fish and wildlife and resources for local industry there is something here for everyone. Each year the forest receives approximately 4 million recreation visits.
