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The Kalkaska Public School Forest is located on Birch Street/ Old M-72 in Kalkaska, off a dirt road. It is just up the road from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) building as of 2024. The trails are a mix of dirt paths and boardwalk.
Weather and Season:
For this hike, the forecasted weather was rainy with storms. I stopped between storms for a quick hike. This hike took place towards the end of June, 2024.
The forecasted high temperature was 77 degrees, and the low was 57 degrees. The trails were slightly damp from the recent rain, but not enough to get my feet wet walking.
Rating:
Weather- 9
Seasonal- 10
I love rainy day walks! However, incoming storms meant I had to keep the walk fairly short, or risk getting caught in a severe storm.
Permits, Regulations and Safety:
There are no signs to indicate the regulations, and I was not able to find out much information online either.
Along the path, I did not see any poison ivy or other poisonous plants. That doesn’t mean they aren’t there, it just means they may be further off the path, or I may have missed them.
The nearest hospital is in Kalkaska, approximately 4 minutes from the trails. Cell phone service typically works for most service providers at least, but may be sketchy driving to the trails, depending on your provider and where you are coming from. (It is North-west lower Michigan after all!)
Permits and Regulations Rating: 5
No rules and regulations were posted. There were not any obvious poisonous plants nearby, and cell phone service typically works fairly well in this area.
Facilities
There are no facilities by the trails. However, there are several gas stations and fast food restaurants with restrooms available within 5 minutes of the forest.
Facilities Rating: 7
Although there are no restrooms available at the trails, there are restrooms available close by.
Gear
I wore everyday clothing on this hike, and did not need rain gear. The mosquitoes were not too bad, and I didn’t notice any ticks.
Equipment you might consider taking:
- Small hiking pack
- Snacks, especially for the commute and after the hike, depending on how far you are traveling from.
- Water
- Cell phone for emergencies
- Camera
- Mosquito gear (Spray, netting, or whatever you use to keep mosquitos off)
- Tick gear
- Good hiking shoes/boots, although regular street shoes may work as long as the trail is not wet.
- Hat and/or sunglasses
- Hiking Stick
Gear Rating: 9
The trail doesn’t really require a lot of equipment, although if you hiked further, you may want hiking gear.
Highlights of the Trail:
| Favorite Part: | My favorite part of this walk is the boardwalk that goes along the river. It is so peaceful, with the gentle flow of the water, and well shaded in the forest. |
| Cool Sightings: | I spotted a slug crawling up an old tree, and there were some really neat trees in the area. |
| Length of the Trail: | There was no map to show how long the trail was, and I didn’t measure it. It took me about 20 minutes to walk, so it is a fairly short trail in length. |
Highlights Rating:
7
Although there were not a lot of critters along the way, the paths took me down some beautiful landscape, with a peaceful river view.
Critters:
| Critters to Admire | Critters to Be Wary of: |
| I saw very few critters along the way, but there were a lot of birds singing. Given the area, it seemed like an ideal area for deer and other animals that can be found in swampy or low-lying wet areas. | There were a few mosquitoes along the trail. Being along a river, it is also possible a predator might come along for water, but I did not spot anything on my walk. |
Critter Rating: 5
I didn’t see a lot, but the area seems like it has the potential to have quite a few animals.
Accessibility
| Physical Features: | Trailhead and Map: |
| The trail consists mostly of boardwalk and dirt. The section I took includes two pretty steep hills, which would make it difficult, if not impossible, for someone in a wheelchair to get up and down without special equipment. | The trailhead is easy to find from the parking lot. The parking lot is just off a dirt road, and the entrance is marked with a large overhead sign. There were no maps to show where the trails went, or how long they were. |
Accessibility Rating: 3
If one was able to get down the steep hills, the accessibility rating would be much higher. The boardwalks looked wheelchair accessible, and the path overall was pretty smooth. However, anyone who needed access via wheelchair would likely struggle to get up and down the hills without special equipment.
Leave No Trace:
There were no garbage cans in the area, and no place close by to dispose of trash without making an additional stop.
Leave No Trace Rating: 3
One would need to make another stop in order to dispose of trash, or carry it back home with you.
Final Rating:
Overall Rating: 8
Average Rating: 6.4
The trail is beautiful, but there are no trashcans in the area, or facilities, which makes it difficult to stay for longer periods of time. It would also be difficult for someone in a wheelchair or with physical limitations to get up and down the hills.
Trails From North Country 