Pilgrim Community Forest

"A beautiful spot that can be pretty hard to get to, especially for your first visit. There is another review already describing where to park and how to find the entrance to the trail. I highly recommend reading that as it was a lifesaver for me. Other than the subpar access, this is a beautiful and fun hike. Lots of hilly terrain to give you a good leg workout and different views of the lush forest surrounding the trail. There are some large carpets of young sugar maple, as well as a few enclaves old hemlocks that provide lots of shade on a hot sunny day. The end of the trail spits you out right on the shallow banks of the Pilgrim River with a nice small clearing to listen to the water flow. I would recommend this place for those with good knees and vehicles that don't mind parking on thin gravel pull-offs."

"Great hike with lots of elevation changes. About 3 miles to the river for 6 in total without using "short cuts"."

"Great spot, and a bit of a hidden gem for as close as it is to Houghton. There is one trail, which is an out and back across rolling terrain that ultimately ends down among a sea of ferns and the Pilgrim river. I think the trail is about 2.5 miles in one direction, but I never use GPS or anything like that, so it's a rough estimate. I'd call it an intermediate hike. The hardest hill is actually the first one. You definitely don't have to get all the way to the river to make it interesting, and early spring and late fall, you get some good views early in the route. We have taken our kids up there since an early age, and they enjoy exploring the hills. This is a favorite for me for trail running, too, because of the constant rollers and relatively good footing. It's also only a mile of road back up the hill to the Tech Trails, so this is a great trail for connecting with the Tech single track and doing long days. The trailhead is not super obvious from a car, and the Google marker should be on the west side of Paradise road. To get started, park on Pilgrim Road where there is less traffic and a wide gravel shoulder near the intersection, and then cross over Paradise road and look for the trail that starts right on the upper edge of the rail alongside the west side of the road."