North Fox Island, MI

During a visit for a family funeral, my son and his wife came home from
Vandenberg AFB and as an added bonus, stayed with us for a couple extra days. His wife left early for Denver to pick up the kids from grand parents but David, had a couple of extra days so we spent them together as much as we could including some flying!

I had a business trip to make in the RV to Gaylord MI, about 150 miles to the North. Perfect! The flight to Gaylord was uneventful and basicall routine. Didnt even bother to take any photos. The fun started when we asked about the pilot car we reserved,

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Yup, old police car with a BITE! Fun driving through town to the customers office and to the restaurant for lunch. Got lots of looks and kids really liked it!

North Fox island is about 19 miles off shore and is very remote. Life jackets and flight following are absolutely required in my book but also be aware that there are no people living there, no roads, no buildings, no power, no emergency services, and no cell phone service! Be prepared as the only chance you have if you get in trouble is to activate your ELT or wait for a plane to fly overhead and try to get them on your radio. There is however, a beautiful rural strip maintained by the RAF.
I trimmed my wheel pant openings a little bigger and am running Monster Retreads. Just slightly larger tires. I also have the front wheel bearings and support on the front gear by Antisplat Splat, and been getting a fair amount of grass time in lately.

Leaving Gaylord, set course for N Fox (6Y3) takes us over Charlevoix and out over Lake Michigan.

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Looking south towards Traverse City and the lakes and bays, Beautiful.
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Feet Wet! Charlevoix passing under us.
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Approaching N Fox, still about 10 miles out. Can't see the strip yet. The island to the South is S Fox Island, very private and not allowed to land there.
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As we approached, we decided to circle around and check it out first. Didn't appear to be anyone else here.
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Nice report and pictures. I've accrued a couple hundred thousand miles in driving police model Crown Vic's. For what it is; it's an impressive vehicle. But I'd never buy one.

Fox island looks like a place where I would conduct my own "Naked and afraid" experiment.

More photos and story as time permits. Tomorrow, landing and parking.

I serve our local county as a reserv officer and spend some time in Impalas. All currently being changed our to Tahoes. Crown Vic's are before my time but after driving this one, better than what we are driving now!

Great thread, Paul! I've been looking at a trip to that N. Fox strip ever since I found out about it. Nice pics, too!

N. Fox Island

Would love to hear the rest of the details of your trip.

I went there last year.
I parked on the south end of the runway.

We were told you could take a short walk down the trail to the south beach.
We got on the main trail heading south-east towards the lawnmower shed.
We found a few spots close to the beach, but didn't look like a 'real trail' and the drop off to the beach was steep.

We continued walking quite a ways and got to a cement slab with a few I-beams mounted on it. Climbed down to the beach from there. We must have went too far on the main trail and missed the spot where you can easily access the beach?

My girlfriend and I have never been swarmed by bugs that badly in our life.
Seeing many snakes slithering across the trail as we walked didn't make her feel we were in paradise
She does not like snakes.

We had a quick picnic lunch on the beach, but were invaded by ants.
Took our shoes off and went knee deep in the water, picked rocks, skipped rocks, and enjoyed the breeze and sunshine.
She commented that Mackinac Island is her preference over N Fox.

jeffsvan,

WOW, not our experiance at all!

There is a trail directly to the beach on the South end of the runway next to the camping area. Easy 1 minute walk. Never saw a snake or bug! Sand was clean, water was clear and warm.

N. Fox Island part 2

Circled the island once then set up for the landing. Beautiful view, difficult to stay on task and not look around at the beaches and water.

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Base to final.


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Short final!

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Looking good, stay focused! Soft field landing...

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Touchdown. Smooth as they get but the grass was a little long.

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Taxied to the South End where there is a camping area, tables, fire pit, and out house. Also, there is a mail box with emergency food and water plus a log book for visitors to sign in. Fun seeing who preceeded us, some from my home airport Sparta MI, 8D4.

