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Written by Charles Eshbach
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For a nice winter ski hike into a beautiful wilderness nature sanctuary look no further thanthe Estivant Pines Wilderness sanctuary. Located three miles south of the village of Copper Harbor, this 505 acre wilderness is a special place in winter. The Estivant Pines Wilderness was set aside in 1973 to preserve the old growth northern hardwood forest which has hundreds of monarch Eastern White Pine. These trees are 300 to 500 years old and are scattered in groves through out the 505 acre tract. Over 700 acres were cut before a citizens committee and the Michigan Nature Association negotiated a stop to the cutting and eventually raised 56 thousand dollars to purchase the fi rst 200 acres. Today thousands of people visit each year making it the second most popular attraction in Copper Harbor.
To get to the Estivant Pines, take Lake Maganese Road. The road is also the snowmobile trail, which you will follow for the fi rst 1.5 miles, and the route is also part of the Fort Wilkins State Park cross country ski trail system so it is well marked. The grade is a gentle up hill most of the way, which makes coming back lots of fun. Follow the snowmobile trail past the Manganese Lake turnoff and watch for the E-Pines signs. Another half mile and you will see a DNR ski trail sign marked E-3 for the trail you are on. To your right is a trail marked E-2. Take this one, disregarding the E-Pines sign ahead on the snowmobile trail. That is a summer marker for cars. Three quarters of a mile of gentle up and down terrain on trail E-2 and you come to the Burma Road. Turn left on Burma for 50 yards to the entrance to the Michigan Nature Association Estivant Pines Wilderness sanctuary. There a sign tells you the trail into the sanctuary is called E-1.
Two loop trails, each one mile long, take you off the main trail and into the groves of big trees. Both loops cross rocky ridges so you will have to remove your skis a couple times to climb these steep sections. Another way of traversing the interior of the sanctuary would be to ski to the entrance carrying snow shoes, then snow shoe around the loops changing back to skis for the ride back to Copper Harbor. Maneuvering in the woods with snowshoes is easier, especially if the snow is over 3 feet deep. The Estivants provide great adventure in a beautiful winter wilderness setting. Take a lunch and plan to be gone four hours. |
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