North Country Trail - Barry State Game Area (north) to M-37

Introduction

I hiked the North Country Trail (NCT) in the northern part of the Barry State Game Area on two days in Sep 2010. Although I had done this portion before, I had not taken any pictures.

Both days were pretty nice, but with some clouds. This was a good thing, since some of this part was road connector and open to the sky. One previous time I hiked here was in the summer and the sun was beating down on me - very hot that day! I used two trailheads for these days: the one on M-179 (Chief Noonday Road) and the one on Yankee Springs Road. Both have good parking.

Descriptions are given in the NY-to-ND direction.

For day one (12 Sep): part of this hike was covered in my Yankee Springs trip report, but from the end of that report (on M-179) I hiked north and east to the Yankee Springs Road trailhead/parking area.

For day two (26 Sep): from the Yankee Springs Road trailhead I hiked north and east on trail and road connector to M-37 (Middleville Road).

The trail is blazed well, even on the road connectors. The turns are marked and are easily followed. Some of trail is 2-track or woods road, and mostly dirt (with a little sand).

The trail route appears to follow map MI-02 exactly.

Description

From the M-179 (Chief Noonday Road), the NCT proceeds through the parking area onto trail. The trail is most dirt 2-track and woods road, and flat the short distance to Yankee Springs Road.

The NCT crosses Yankee Springs Road and heads north parallel to it through pines and past fields (soybeans and corn) until it arrives at Bowens Mill Road. The trail turns right onto a short road connector to the Bowens Mill Road parking area. The NCT becomes trail again, heading generally northeast, until it reaches Peets Road. Then, the NCT begins a road connector, turning left to head north on Peets Road to cross Glass Creek. North of the creek, a NCT becomes trail again to the west of Peets Road, but then rejoins as a road connector. The connector continues to the end of Peets Road, and turns right (east) onto M-37 (Middleville Road).

Picture information

See the attached albums. Time and travel order are not the same.

-->ND:
20100912 1321a, 1327, 1124 TH, 1329, 1333, 1336, 1342, 1343 TH;
20100926 1442, 1443, 1444, 1450, 1453, 1456, 1458, 1505, 1505a TH, 1508, 1510, 1513, 1518, 1519, 1521, 1526, 1529, 1532, 1536, 1537 TH, 1541, 1542, 1550, 1550a, 1551

-->NY:
20100926 1551a, 1552a, 1556, 1600, 1601 TH, 1605, 1610, 1614a, 1615, 1621, 1624, 1629, 1633 TH, 1634, 1641, 1643, 1650, 1653, 1656, 1657, 1657a;
20100912 1347, 1350, 1355, 1358, 1400, 1402, 1125, 1125b

Scenery:
20100926 1523 creek (Glass Creek)
20100926 1545 cows (cows on Peets Road)

Images

View North Country Trail - Barry State Game Area (north) to M-37 Image Gallery - 2 Images