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Had to jump out and get a photo of David, in the RV, on the island.

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Looking back North at the runway we just landed at and seeing how incredably green it was!

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Absolutely calm, you can see how long the grass is.

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Trail to the beach, short walk, easy grade. Took about a minute.

N Fox Island part 3

We heard reports of snakes, lots of snakes, but none to be seen!

The walk to the beach only takes about a minute and is an easy downhill trail. There is a marker at the bottom to help find the trail back up but in reality, the beach ends at the trail head, only clear to the East. Rocky and swampy to the West.

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View to the West. Less walkable but just as beautiful!

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It only gets better from here, getting wider and more clear. We walked about a mile along the South side of the island stopping to swim and eat a snack while taking in the incredable view and quietness. Total lack of civilized sounds and just waves.

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Water was incredably warm and clear. Without any rivers flowing into the lake near by, the water is without any silt. Clear as glass!

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Shoes came off right after this photo!

Take off and leaving again, was non-eventfull. Didn't take any photos but we circled the island in VX to gain some altitude before crossing the water again and to see the island and beach that we just visited.

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I think it was a good day!

Paul K,

Thanks for the great report & pics.

I have friends in the Detroit area, so some day when I fly up there I will have to take them on an island adventure

I'm a native Michigander and Fox Island is on my bucket list!

Awhile back, our EAA Chapter 113 in Canton MI had a member of the Recreational Aviation Foundation do a presentation on the North Fox Island airport. They had just started the restoration efforts; it certainly looks a lot better now. Thanks for sharing!

Here is a link to a nice video about Fox Island and the RAF:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ycw6wVxCZI0

goatflieg said:

Awhile back, our EAA Chapter 113 in Canton MI had a member of the Recreational Aviation Foundation do a presentation on the North Fox Island airport. They had just started the restoration efforts; it certainly looks a lot better now. Thanks for sharing!

Click to expand...

It was the Recreational Aviation Foundation that worked with the State of Michigan to open up the island for recreational use.

If you are not already a member of the RAF, I strongly suggest you join. The cost is $0.00.

www.theraf.org

This looks like a great day trip!

Any comments on things to do/see/eat at nearby Beaver Island?

I was thinking a visit or overnight stay at Beaver Island combined with a day trip/picnic over to North Fox would be a fun adventure.

Thanks for the trip report!

Beaver is an interesting place but not very touristy. It is an island that is stuck in a time from the past with a very slow quiet pace. There is an Irish Pub in town that serves food but few other town atrtractions.

The good news is that if you land at Welke, there are cars you can barrow for the day and explore the may miles of roads and remote shores. One gas station to refill the tank when you return it, a little pricy but consider what it takes to get a tank of gas delivered to the station! Lots of hikes to do and if you want ot spend the night, there are houses and B&Bs to rent if you really like quiet.

More to do depending on what you like and are looking for. There are several WEB sites that should be visited for additional information. All and all, I find it to be a very quiet place.

I've got to land there

Paul K said:

Circled the island once then set up for the landing. Beautiful view, difficult to stay on task and not look around at the beaches and water.

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Base to final.

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Short final!

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Looking good, stay focused! Soft field landing...

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Touchdown. Smooth as they get but the grass was a little long.

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Taxied to the South End where there is a camping area, tables, fire pit, and out house. Also, there is a mail box with emergency food and water plus a log book for visitors to sign in. Fun seeing who preceeded us, some from my home airport Sparta MI, 8D4.

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Had to jump out and get a photo of David, in the RV, on the island.

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Looking back North at the runway we just landed at and seeing how incredably green it was!

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Absolutely calm, you can see how long the grass is.

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Trail to the beach, short walk, easy grade. Took about a minute.

Click to expand...

Been thinking about it ever since my return from OSH.
Now I have to go.

Thanks,
Daddyman

wow, I bet there is nothing better than having a whole island to yourself. nice trip!

It's very quiet!