St. Ignace Segment - The North Country Trail is a National Scenic Trail which, when completed, will extend from New York State to North Dakota. Approximately 35 miles of the trail lies in the St. Ignace District of the Hiawatha National Forest.

Passing through stands of northern white cedar, aspen, pine and northern hardwoods, the trail on the St. Ignace District is flat to rolling. Blue diamonds painted on trees mark the pathway.

Trail Subsegments :

A. Castle Rock Road FR-3104 to Brevort Lake Road (County Road H-57), 9.5 miles - For the first few miles, glacial geology produced by shorelines of receding glacial melt waters is visible in the sand ridges. South of Round Lake the hiker passes near the Pt. Aux Chenes wetlands, a favored habitat for waterfowl and some raptors. A primitive campsite is located south of the trail near Pt. Aux Chenes River.

B. Brevort Lake Road (Co. Rd. H-57) to FR-3473 (Brevort Lake Campground Road), 6.5 miles - This segment crosses the Brevort River and heads through sand dunes to the Brevort Lake Dam. Blueberry picking is often good in July and August. The trail then passes through hardwood and pine forests next to Brevort Lake. Watch for pileated woodpeckers in the old-growth maple, beech and yellow birch stands. Two primitive campsites are located near Brevort Lake. This trail segment ends near Brevort Lake Campground, a developed camping area with toilets and drinking water.

C. FR-3473 (Brevort Lake Campground Road) to M123, 8 miles - Sandy soils and pine plantations surround most of this segment. Much of this area was logged in the 1800s and later planted with red and jack pine by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. Silver Creek, located about .5 mile north of County Road 520 (Worth Road), is a trout stream. Traveling north, the hiker will cross an open corridor marking the location of a buried natural gas pipeline. Just north of this are natural openings where sandhill cranes may be sighted. Watch for bluebirds and kestrels near the nesting boxes in this area.

Paint spots on some of the trees in the pine plantation indicate trees which will be cut by loggers as part of a timber sale in order to thin the stand. Thinning is done to concentrate tree growth on fewer trees of better quality. The pine plantations are high fire hazard areas. Please do not to throw burning matches or cigarette butts on the ground, especially when fire danger is high.

D. M-123 to FR-3122 (Kenneth Road) , 5 miles - Noted for it's waterways, this segment is crossed by Taylor Creek and the North Branch of the Carp River. Both rivers are trout streams. Bedrock close to the surface causes slow drainage of precipitation. It might be advisable to wear rubber boots during wet periods.

E. FR- 3122 (Kenneth Road) to FR-3323, .5 miles - The trail now winds it's way through maple, beech and birch forests passing south of East Lake. A primitive camping site is located about 20 feet from the trail, one-quarter mile east of FR-3119 (East Lake Road). The ST. Ignace district's portion of the North Country Trail ends near Maple Hill, one of the points of highest elevation on the district.

Trail is for hikers, no horses or motorized vehicles.

Watch for changing weather conditions, personal fatigue which could cause hypothermia, tree blowdowns or other hazards to your safety.

Use the buddy system to make your hike enjoyable.

Biting and stinging insects can be unpleasant, pack insect repellent.

Please leave the trail as you would like to find it-- free of litter and other evidence of human presence.

The St. Ignace segment of the trail is fully marked, but not all sections have been brought up to trail standards