

# Event Details

- **Event Name**: Fife Lake NCT Kayaking And Hiking Adventure | West Michigan Kayaking Club
- **Event Start and End Date**: Fri, 28 Aug, 2026 at 08:00 am – Sun, 30 Aug, 2026 at 11:00 am
- **Event Description**: ? Fife Lake North Country Trail & Boardman River Adventure ?

? West Michigan kayaking club
? Wild Rivers. Rugged Trails. Real Adventure. ?

Get ready for a three-day Northern Michigan adventure combining approximately 21 miles of backpacking on the Fife Lake Loop of the North Country Trail with an approximately 11-mile paddle on the beautiful Boardman River.

This is more than a weekend on the water—it’s a true backcountry adventure featuring forest trails, lakes, camping, river miles, and some of Northern Michigan’s most beautiful country.

Whether you want to tackle the full three-day expedition, join us for the Saturday hike, or paddle the Boardman River on Sunday, there’s an option for you.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

?? THE ADVENTURE

? Backpacking: Approximately 21 miles over two days
? Trail: Fife Lake Loop — North Country Trail
? Paddling: Boardman River
? Sunday Paddle: Approximately 11 miles
?️ Camping: State forest campground & backcountry camping

Difficulty

? Backpacking: Moderate — approximately 10–11 miles per day carrying your gear
? Paddling: Easy to moderate

This is an active adventure, not a leisurely weekend. Come prepared to hike, carry your gear, paddle, camp, and spend time in the backcountry.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

? ITINERARY

? FRIDAY — HIKE IN | 10.6 MILES

? Meet: Old US-131 State Forest Campground
10055 Old US Highway 131
Fife Lake, MI 49633

? Meet Time: 12:00 PM

We’ll meet at camp, organize gear, review the route, and begin hiking north on the Fife Lake Loop of the North Country Trail toward Spring Lake State Forest Campground.

Expect:

? Rolling forest ridges
? Hardwood & pine forests
? Creek crossings
?️ Scenic lake views
? Quiet backcountry trail

?️ Friday Night Camp

Primary: Spring Lake State Forest Campground

Backup: Dispersed camping within the Manistee National Forest

If dispersed camping is necessary, we’ll follow Leave No Trace principles and applicable Forest Service regulations.

? Spring Lake State Forest Campground
44°33’48.58”N, 85°21’59.33”W

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

? SATURDAY — COMPLETE THE LOOP | 10–11 MILES

We’ll continue south along the North Country Trail, completing the Fife Lake Loop and returning to the Old US-131 State Forest Campground.

This will be another full day of backpacking, so plan on carrying your camping gear, food, water, and other supplies.

Once back at camp, we’ll have dinner, relax around camp, and get everything ready for Sunday’s river adventure.

? Old US-131 State Forest Campground
44°29’30.71”N, 85°25’01.22”W

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

? SUNDAY — BOARDMAN RIVER | APPROX. 11 MILES

Sunday morning we’ll load boats at Forks Road Campground and coordinate our vehicle shuttle to the take-out at Brown Bridge.

Then it’s time to hit the water! ?

We’ll paddle approximately 11 miles down the scenic Boardman River, enjoying clear water, forests, wildlife, and beautiful Northern Michigan scenery along the way.

? Launch: Forks Road Campground
44°40’23.90”N, 85°24’06.26”W

? Take-Out: Brown Bridge
44°38’34.70”N, 85°30’30.75”W

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

?️ CHOOSE YOUR ADVENTURE

?? FULL WEEKEND

Friday–Sunday

Take on the complete backpacking and kayaking expedition.

? SATURDAY ONLY

Join us for the Fife Lake Loop day hike.

? SUNDAY ONLY

Join us for the approximately 11-mile Boardman River paddle.

? If you plan to attend, please comment below or send us a message and let us know which portion of the adventure you’ll be joining.

This helps us coordinate campsites, group size, vehicles, and the Sunday shuttle.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

⚠️ IMPORTANT TRIP INFORMATION

Please come prepared for a true outdoor adventure.

• Michigan Recreation Passport required for Michigan State Forest Campgrounds
• Bring sufficient food and drinking water
• Filter or treat natural water before drinking
• Bring GPS, map, compass, or navigation app
• Proper food storage is required
• Expect mosquitoes, ticks, and changing trail conditions
• Shuttle coordination will be required Sunday
• Pack out everything you bring in
• PFDs are mandatory while on the water
• No drugs or alcohol while participating in club activities

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

? RECOMMENDED GEAR

? Backpack with rain cover
⛺ Tent or lightweight shelter
?️ Sleeping bag & sleeping pad
? Backpacking stove & food
? Water filter/purifier
? Dry bags
? Kayak & paddle
? Coast Guard-approved PFD
? Hiking boots & water shoes
?️ Rain gear & insulating layers
? First-aid kit
? Repair kit
? GPS/map/compass
? Headlamp & extra batteries

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

? SAFETY & SELF-SUPPORT

All West Michigan kayaking club events are 100% self-supported.

These are not guided trips. Each participant is 100% responsible for their own safety, equipment, preparation, navigation, decisions, food, water, clothing, and emergency supplies.

Participants are required to wear a properly fitted PFD while on the water.

By participating, you acknowledge and accept these responsibilities and the risks associated with the adventure.

