Fox River Pathway

A 27-mile trail along a famous trout river through a remote area not two hours from the Mackinac Bridge – the Fox River Pathway (part of the Lake Superior State Forest) sounds more exciting than it is. After awhile the open country is boring to hike through. There’s no potable water except at the campgrounds on either end. Even the weird and poetic stump fields – acres of big charred stumps remaining from long-ago forest fires – aren’t fascinating after an hour or so of hiking through them. For the story behind stump fields, look for the "Kingston Plains Burns" point of interest in the Grand Marais section. They extend northeast from the junction of Kingston Lake Road and the Adams Truck Trail.

Still, this is a place to get away from civilization, and the DNR was able to brush and remark the trail in 2000. There’s good fishing, and blueberry crops can be heavy, depending on the year. Hiking is rated moderate to difficult because of the up-and-down terrain. The Fox River Campground is five miles northwest of Seney off County Road 450. Here six rustic sites are along the river and accessible by canoe. Two miles northwest of the campground the eerie stump fields begin. At Stanley Lake there’s a striking overlook but no longer a campground. Regular confidence markers let hikers know they’re on the trail. Farther on, stump fields are also found on the Kingston Plains. The trail ends at the Kingston Lake state forest campground.

The trail starts at the Seney Township Campground and follows the Fox River to the Kingston Lake state forest campground off H58 on the southern edge of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, about 4 miles south of Twelvemile Beach. (906) 239-5131. Handicap accessible: no.

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SENEY
POINTS OF INTEREST

Seney National Wildlife Refuge. . Over 95,000 acres, this refuge is a magical place offering an intimate look at birds in many northwoods wildlife habitats. Mountain bikes are ideal for the dikes and back roads . . . ... more

Trout fishing on the Fox River. Cool spring-fed water and DNR stocking creates good trout fishing on the legendary Fox, plus there are no steelhead or Chinook salmon to compete with the trout ... more

Fox River Pathway. This 27-mile hiking trail isn't all that interesting. The strange fields of charred tree stumps from long-ago fires can be diverting for a while, but the U.P. has many more striking trails for hikers and backpackers ... more

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