Brown Bridge Quiet Area

The Brown Bridge Quiet Area is located on the Boardman River, a state designated Natural River, approximately 11 miles southeast of Traverse City, Michigan. There are numerous hiking trails and scenic look-out areas available to the public.  The trails are limited to hiking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing, depending on the season and conditions.  

Hikers can expect to see a large variety of flora and fauna, which could include vegetation such as white cedar, balsam fir, black spruce, tamarack, white pine, red pine, paper birch, river birch, red maple, black ash, sedge, swamp milkweed, lady fern, blue-joint reedgrass, oak fern, wild lily-of-the-valley, bracken fern, rice grass, twisted stalk, lowbrush blueberry and black huckleberry; and wildlife such as great blue heron, pileated woodpecker, loon, bald eagle, osprey, red-shouldered hawk, wood turtle, eastern box turtle, white-tailed deer, black bear, bobcat, coyote, red fox, river otter, beaver and mink. 

Until the fall of 2012, the Quiet Area was also the site of Brown Bridge Pond. Brown Bridge Pond was formed by the construction of the Brown Bridge Dam on the Boardman River in 1922.  The removal of Brown Bridge Dam eliminated the Pond and has allowed the river to return to its historic channel and status as a high-quality free-flowing river.