The Brown Bridge Quiet Area is approximately 1300 acres of City-owned property located 11 miles southeast of Traverse City. The Boardman River runs through the property and 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 in 1922. The removal of Brown Bridge Dam eliminated the Pond and has allowed the Boardman River to return to it's historic channel and status as a high-quality free-flowing river.

The easterly end of the property contains the 70-acre Grasshopper Creek Permit Hunting Area. This area is a limited-permit-only hunting area regulated by the City of Traverse City. For more information on obtaining a hunting license, please visit our Permits and Forms page.

There are currently 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.

Brown Bridge Quiet Area

brown bridge quiet area 5

brown bridge quiet area

Brown Bridge Quiet Area

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