North Country Trail: Petoskey to Mackinaw Bridge, MI
Trip 1 of 2 of the 2024 NCT 100-mile Challenge
June 15-21, 2024
Co-Trip Leaders: Joan Pea and Ben Strange
Type of Trip: Backpacking
Trip Cost/Deposit: $405/$205
Cancellation Date and full payment: March 15, 2024
Wilderness Level: 3
Trip Difficulty: Trail has mild to moderate elevation gains and losses. Hiking will cover 54.4 miles total with max daily mileage of 14.5 miles.
Policy on Fitness Self-Assessment Level 3: Applies to backpacking trips in which we hike with 25-35 pound backpacks. In one day, we can hike up to 7 miles and 3000 feet of elevation gain on maintained trails, or up to 5 miles and 2000 feet of elevation gain on more rugged trails. For a Level 3 trip you should be comfortable hiking 6-8 miles in a day in hilly or mountainous terrain with a 25-pound backpack. Level 4: Denotes backpacking trips on established but rugged, unmaintained trail with multi-day backpacks (30-40 pounds). The hiking can be steep and sustained with long daily distances (up to 9 miles) and significant elevation change (up to 4000 feet). You should be comfortable running/biking/hiking for several hours without many breaks.
Policy on Fitness Self-Assessment
Level 3: Applies to backpacking trips in which we hike with 25-35 pound backpacks. In one day, we can hike up to 7 miles and 3000 feet of elevation gain on maintained trails, or up to 5 miles and 2000 feet of elevation gain on more rugged trails. For a Level 3 trip you should be comfortable hiking 6-8 miles in a day in hilly or mountainous terrain with a 25-pound backpack.
Level 4: Denotes backpacking trips on established but rugged, unmaintained trail with multi-day backpacks (30-40 pounds). The hiking can be steep and sustained with long daily distances (up to 9 miles) and significant elevation change (up to 4000 feet). You should be comfortable running/biking/hiking for several hours without many breaks.
Adults Only
***Before registering***
While considering your participation in CIWC trips, be aware that some trips will involve shared transportation, lodging, and other activities. Each participant is encouraged to evaluate your comfort level with such arrangements based on your health condition, vaccination status, and unknown COVID positivity rates at the time of the trip. Members are encouraged to review the COVID waiver as a part of this evaluation.
This is Part One of a two-hike challenge. Pairing of this trip with the Pictured Rocks trip will earn you the 2024 NCT 100-mile challenge patch. We recommend you sign up for both trips.
Beginning in the area known for the Petoskey stones, the Trail goes through Wilderness State Park, the forested sand dunes of Sturgeon Bay, Lake Michigan shoreline, and passes through pine plantations and wetlands. Our trip ends at the Bridge in Mackinaw City.
Questions may be submitted to ciwcinfo@gmail.com.
All trip participants must fill out and submit a CIWC Medical Form and Long Waiver Form.
Effective on all trips, there will be a $50 nonrefundable registration fee. This fee will be assessed to those who sign up for a trip, get on the roster and then later cancel. Even cancelling before the cancel date. Those who never make the active roster (i.e. those who stay on the waitlist) will NOT be charged the $50 cancellation fee.