Know your limits.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

? NO DRUGS OR ALCOHOL

Drugs and alcohol are strictly prohibited before or during West Michigan kayaking club events.

This is a zero-tolerance policy. Anyone violating this rule will be asked to leave and may be prohibited from participating in future club events.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

? RESPECT THE RIVER

Please do not play music from speakers while paddling. We want everyone to enjoy the natural sounds of the river and surrounding wilderness.

If you choose to use earbuds or headphones, please do so responsibly and at a safe volume so you remain aware of your surroundings.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

? PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEO NOTICE

By joining West Michigan kayaking club and participating in club events, you acknowledge and agree that photographs and/or video may be taken during activities.

These images may include you and may be shared on the club’s Facebook group, social media pages, website, promotional materials, and other platforms.

Images and video may be used to promote West Michigan kayaking club, its members, activities, and future events.

By participating in club events, you consent to this use.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

? IMPORTANT — PLEASE JOIN THE COMMUNITY CHAT

If you plan on attending, please join the community chat.

This is where we will post:

• Important updates
• Weather information
• Last-minute changes
• Trip details
• Camping information
• Shuttle information
• Answers to questions
• Day-of-event information

It also gives participants an opportunity to communicate with one another before the adventure.

? Join the community chat:
https://m.me/ch/AbbsN22_Ld1-yu1l/?send_source=cm:copy_invite_link

If you are attending, please make sure you join the chat so you don’t miss important information.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

? COME EXPLORE NORTHERN MICHIGAN WITH US

Three days.
21+ miles of trail.
11+ miles of river.
Backcountry camping.
Forest trails.
Crystal-clear water.
And a great group of paddlers and adventurers.

Who’s ready to hit the trail and the river? ???

?? West Michigan kayaking club
Wild Rivers. Rugged Trails. Real Adventure.

#WestMichiganKayakingClub #FifeLake #NorthCountryTrail #BoardmanRiver #MichiganKayaking #MichiganHiking #MichiganWaterTrails #BackpackingMichigan #KayakMichigan #PureMichigan #NorthernMichigan #AdventureMichigan
- **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/fife-lake/fife-lake-nct-kayaking-and-hiking-adventure-west-michigan-kayaking-club/200030203217828
- **Event Categories**: trips-adventures, trekking, camping, nonprofit
- **Interested Audience**: 
  - total_interested_count: 51

## Ticket Details


## Event venue details

- **city**: Fife Lake
- **state**: MI
- **country**: United States
- **location**: Old US 131 Campground
- **lat**: 44.5037
- **long**: -85.4097
- **full address**: Old US 131 Campground, Old US-131,Fife Lake, Michigan, United States

## Event gallery

- **Alt text**: Fife Lake NCT Kayaking And Hiking Adventure | West Michigan Kayaking Club
  - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events6/banners/49ce3c149d0eb5844c8dcb2bcebd4f678694ff75dd47a4613b81e4e774599cef-rimg-w1200-h1093-dcc8c8c8-gmir?v=1787374959

## FAQs

- **Q**: When and where is Fife Lake NCT Kayaking And Hiking Adventure | West Michigan Kayaking Club being held?
  - **A:** Fife Lake NCT Kayaking And Hiking Adventure | West Michigan Kayaking Club takes place on Fri, 28 Aug, 2026 at 08:00 am to Sun, 30 Aug, 2026 at 11:00 am at Old US 131 Campground, Old US-131,Fife Lake, Michigan, United States.
- **Q**: Who is organizing Fife Lake NCT Kayaking And Hiking Adventure | West Michigan Kayaking Club?
  - **A:** Fife Lake NCT Kayaking And Hiking Adventure | West Michigan Kayaking Club is organized by Brad D De Young.

## Structured Data (JSON-LD)

```json
[
    {
        "@context": "https://schema.org",
        "@type": "Event",
        "name": "Fife Lake NCT Kayaking And Hiking Adventure | West Michigan Kayaking Club",
        "image": "https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events6/banners/49ce3c149d0eb5844c8dcb2bcebd4f678694ff75dd47a4613b81e4e774599cef-rimg-w1200-h1093-dcc8c8c8-gmir?v=1787374959",
        "startDate": "2026-08-28",
        "endDate": "2026-08-30",
        "url": "https://allevents.in/fife-lake/fife-lake-nct-kayaking-and-hiking-adventure-west-michigan-kayaking-club/200030203217828",
        "location": {
            "@type": "Place",
            "name": "Old US 131 Campground",
            "address": {
                "@type": "PostalAddress",
                "streetAddress": "Old US-131,Fife Lake, Michigan",
                "addressLocality": "Fife Lake",
                "addressRegion": "MI",
                "addressCountry": "US"
            },
            "geo": {
                "@type": "GeoCoordinates",
                "latitude": "44.5037",
                "longitude": "-85.4097"
            }
        },
        "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode",
        "description": "? Fife Lake North Country Trail & Boardman River Adventure ?\n\n? West Michigan kayaking club\n? Wild Rivers. Rugged Trails. Real Adventure. ?\n\nGet ready for a three-day Northern Michigan adventure combining approximately 21 miles of backpacking on the Fife Lake Loop of the North Country Trail with an",
        "organizer": [
            {
                "@type": "Organization",
                "name": "Brad D De Young",
                "url": "https://allevents.in/org/brad-d-de-young/27622748"
            }
        ]
    }
]
```