Through the Eyes of a Ranger -----------Traverse City CVB-----------2006

Naturally, summer is the park's peak visitor season. That can be seen vividly at popular spots like the Platte River picnic area near M-22, where lots of shaded spots provide ideal viewing platforms for those of us who would rather watch boats float downstream than paddle them ourselves. Kayakers, canoeists or tube-riders who choose to follow the gentle river to its mouth will find another picnic area on the shore of Lake Michigan. At certain times of the year, this beach becomes a nesting ground for the rare piping plover, an endangered bird whose eggs are easily crushed by unwary hikers, so Marie and her fellow rangers must cordon the area off to keep the birds from harm.
But even amid the summer crowds, the chances of finding a quiet spot in the park are excellent. Imagine a day spent kayaking on a glass-smooth lake or hiking through a series of unique ecosystems, each supporting its own diverse population of flora and fauna.
With a sudden splash, a fish leaps out of tiny Otter Lake, thrilling a lone pair of kayakers and a family of hikers who have left the crowds and penetrated into the wilderness that surrounds the Old Indian Trail. This path with its several loops wanders through pine-scented forests and around small inland lakes. Like the other 12 hiking trails in the park, its terrain and surroundings tell a particular story, as subtle changes in soil, topography and vegetation signal clues to the distant past.
The step-like ledges that run parallel to the shoreline, for instance, indicate the existence of ancient beaches, while the high moraines and sculpted valleys show the powerful work of the rivers of ice that once plowed their way through the region.
One dramatic spot to view the effects of these glaciers is the overlook on Miller Hill Road, which gives a panoramic vista of the shoreline and other parts of the park. The view changes rapidly as you climb high up the hill through fragrant forests, until the road opens onto a vast expanse where beaches, dunes and offshore islands are spread out before you.
According to an ancient Chippewa legend, this landscape was named for a mother bear who swam across Lake Michigan with her two baby cubs to escape a fire on the opposite shore. The mother bear made it to shore, where she is represented by the large dune at Sleeping Bear Point, but her exhausted cubs couldn't complete the long swim from Wisconsin. The place where they sank under the waves is now marked by the Manitou Islands, two beautiful isles of forest, high dunes and beaches.
Day-trippers visit the smaller of the two islands, South Manitou, to explore its handsome lighthouse and wander its old farmsteads. For those who are willing to camp, though, the islands also offer the opportunity to experience the pleasant dislocation of island life, which only becomes real when the last boat has left for the mainland. From the bluffs and beaches of the islands, you can watch the big freighters steam slowly past on what was once the main highway in this part of the world. From this vantage point, it seems that things have not changed much.


next page ---------back to clips