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Huron National Forest

Discussion in 'Mid West' started by hobiecat111629, Apr 28, 2017.

  1. Apr 28, 2017 at 6:57 AM
    #1
    hobiecat111629

    hobiecat111629 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    I posted this over on Expedition portal earlier this week and didn't get any traction, hoping some people on TW have some input on this.

    We're starting to taste test the "overlanding koolaid" and trying to learn what works and doesn't work before the big trip in Arizona this fall.

    My wife and I have done a couple of overnight KOA trips to sort out our new RTT and storage system; now it's time now it's time for our first week long trip.....I wanted to pick something "primitive" that wasn't going to require much offroad travel (maybe even gravel roads being the worst terrain) for our first long distance adventure. After some googling I have decided that we're going to venture up to Huron National Forest and camp at the AuSable River Primitive Camping Sites.



    I've raced sailboats in Tawas before, but never really spent any time sight seeing or checking out Huron National Forest, so my questions are:

    1) I've seen some moderate off-road travel photos in Huron and Manistee National Forests (probably on ORV trails?), which is cool and all; but I'm not interested in ORV trails for our first "big" trip. I've done ORV trails in the past and they're fun, but we're going to baby step into this. Are most of the roads in the park fairly friendly stock vehicles with highway tires?

    2) How primitive are the "primitive" sites at Sawmill Point? What's it like getting to the Sawmill point area? Looks like they have boat ramps, so I can't assume it's bad.

    3) I've got my Garmin loaded up with geocaches and plan on doing a day hike almost every day. Is there any really cool stuff that we should check out while we're up there for the week?

    4) What's the weather like up there in the end of May?

    5) Bugs, I've heard lots of things about lots of bugs in Northern Michigan, how are they in late May?
     
    Last edited: Apr 28, 2017
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  2. May 8, 2017 at 5:32 PM
    #2
    hobiecat111629

    hobiecat111629 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Ok, I've answered most of my questions.
    1) Most of the park roads that are legal for highway vehicles (without an ORV permit) look to be mostly paved or gravel, so no worries there.
    2) Google earth shows buildings and boat ramps within 500 yards of a couple sites, so no worries there either. Looks like some dirt going into he sites.

    So, that leaves sightseeing, bugs, and weather. Any Michigan natives got any opinions?

    We have to drive through most of Ohio and Michigan, so we're going to hit the Rock'n'Roll hall of fame on the way up and perhaps the Henry Ford Museum on the way back.
     
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  3. Aug 1, 2017 at 4:24 PM
    #3
    whiskeytacos

    whiskeytacos Well-Known Member

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    Did you end up staying out there? What was your experience like?
     
  4. Aug 1, 2017 at 7:18 PM
    #4
    hobiecat111629

    hobiecat111629 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    We did. I had a long trip report written, but the battery died on my iPad and I lost it before posting.

    Just a few of my bullet points:

    *We ended up going between the 2nd and 3rd week in May and it was really, really good.

    *The Ausable River Primitive camp grounds weren't too far off the beaten path, but still provided plenty of privacy.

    *We traversed about ~3 miles of two track to get to our site and stayed 4 days enjoying the amazing view from our site and drinking craft beer and listening to Canadian Folk Music:

    ZtxWMlz6kO6pUPuTR0KBRX3WrvFDqpvo3xqB_wTT_31317b5f8f6c7c7d6806f1e186c78fd7716b5684.jpg

    *We went almost 72 hours without hearing or seeing another human being. Close to 96 without cellular signal, which was amazing cool. We might have gone longer if I hadn't had to go for more firewood.

    *The surrounding sites were totally unoccupied, but far enough apart that we probably wouldn't have noticed neighbors.

    *There are supposedly some good OHV trails nearby, but I didn't want to risk exploring them without a buddy to pull us out.

    *We did explore some of the memorials along the scenic byway on the first day, which are cool, but only worth about 4 hours of entertainment

    *The bugs absolutely sucked..........And the temperatures got into the high 40's at night, but still very worth the trip.

    *My wife didn't like digging "potty holes"

    *We would have liked to have allowed for more travel time and done some sight seeing on the way up/back (Henry Ford Museum, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland Medical Museum, etc), but my wife couldn't get enough time off work and was determined to maximize time away from civilization, so we scrapped most of the sight seeing.

    *With the exception of the last two, all photos were taken from our site.
    https://goo.gl/photos/ZCjCJhd17zq29nbn9
     
    Last edited: Aug 1, 2017
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  5. Aug 2, 2017 at 2:00 AM
    #5
    whiskeytacos

    whiskeytacos Well-Known Member

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    Awesome, thanks for the write up! I may be checking that area out next week.
     
  6. Aug 2, 2017 at 9:35 AM
    #6
    hobiecat111629

    hobiecat111629 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Oh, it's not really true dispersed camping, so make sure you reserve a site online and pay the $10 dispersed camping fee.
     
  7. Aug 2, 2017 at 10:48 AM
    #7
    hobiecat111629

    hobiecat111629 [OP] Well-Known Member

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  8. Feb 27, 2018 at 5:31 AM
    #8
    MECtacoOR

    MECtacoOR Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for writing about your experience! It sounds like a fantastic place to camp for someone new.
     

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