A bend in the Little Manistee River just south of 9-Mile Bridge Road near the Manistee/Mason county line, is a common sight, as are broad, shallow straightaways.

• Little Manistee River/Manistee National Forest •

MANISTEE — I was uncertain as I took a sharp corner toward what I thought might be an adequate camping spot on the Little Manistee River, just over the Manistee county line with Mason County. I’d never camped the Little Manistee before, though I had picked up a pretty detailed map of the area a couple weeks back, when I had stopped into the US Forest Service office in Baldwin after camping on Bowman Lake (see Beacon June 27).

I got off to a late start Saturday afternoon, due to family considerations, and didn’t really get on the road north (from Muskegon) until around 5:30 p.m. After an hour-and-a-half ride, I figured I wouldn’t have much time to set up camp, collect firewood, eat and assess the area before sundown.

So, it was around 7:15 p.m. that I rode a hunch into the spot I thought might best serve this camping series.

And, as luck would have it, I stumbled onto a real gem.

The Forest Service manages a variety of sites along the Little Manistee. Apparently, many of them, though picturesque, aren’t very close to the river. So imagine my surprise that on my very first inspection of a site, I found a very nice site at a spot called Elm Flats. There was one other camping party there, and I was a bit hesitant to pull up next to them and start setting up. Instead, I tried to broker an early peace with the group, approaching them after parking about 100 feet away. One camper limped toward me, obviously just up from a late-afternooon nap.

“I’m not from around here, so I really don’t know how this works,” I said, as my small, Dachshund/poodle mix, named Harold, nipped at my heals. It was our first camping trip together, the dog and I, and he was definitely nervous about the approaching stranger.

“How what works,” the woman said, wiping sleep from her eyes.

“Well, I think I’m at Elm Flats,” I responded, thrusting a finger at the map I held in my left hand. “But I’m not sure that’s where I am.”

She ran her hand through her hair, trying to straighten herself before providing an answer. “I don’t really know. My boyfriend takes us out here, and he’s fishing right now.”

“Do you mind if I look around? I don’t really want to bother you guys,” I asked.

“Sure, no, it’s no problem,” she answered.

With that, Harold and I took a path south of their site, into a marshy stretch that was pretty far from the river. Finding no good spots to set up, we walked back to the Subaru and got in.

“What do you think, Harold?” I asked him, as he stood atop one of the headrests in the back seat. There was another two-track north of the two-track we came in on, so I started up the engine and headed that way. It wasn’t long before the road ended up another site, about 400 feet from the campers I had so rudely bothered minutes earlier.

This spot was pretty great. There was a fire ring, a nice flat spot to put my tent, and a picnic table, the only one I would see at every other camping spot I would subsequently visit. And, just over the hill that lay directly behind my tent, a beautiful view of the river.

After setting up and retrieving enough firewood for the night — this is, by the way, the first summer in many years that I’ve had so many fires while camping; I was, and still am, a big proponent of fireless camping, but I’ve also come to love, again, the atmosphere of a fire at camp — my next door neighbors came over for a visit. Turns out, they were all recent graduates of Western Michigan University. They liked to fish, loved to backpack, and came up to the area several times a year to camp, hike, fish and kayak.

One of them told me that I was pretty lucky to end up where I did.

“Most of the sites are far from the river,” he told me. “This is one of the few sites where you can actually see the river and go into it, too. Most of them are on high bluffs, up way too high (from which) to enter the river.”

Soon they were back at their site, and I got busy tending the fire. The sun went down around 10 p.m. and soon I started hearing the sounds of booms in the distance. I realized, eventually, that they were probably a result of fireworks shows in Ludington or Manistee, or perhaps a smaller, inland town. It gave the approaching darkness a comforting feel.

After hanging by the fire for awhile, and with the temperature in the upper 70s, I determined it was a good time to take a swim in the river.

With my small flashlight wedged into my mouth, and Harold under my left arm (and towel around my neck), I carefully made my way down the steep river bank, careful not to disturb the loss gravel and sand holding the bank. Doing so makes me feel a little guilty, knowing that rivers and sandy, eroding banks are not friends; the sand and other debris spoils the river, heating it up and sending too much silt and sand into the river. I’ve often thought I should come up with a device which one could prop up against a tree that would make entering a river at such a spot less damaging.

Put it on the to-do list, I guess.

The Little Manistee has a much faster flow rate than, say, the White River, and the river bed is much rockier. Nevertheless, as soon as I got accustomed to the water temp, it wasn’t long before I was in all the way, as I carefully held poor Harold above the waterline. After exploring the river a bit with my flashlight, I made the trip back up the bank and dried off in front of the fire. Soon I was in my bag, my core body temperature at a perfect level, and then fast asleep.

