Eister Falls/ Gratiot

Type: Backcountry or Sidecountry

Park at the Gratiot Lake Boat Ramp. It's usually plowed and Free!

Parked at the Gratiot Lake boat ramp. There is good signage directing to the Eister Falls Michigan Nature Association Conservation area. The trail, marked for hiking in the summer, was easy to follow with blue trail markers leading us to the top of the topography. The skinning was quite mellow.

There are shorter ski descent lines on the northeastern summit, which we found to have better snow due to its northeastern orientation, although the runs were shorter. Conversely, the south-facing summit is steeper but receives more sun but also more vert. Despite the fresh snow, there was a crusty layer underneath, so it's best to hit it when it's cloudy and has had recent snowfall.

One thing to note is to be cautious of skiing into private land on the skier's right of the south face.