By Erin Fanning
Orange, red and purple leaves covered the sandy two-tracks, and a cold wind crept inside my jacket on the day I discovered the 9,000-acre Black Mountain Recreation Area. It was late October, and snow, although a ghostly presence, was still about a month away.
Bare trees, skeletons of their former selves, surrounded us and about 30 miles of trails unfolded under our knobby tires. Like kids with a fresh bag of Halloween candy, we knew we might not be able to consume the Black Mountain Recreation Area in one day, but we would sure have fun trying.
The “mountain” in Black Mountain is an exaggeration; but in an otherwise flat landscape, these hills are welcome relief to snowmobilers, cross-country skiers, snowshoers, hikers, bikers and ATVers. In the true spirit of a multiple-use trail system, the area welcomes all recreationists.
Although the Black Mountain Recreation Area, about 9 miles north of Onaway and 13 miles southeast of Cheboygan, hosts the occasional mountain biker and hiker, snow sports are really its signature attraction. The wide, well-marked trails climb to peek-a-boo views of Black Lake and Lake Huron, then quickly descend. This sequence is repeated over and over again, making skiers and snowmobilers either grimace or shout with delight.
All who venture into the heart of the recreation area, however, are rewarded with a wilderness feeling that is rare outside of the Upper Peninsula. Like the U.P., snowmobiling is an integral part of the Black Mountain Recreation Area. The Black Mountain Silver Creek Snowmobile Trail, connecting sledders to an 80-mile trail system near Cheboygan and Millersburg, twists its way through the area.
Going off trail at Black Mtn.
Skiers and snowshoers have a smaller system of groomed trails—don’t forget that you can always make your own tracks—but it is equally challenging. Thirty miles of track-groomed trails and a six-mile skating loop carry skiers up and over Black Mountain.
Ridiculously steep hills plunge skiers into troughs, where they are quickly propelled to the top of the next hill. Portions of the skier’s trail system are marked as beginner’s trails, but novice skiers should proceed with caution. Except for a few flat sections, the majority of the trail system is a roller-coaster ride.
The area also boasts plentiful parking with the Black Mountain Road/County Line Road splitting the trails into two sections. Porta-potties are sprinkled throughout the area, and three-sided Adirondack-style shelters provide refuge to skiers on both sides of the Black Mountain Road.
Hiking on a brisk October afternoon, two years after my first journey to the Black Mountain Recreation Area, the trees were once again bare and one of the wooden shelters stood out like a rustic cabin from years gone by. Quiet encircled me as I bent down to move a large log covering the trail. Brown leaves shimmered underneath faint sunlight, and water pooled on a layer of leaves.
Soon, snow would blanket the trails, erasing the mosaic of brown. The Black Mountain Recreation Area will make the transition to winter with grace, much like it gracefully welcomes multiple-trail users to explore its depths.
