Thru-Hiking the Chief Pontiac Trail, Pt. I: Highland to Proud Lake

Dan Cooke
Jul 13, 2023
11 min read

Updated: Mar 12

From the heights of Mt. Omich to the lowlands of the Huron River, we retraced the generational footsteps of one of the Detroit region's oldest backpacking routes: the Chief Pontiac Trail. Join us on Part 1 of this series as we traverse this classic Michigan hiking trail from Highland to Proud Lake!

Chief Pontiac Trail michigan hiking backpacking boy scouts highland recreation area expedition detroit

"There's no way that it was like this in the 1950s."

I say those words audibly to myself as yet another set of headlights blind me along Wixom Trail. It's just past 10 p.m., and I've got the red light setting on my headlamp turned on to alert oncoming traffic that there is, in fact, a rouge vagabond backpacking along the side of a major road on a Friday night.

A few cars flash their headlights at me. Maybe they think that I'm lost. Or they're checking to confirm that an apparition of Chris McCandless hasn't returned to haunt the outskirts of Milford. Regardless, they're obviously - and understandably - confused at the spectacle in front of them.

Against all odds, however, I'm right where I'm supposed to be. Not arriving at the trailhead at 6:30 p.m. for a 10.5+ mile backpacking trek would've been ideal, but regardless of my tardy departure, I'm exactly on-trail for the first segment of the traditional Chief Pontiac Trail. A prestigious expeditions that generations of Boy Scouts have traversed since 1958, when these roads assuredly were sleepy, backcountry routes to the outskirts of a growing Oakland County.

A welcomed sigh of relief hits my tired legs as I finally verge off of the main roads and back into the sanctuary of Proud Lake State Recreation Area. I have another 2.6 miles to go, but the familiar woods - even in the pitch dark - feel like home. A beautiful, natural environment that has hardly changed in the last 65 years thanks to ardent conservationism and prevailing common sense.

My calorie-deprived mind is complete mush at this point, but as I cross the Moss Dam Bridge I start to think about the trail that I'm following - and how it so accurately reflects the state of the Detroit region's outdoors. The grand history and decades-long visions that led to its establishment. The maintenance actions - or lack thereof - the led to its current state. The almost total lack of online visibility regarding its navigation and operation. And, most importantly, the opportunities for its future.

Out of all of our exploits on the Expedition Detroit platform, thru-hiking the Chief Pontiac Trail undoubtedly holds the title as our truest "expedition" to date. It's a rigorous, often overgrown, and occasionally unmarked trail that requires backpackers to stay dialed-in throughout the journey.

It's our great pleasure to introduce this quintessential trail to our audience now.