After breakfast, Harold and I took a walk east of Elm Flats, toward Hopper Junction. The views were outstanding, and there were a couple spot that make outstanding campsites. I filed those away for later use. Hopper Junction site atop a bluff overlooking the river at several angles. Though it’s close to 9-Mile Bridge Road, it is still a very nice spot for car camping. Backpackers, too, could use Hopper Junction as a starting point to travel up or down the river.

After packing up, I decide to take a trip to some of the other spots. Mind you, this was Fourth of July Weekend, so there were a lot of other campers annoyed with my car’s kicking up dust and waking them up.

None of the sites were as good as the site at which I’d spent the previous night.

My final stop was at the Little Manistee River Weir, a neat little compound used to stock with Salmon many of the rivers in the Great Lakes. On a trail west of the dam, there sits, across the river, an eagle’s nest that is currently occupied.

Harold and I stood there in complete amazement as the eagles came and left from the nest, squawking loudly and making a grand spectacle of themselves.

It wasn’t long before we were back in the car, beginning the long trek back to Muskegon.

But, before we left the weir’s entryway, I promised Harold, “We will be back.”

Directions — There are several ways to get to the Little Manistee River’s best camping sites. From the south, take US-31 toward Manistee. Near Manistee, turn east (right) on Freesoil Road to Freesoil. Turn north (left) at Custer Road and travel to County Line Road. Turn east (right) and travel to 6-Mile Bridge Road, where you will go north (left). Travel a couple miles to Skocelas Road, heading southeast (right) until you get to the Skocelas Road/9-Mile Bridge Road fork. Stay south at the fork. The first two-track on your right will take you to several sites near the Little Manistee. Staying straight, the next major two-track will be again on your right. Take it to the Elm Flats/Nancy’s Bluff junction. Elm Flats offers several good spots on the Little Manistee, including one, at the extreme northeastern edge of the site, with a picnic table.

A note about this week’s photos/video — All photos and video from this week’s feature come courtesy of my LG camera phone.

Park Facts —

• The Little Manistee River has as much as 85 canoeable miles from its spring source east of Luther, Mich. The river passes through a variety of private and public land, with several private and Manistee National Forest campgrounds along the way. West of 9-mile Bridge, however, the US Forest Service has established several dispersed campgrounds near the Little Manistee. Most of them sit between 9-Mile Bridge and 6-Mile Bridge, with a few more located further west. There is no cost to camp at any site along this stretch. In most cases, the Forest Service requires camping sites be at least 200 feet from the river, though camping closer than that is an option at these select sites: 9-Mile South, Hopper Junction, Elm Flats, 9-Mile Bridge Road, Bowman Farm, Gravel Pit, Powerline, Jackpine and Chicago Boy Rollaway.

• The North Country Trail runs just to the east of 9-Mile Bridge Road.

• No trash receptacles at any site, so please pack in/pack out and leave no trace.

Little Manistee River Twitter Log:

• 5:22 PM Jul 3rd via txt: late start but will be worth it....Little Manistee River Nonmotorized Semiprim Rec Area!

• 8:52 PM Jul 3rd via txt: at my spot...Elm Flats. it’s right on the Lil Manistee

• 10:04 PM Jul 3rd via txt: as night falls, the sound of the Lil Manistee grows louder to my senses. the current is much faster here than on the White...

• 10:21 PM Jul 3rd via txt: the river hastens to lose its sand. it flows at different degrees as the year passes, as the centuries pass

• 10:31 PM Jul 3rd via txt: i saw u shooting star. ur one great act was observed

• 10:38 PM Jul 3rd via txt: must be fireworks night in Manistee...i always imagine fireworks as a surly, invading army, bent on making me kneel to them on my own land

• 11:13 PM Jul 3rd via txt: it’s finally completely dark. strange to think six months from now this spot will be a foot with snow

• 11:32 PM Jul 3rd via txt: i thought the tigers were playing tonight....podcasts and lectures pale in comparison

• 11:45 PM Jul 3rd via txt: a night dip is in order!

• 11:56 PM Jul 3rd via txt: I’m out of the water. My body temp is perfect. I’ll drift off into some perfect place, existing simply in its own plane, total-ness in a ...

• 8:47 AM Jul 4th via txt: up and cleaning after a great night of sleep....cloudy? I thought it was going to be sunny all day long

• 2:01 PM Jul 4th via txt: took time this morning to look around...there are some amazing possibilities here. The Weir boat launch area is incredible...

• 2:03 PM Jul 4th via txt: ...on the trail west of the fishery, there is a very visible eagles’ nest. Two were at home when I came calling