Mar 30 2007
Hike Report - Somerset State Game Area
It was just beautiful outside today, so I decided to head to one of my favorite area dayhikes at Somerset State Game Area.
Just in case you don’t know, Michigan has an extensive system of state game areas in the southern half of the lower peninsula. These areas were purchased with monies derived from hunting and fishing license fees. The state manages the land for the benefit of wildlife, particularly game species. The facilities in these game areas are bare-bones. You won’t find toilets and the parking areas will be dirt. Still, these areas offer some great hikes and they are open to non-hunters.
Somerset State Game Area is located near the meeting point of Jackson, Lenawee and Hillsdale Counties. The nearest towns are Somerset Center and Addison. The main game area parking area is found by driving on US-12 past US-127. About three miles past this intersection, you’ll want to turn south onto Stearns Road. The parking area is about 1.5 miles down on the west side of the road. There is another, smaller parking area on Waldron Rd. The hike I describe below will start from the Waldron Rd. parking area.
The longest and neatest possible hike in this game area starts by following the northern edge of Blood Lake. You will begin to see Moon Lake straight ahead. When you see this, you will need to start looking to your right for a non-marshy upland area. You need to follow this without a trail to the Southeast. As you walk in this direction, be sure to use the south shore of Moon Lake as a navigational aid.
You will eventually come out of the woods onto a two-track path that circles Lombard Lake. To your left, you will also begin to hear the gurgling of a little waterfall. This is a manmade fall that serves as a part of the water-control mechanism that created Lombard Lake. Even though it is manmade, the lake is undeveloped and beautiful. It is surrounded by a mixed forest with large swathes of pine. It feels very much like a northern Michigan lake and it is just about as remote.
If you follow the lake in a clockwise direction, you will move up and down some hills that surround the lake. On my hike today, I saw swans, a muskrat, some turtles, geese, ducks and deer. I also met a friendly fly-fisherman. The place seems loaded with fish. I always hear them jumping here.
You will soon encounter a narrowing of the trail as you move along the game area property line fence. You will pop out in an area of farm fields that rise above the eastern reaches of the lake. Use the property line signs for navigation until you once again reach the two-track.
Follow the two-track over several dikes with great lake views. You will view two marshy lakes to the south of Lombard Lake with a hilly upland area in between. I have always thought that this would be a nifty area to camp. It is legal to camp in game areas with a free permit during the fall, winter and early spring.
As you circle the lake, be sure to notice the island in the middle of the lake. It might be fun to take a canoe out to the island at some point. You would have the lake and island to yourself. Just be careful for the swans that nest in the lake. They are very territorial.
Once you reach the small waterfall, you will need to retrace your bushwack between Blood and Moon Lakes. Somerset State Game Area is certainly remote, but it is worth taking the time to visit. Note that it is possible to hike this without the bushwack by parking in the Stearns Rd. lot. The hike is shorter and easier to navigate.
Here’s my suggested hiking route:
http://maps.live.com/?v=2&cid=628A87FDBE3AF2A!118
Here’s the official DNR map:
Click below to read a few hike reports that I originally posted at the Great Lakes Hikes Yahoo Group:
http://extremesouthmichigan.blogspot.com/2007/06/somerset-state-game-area-hike-reports.html