McCormick Tract - NCT

Into the Wilderness in search of a Highpoint...

The McCormick Tract is an area I’ve been wanting to visit for a while. Encompassing something like 17,000 acres, the McCormick Tract preserves some of the wildest and most rugged terrain in Michigan. There are only around 6 miles of trail within it leaving the majority a true trackless wilderness. It is located in the center of the Huron Mountain Range of Upper Michigan. You can access the area from two points, one north and one south. The southern access point is really the only practical option, however as the northern access is reserved for those possessing off-road vehicles and an intimate knowledge of the Huron Mountain back roads.

Our plan was to make a short 4-mile round trip east along the North Country Trail to an unnamed peak marking the highest point in Marquette County. We would then spend a cozy night among the pines listening to the snow fall around us. Oh, did I mention that there was a Winter Storm Warning in effect? Well, here’s our little adventure…



Access to the McCormick Tract from the south is off County Road 607 about nine miles north of US-41 near Champion. A small parking area sets next to the bridge over the Peshekee River which leads into the wilderness…











Shortly after crossing the bridge the North Country Trail breaks right. There are no signs marking the junction but it is quite obvious. This is the only trail blaze we found as wilderness rules prohibit any signage.











Expecting heavy, wet snow we pitched our tent under some sheltering jack pine. Camping is permitted anywhere within the wilderness. We opted to stay close to the river (for water) and the van (for the beer of course!).











1:25pm – We quickly headed out as the snow continued to fall. Very little was sticking at first but we knew if it cooled much it would pile up quick falling like this…











1:46pm – Before long the trail reached this small rock outcrop. As always, I started out with WAY to many layers so we took the opportunity to peel a few off…














2:10pm – The surrounding woods were full of interesting rocks and flora so the camera didn’t stay in the holster for long at a time. Needless to say we weren’t making the greatest time at this point…











2:27pm – Now this looks fun! About an hour in we passed this interesting jumble of rocks. Looked ripe for some scrambling, unfortunately the snow was keeping things a bit slick…











2:35pm – Don’t you always feel a bit cooler when you’re standing on a big rock?!















2:41pm - The granite ledges along the trail were very impressive. These features would literally rise out of the forest with no warning forcing the trail to wind about quite a bit…











2:42pm - I couldn’t explain these. They had a rubbery texture and were attached quite solidly to the surface of the rock. Some kind of fungi I assume but if anyone could be more specific I’d love to know…















3:01pm – The snow gradually began to stick more making the unmarked trail even that more interesting to try to follow…












3:07pm – You could spend a days worth of scrambling along this bit of trail. The snow and the time kept us moving though…











3:14pm - My brother asked me to use a more confident looking face when trying to locate the trail. This would then be my “No problem, I know exactly where we are going” face…











3:18pm – I found these lone boulders quite impressive. Unlike the surrounding rock outcrops this boulder just seems to be lying around all by itself. If this is a glacial erratic it’s one of the largest I’ve ever seen!










3:26pm – It was easy to be distracted by the transformation of the forest around us. Unfortunately, the trail was being hidden in front of us and covering our tracks behind…











3:38pm – Every so often we would pass beneath enormous solitary white pines. I have to believe that a tree this size would have to be old growth…















3:44pm – Rounding a sharp right-hand turn told us we were passing the highpoint. After rounding the turn the obvious ridge to the right marked our target…











3:48pm - After a short 20 yard climb off the NCT we topped out on the ridge that is the highpoint of Marquette County. Several large boulders set along its crest…











3:48pm – I thought it would be impossible to find the summit register with the blanket of snow. As it turned out, it took me less than a minute to spot a pair of trees with a curious pile of rocks beneath them. Sure enough, there was the can! Kinda’ felt like finding buried treasure!











The notebook inside confirmed that we had indeed reached the highest point in Marquette County. For those that don’t speak metric we had reached a lofty 1932’ of elevation…that’s only 45 feet lower than nearby Mt. Arvon, the highest point in Michigan…















Did I mention this place is remote? When we opened the register we were shocked to find that no one had signed it in over TWO YEARS!! Since the register was placed here in 2001 we were the eighth and ninth people to sign it! Awesome!!















With an event as momentous as this a summit self-portrait was definitely in order. Forget views, this peak had an appeal all its own…I was loving this!














4:05pm – We spent a grand total of about 15 minutes at the summit. In all our extensive planning (yeah, right;) we had forgotten that we had lost an hour of daylight a few nights before. Suddenly we were rushing to get back before night settled in…











4:14pm – I didn’t take that many photos on the way back due to lighting and lack of time but I thought these pines were to beautiful to pass up…











4:24pm – As you can see, the snow was starting to really come down by this point. I’m pretty sure my brother Nathan was wondering why shooting pictures was that important at this point…











4:29pm – When we originally looked at hiking in the area we were unaware that the NCT had been completed as far as the highpoint. With the countless rocky cliffs, the snow, and the thick, wet woods it would have been an exercise in futility on this day…















4:45pm – We eventually made it back to our little rock playground from earlier. The coating of snow made us feel like we were seeing it for the first time all over again…











5:14pm – Without all the picture taking we made better time back to camp. By the time we reached this last little creek crossing all we could think about was getting out of the wind and getting something warm in our stomach…










6:05pm - Home Sweet Home. My little 3-season Coleman tent did quite well if I do say so myself. The fact that it was dark out by 6pm could have made for a loooong night so we made sure to pack a deck of cards and extra batteries for the lamp…











Day 2 – 8:36am - Yeah, so it snowed a little overnight. I really didn’t expect to find that much outside but when I opened up to take a leak I was shocked to see over a foot of fresh, wet snow…















Looks cozy doesn’t it? Our campsite had a different feel about it than the evening before…










The surrounding woods were amazing in a thick coating of white. The low light made getting a decent shot near impossible. The picture just doesn’t do it justice…











You couldn’t tell in the shelter of the trees but the wind was howling. Packing our stuff out across the Peshekee Bridge was a bit chilly…











Looking north over the chilly Peshekee River from the bridge. This shot looks north. My brother pointed out that there was ice already forming along the shoreline, which surprised me…











Good thing we opted to bring the All-Wheel drive van versus the sedan. We would have been SCREWED! I was soon to discover, to my dismay, that I had left the snow brush in the vehicle we decided NOT to take…











So long to the McCormick Wilderness. I’m hooked. Hopefully I’ll be able to get back this winter to do some snowshoeing. You can actually get back to the trailhead as the county maintains the road out to it…just don’t go out right after a storm. We had to plow our way for 9 miles back out to the highway!

Trip Info...

Trailhead: Peshekee River off County Road 607

Distance Hiked: 4 miles round-trip

Elevation Gained: ~300'

Arrival Snowdepth: 0 inches

Departure Snowdepth: 13 inches

Beefaroni Consumed: 3 cans

Jerky Consumed: 2 - 4oz. bags

Beers Enjoyed: 6

Card Games Won By Yours Truly: All of Them

Experience: Priceless

Links...

McCormick Tract Wilderness Area page
- Just about the only worthwhile source of info I could find on the McCormick Tract. Lots of good info and maps. Also tells the story of how this remarkable area came to be.

Images

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