Outdoor Recreation

Outdoor Recreation. Forest Heritage Trail. , After the old growth timber was cut in the 1920s, many jobs at lumber camps and mills disappeared. Some Crawford County residents turned to outdoor recreation to make a living. Locals guided fishing and hunting trips, while resorts and lodges sprang up around the area. , , Urban dwellers escaped the crowded cities on trains that ran on former lumber lines. After World War II, affordable cars and improved highways made it easier for the growing middle-class to vacation in Michigan's north woods. , , Camping and State Parks , Since the early 1900s, people have enjoyed recreational camping. State and federal forest lands provide a rustic experience. Public campgrounds and state parks are family friendly, with amenities like RV hookups and camp stores. , , In the 1920s, a state forest campground opened at North Higgins Lake. It was designated a state park in 1963. , , The Civilian Conservation Corps built Hartwick Pines' first campground in the mid-1930s. In 1994, the state constructed a new campground with electrical and sewer hookups. , , Summer's End , Here we are at the cottage. I've been here all summer. It's August, the beginning of the end of summer. , , See the milkweed pods have long since opened and the brown-seeded silk flown away. By the path to the lake there are only a few snapdragons left to pop with your fingers and the goldenrod is already beginning to bloom. , Miv Schaaf , , Horseback Riding , In 1964, Governor George Romney dedicated the Michigan Shore to Shore Riding and Hiking Trail. It passes just north of Grayling, stretching from Lake Huron to Lake Michigan. At 220 miles, it is one of the Midwest's longer equestrian trails and attracts horseback riders from as far away as Europe. , , Mason Tract , Conservationis and industrialist George W. Mason died in 1954. His will bequeathed 1,500 acres to the State of Michigan as a permanent game preserve, stipulating it never be sold or developed. , , The addition of state-owned land, purchases from private citizens and land exchange with the U.S. Forest Service expanded the Mason Tract to nearly 4,500 acres by the late 1990s. , , Winter Sports , Crawford County can get more than 100 inches of snow each winter. Residents and visitors enjoy snowmobiling, cross-country skiing and showshoeing in the forests and along trails. Volunteers with the Au Sable Snowmobile Association groom more than 150 miles of local trails each winter.