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The Chippewa Trail is a little messy to start with, so I wanted to get a report out here. Per the guide, you descend, cross a brook, then a second larger brook. Well, the larger brook is now a beaver-dammed pond of sorts. Anyway, the trail gets confusing here, as there is a bushwhack in front of you going along the water, but also a large tree lying in the water to the right that looks like it "could" be the trail. Unfortunately, there are no yellow blazes visible on the other side to indicate that this is where you should go.
We followed the bushwhack, and came out on a logging road (with active logging debris) with some "Lime Kiln" signs (paper signs on temporary wood posts). We followed these and saw the lime kilns, which were worth a look. Long-story short, this is not where the trail is. Go back the way you came, and cross the water on the tree (about 3-4 feet aross, it's huge). In retrospect, it is farily obvious that this is the trail, as branches have been trimmed off. On the other side of the tree is a swampy area, again due to the dam. You quickly come to the logging road where it is clearly signed to go right to the trail, and left to the Kilns. You cannot go left to the Kilns, as the pond/river crosses the road shortly and cannot be easily crossed. The rest of the trail from here was well marked.
The trail from here is well marked and fairly steep, but worth it for excellent views. Despite the long delay as we tried to find the trail at the bottom, the hike only take about an hour each way.
Equipment: You would want hiking poles to cross the log, as the water is brown and about 2-3 feet deep.
Other: Some of the cross roads are actively used by tractors, but not the ones used as hiking trails.
We followed the bushwhack, and came out on a logging road (with active logging debris) with some "Lime Kiln" signs (paper signs on temporary wood posts). We followed these and saw the lime kilns, which were worth a look. Long-story short, this is not where the trail is. Go back the way you came, and cross the water on the tree (about 3-4 feet aross, it's huge). In retrospect, it is farily obvious that this is the trail, as branches have been trimmed off. On the other side of the tree is a swampy area, again due to the dam. You quickly come to the logging road where it is clearly signed to go right to the trail, and left to the Kilns. You cannot go left to the Kilns, as the pond/river crosses the road shortly and cannot be easily crossed. The rest of the trail from here was well marked.
The trail from here is well marked and fairly steep, but worth it for excellent views. Despite the long delay as we tried to find the trail at the bottom, the hike only take about an hour each way.
Equipment: You would want hiking poles to cross the log, as the water is brown and about 2-3 feet deep.
Other: Some of the cross roads are actively used by tractors, but not the ones used as hiking trails.
