Events

The Jordan Valley 45° Chapter will be hosting a hike on January 17, 2026. We are kicking off the year with an out-of-chapter venture into the Grand Traverse Chapter section of the NCT.

This section is a real treat. The terrain is a nice mix of rolling hills and is mostly wooded trail. Along the way we will pass MacNeil Pond (mile marker 134.0) and Eagle Lake (mile marker134.75).

At 9:30am, we will meet at the snowmobile parking lot, which is just east of the NCT trail crossing on Starvation Lake Rd, mile marker 33.0. (For your GPS, try entering the Hide-A-Way Bar – 11224 Starvation Lake Road NE, Mancelona, MI 49659, about a half mile west of the Trail crossing.)

We will need to post cars at the hike’s end (Pickerel Lake) or drive down there and hike back.

At 10am, we’ll begin our hike From Starvation Lake Rd. about 6.75 miles south 6.75 Pickerel Lake (mile marker 139.75, Pickerel Lake State Forest Campground). In case this distance is a bit too much for some, we will post cars at the 4-mile mark on Twin Lake Rd. (137.0).

See map and mile markers here.

Dress for the weather, bring water, snacks and a camera. Snowshoes no doubt will be required. Cross country skis will not work since the trail is not groomed.

Following the hike there, will be a soup and chili lunch at Ellen Whitehead’s on Little Twin Lake (near the hike’s end, on Sunset Trail; address will be given at the hike). Somehow, we will ferry people back to their cars.

Questions? Call or text Bob Courtois at 248 212-6699 (please include your name in the text). For this hike, you can also call Ellen Whitehead at 231-350-9057.

The Jordan Valley 45° Chapter trail runs from Starvation Lake Rd. (near Mancelona) to Kipp Rd. in Harbor Springs, about 79 miles of awesome valleys, hills and wooded trail. Monthly hikes are usually on the 3rd Saturday of the month. (The Grand Traverse Chapter section of the NCT covers 107 miles, beginning at Beers Rd. south of Hodenpyl Dam and continues northeast to Starvation Lake Rd.)