Holly State Recreation Area: Lakeshore Trail (Blog Hike #652)

Trail: Lakeshore Trail

Hike Location: Holly State Recreation Area

Geographic Location: east of Holly, MI (42.80826, -83.51735)

Length: 2.6 miles

Difficulty: 4/10 (Easy/Moderate)

Date Hiked: August 2017

Overview: A circumnavigation of Wildwood and Valley Lakes.

Area Information: http://www.michigandnr.com/parksandtrails/Details.aspx?id=459&type=SPRK

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=733355
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: Between Flint and Pontiac, take I-75 to Grange Hall Road (exit 101).  Exit and go east on Grange Hall Rd.  Drive Grange Hall Rd. east 1.5 miles to the recreation area’s signed entrance on the right.  Turn softly right to enter Holly Recreation Area, then turn right again in another 0.8 miles where the pavement ends to enter the day-use area.  Pay the entrance fee, and ask for a trail map at the toll booth.  Continue straight at the next intersection, and in 0.8 miles turn left to park in a small paved parking lot beside Wildwood Lake.  This parking lot is reached just after you descend a small hill and just before you cross the dam that forms Wildwood Lake.

The hike: Located on either side of I-75, Holly State Recreation Area consists of 7817 acres near its namesake town.  As its name suggests, the area’s main purpose is recreation as opposed to preservation.  The area’s amenities include a 160-site campground, 3 cabins, some picnic areas, and several lakes that offer swimming, fishing, and boating.

            Holly State Recreation Area also offers 35 miles of trails open to hikers and mountain bikers, 8.5 miles of which are hiker-only.  The hiker-only trails form a barbell-shaped route with north and south loops and several connecting trails.  The longer north loop is known as the Wilderness Trail, but this hike describes the south loop, which is called the Lakeshore Loop because it circumnavigates a pair of lakes: Valley Lake and Wildwood Lake.  Due to the wet nature of this area, bugs are fairly bad on this hike, so wear good bug spray in the summer.

Lakeshore Trail trailhead

            From the parking area, look for the signed start of the Lakeshore Trail as it heads east and enters the woods.  Throughout this hike the lakes will be to your right and a hillside will rise to the left.  Just past 0.1 miles, you reach trail intersection #19 where the connector to the north loop exits left.  As usual at Michigan state parks, trail intersections are numbered and have trail maps posted.  This hike passes intersections #19 through #24 in increasing order, so continue straight to head for trail intersection #20.

            The trail map shows a single loop around the lake, but quickly you realize that some unofficial trails exist out here as well.  All trails are unmarked.  If you are unsure which way to go at a trail intersection, choose the trail closest to the lake.  A couple of areas offer you low water and high water alternatives; the low water options were damp but passable on my visit.

Hiking along Wildwood Lake

            Just shy of 0.5 miles, you arrive at the park’s cabin area.  Keep the split rail fence on your right to trace around the cabins.  A brick restroom building was closed and in disrepair when I came here.  At the end of the split rail fence, you reach trail intersection #20, where the Lakeshore Trail reenters the woods.

            The trail stays close to Wildwood Lake before curving left to head up an inlet.  The shallower areas of Wildwood Lake support nice lotus colonies that were in full bloom on my early August hike.  At 1.2 miles, the trail curves right to cross a wet area between curtains of cattails.  This area will be muddy except during a drought, so come prepared.

Lotus colony

            You top the low ridge that separates Valley and Wildwood Lakes while passing trail intersections #21 and #22.  Trail intersection #21 marks a spur trail to a parking area that is no longer maintained, while trail intersection #22 marks the crossing of the boat launch road.  The trail dips to cross a feeder stream of Valley Lake on a wooden footbridge before climbing to a lake overlook.  A bench here makes a nice place to sit, rest, and enjoy a trail snack just past the midpoint of the hike.

Valley Lake overlook

            After passing trail intersection #23, which marks another spur trail to another parking area, the forest gets shrubbier as you head up the west side of Valley Lake.  Some raspberries were still ripening on my visit, but some poison ivy grew here as well.  Soon you reach trail intersection #24, which is located at the south end of the dam that forms Valley and Wildwood Lakes.  The trail crosses the dam just below the park road to return you to the parking area that contains your car, thus completing the hike.