Trail Overview
Big 4-Norconk Trail is a unique and long (3.5 mile) bidirectional trail within the Traverse City Forest Management Unit. This trail is easily accessible as it is located between 602 and Norconk Trail. Starting out, you'll begin in a dense portion of the forest lined with tons of overhanging trees and vegetation lining the side of the trail. As you navigate down the trail, you may encounter a few large mud holes depending on recent conditions. Keep that in mind as you traverse this trail because we came across quite a few of these on our journey. Be careful while navigating this trail, as a few sections were a bit tricky. Shortly after, the trail transitions more into a sandy dirt track lined with grass as you weave through this gorgeous section of the forest. PLEASE TREAD LIGHTLY, and be respectful of our public lands so future generations can have access to these trails! Like most of Michigan trails, conditions are dependent on the weather. Recent rainfall can cause unfavorable conditions on the trail, including downed trees, mud holes, and washouts. Come prepared. Most of this trail is only wide enough for 1 vehicle with limited places to pass. This route does have a fair amount of overgrowth and rutted, deep mud holes, especially compared to other trails in the area. Make note that this trail is a groomed snowmobile trail between December 1st and March 31st.
Difficulty
This trail was given a technical rating & difficulty of 4 due to the many mud holes and obstacles up to 18 inches, as well as being typically one vehicle wide with limited places to pass. The mud along this track is VERY sticky and will suction tires to it, making this trail more difficult than most others in the area. Use caution and be prepared before attempting this trail.
