Cut River Bridge

Cut River Bridge

Directions:

From Epoufette, travel east on US-2 about 2 miles to the Cut River Bridge State Roadside Park on the left (north) side of the road.

Size:

400 Acres

Facilities and Opportunities:

• Restrooms - two sets of barrier free men's and woman's pit toilets.
• Trails - walking paths under both sides of the gorge are linked together by a small
  bridge across the Cut River near the river mouth on Lake Michigan.
• Picnic - many picnic tables, some with charcoal pits.
• Drinking Water - hand pump (seasonally).
• Hunting - big and small game.
• Fishing - steelhead, brown trout, and whitefish in Lake Michigan, mouth of Cut River.

Description:

A Michigan Department of Transportation roadside park is the primary access to a network of hiking trails that wind in and around the beautiful forested Cut River Valley to its mouth on Lake Michigan.

Wildlife Viewing:

A rest stop or picnic at the State Roadside Park provides a beautiful view of Lake Michigan and the mouth of the Cut River Gorge. The real beauty of this site, however, lies hidden among the rolling, forested dunes of the Lake Superior State Forest and within the forested river valley below. Hike the Cut River trails in May to view spring wildflowers such as trout lily, trilliums, and Dutchman’s breeches. Spring, especially in the month of May, is also a good time to view migrating warblers and other songbirds that follow the Lake Michigan shore and concentrate at the mouth and along the gorge due to the rich insect life emerging from the river. Hawks and owls also follow the coastline as they head to their northern breeding grounds in late April and early May. A diversity of forest songbirds use the forested gorge in the spring and summer as breeding habitat and offer good viewing opportunities along the trails. Interpretive markers help visitors identify plants and trees along the way.

Portions of this area are open to public hunting. Contact the Michigan Department of Natural Resources for affected seasons and locations.

View/Download Map of Cut River Bridge Trail

Information courtesy of the Department of Natural Resources

Return to Mackinac County, Michigan Trails