© ©
Ogemaw Hills Pathway wind through approximately 15 miles of the AuSable State Forest providing groomed cross country trails for all skill levels.
Too thoroughly enjoy this area you should understand the dynamic forces that were at work shaping our landscape thousands of years ago.
As you drive along the I-75 Business Loop into West Branch or travel Fairview Road, notice the well defined ridge of hills that rise from the east and run westward arcing southward, these hills extend into the southern part of the state.
\About 16,000 years ago, a retreating glacier front, thousands of feet thick known as the Saginaw lobe left these hills, called a terminal moraine.
The hills north of West Branch and arcing south towards Clare County are referred to by geologists as the West Branch Moraine, marking the farthest advance of the Saginaw Lobe in this part of Michigan. This moraine marks the border of glacial lake Saginaw that formed in front of the ice before the present day Saginaw Bay. The flat terrain from West Branch south to Flint is evidence of this.
A view from the pathway "Overlook Trail" located on the face of the "West Branch Moraine" gives you a striking view of the area and an idea what took place so many years ago.
While skiers have little chance of encountering a advancing glacial front, they can generally count on 3 to 5 inches more of snow on the trails than in the lower areas around West Branch due to the elevation difference.
Glacial terrain is just one aspect that defines the pathway. Man's impact past and present is very much in evidence. In 1903, the state government formed "forest reserves" from land that had been cut and burned over and had returned to state ownership due to non-payment of taxes. Many farms were on poor, sandy soils and were abandoned as early as the 1880's up through the Great Depression and reverted to state ownership. The clearings you enter as you ski or hike are old farm fields slowly being reclaimed by forest. Old fence lines, orchards, rock piles and foundations long since abandoned can be found.
Perhaps best of all of Ogemaw Hills assets is its constantly changing northern hardwood forest mixed with a grove of large white pines, a hemlock swamp, pine plantation and a stand of large beech. The beauty of the pathway is only surpassed by skiing them after a fresh snow fall under a full moon.
Trails are maintained by the Ogemaw Hills Ski Council.
Return to Ogemaw County Index