Uploaded August 2013 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Recently I took a group of students on a day hike on the North Country Trail to a "secret" cave that exists just off the NCT in Southern Michigan. Locally it's known as Silas Doty Cave or Horseman's Cave. I say "secret" because although it's not more than 100 yards off the NCT, 99% of folks have no idea of its whereabouts or existence. Would-be hikers simply pass through this area without a second thought and many local folks go looking for this cave with little success.
This video is simply a video showing some of the beauty of this trail section from Gilbert Rd to Skuse Rd, and then to the cave; but also includes fairly detailed information on how to find the cave if you are ever in the area. (cave direction info is right around the 5:40 minute mark)
This cave has a really neat story surrounding it as well and you can read more about it by looking up "Sile Doty" on Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sile_Doty). Silas was a member of the Jesse James gang and while on the run ("from the law"), hid his stolen horses and goods in this cave (as local legend has it). A couple of years ago while hiking in with the family, some folks who have lived in the area their whole life informed us that the DNR blew up the cave entrance about 15 years ago due to safety concerns. Despite this, you can still enter a portion of the cave fairly easily.
Each year I lead a group of adults and students on a week-long backpacking trip and first-time students are required to hike with fully loaded packs through this section in order to qualify. All in all, we usually do about 5 miles of hiking in order to get them familiar with the packs as well as the gear and how to pack and carry it all.
Thanks again for watching, and we'll see you outdoors!
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If this is your first time with us, my name is Dave, and David's Passage is the name of my vlog. This passage in life started with a desire to share my love of the outdoors with the world. My hope is that those who tune into my videos will be inspired to venture out and enjoy all of creation for what it's worth. This video blog features videos on an array of outdoor-related topics, as well as DIY projects that might just help you more fully enjoy the outdoors. New videos come out on Tuesdays at 3pm EST, so please subscribe and be on the lookout for new content soon!
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To keep up with what I'm doing outdoors, please subscribe to my channel and visit: davidspassage.com
You can also connect with me on twitter: twitter.com/davidspassage
and on Facebook: facebook.com/davidspassage
See you outdoors!
Music you heard in this video was from the finger-style guitarist, David Youngman. I highly recommend you check him out.
davidyoungmanmusic.com
I have obtained written permission from the original artist to use his music in my videos.
Recently I took a group of students on a day hike on the North Country Trail to a "secret" cave that exists just off the NCT in Southern Michigan. Locally it's known as Silas Doty Cave or Horseman's Cave. I say "secret" because although it's not more than 100 yards off the NCT, 99% of folks have no idea of its whereabouts or existence. Would-be hikers simply pass through this area without a second thought and many local folks go looking for this cave with little success.
This video is simply a video showing some of the beauty of this trail section from Gilbert Rd to Skuse Rd, and then to the cave; but also includes fairly detailed information on how to find the cave if you are ever in the area. (cave direction info is right around the 5:40 minute mark)
This cave has a really neat story surrounding it as well and you can read more about it by looking up "Sile Doty" on Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sile_Doty). Silas was a member of the Jesse James gang and while on the run ("from the law"), hid his stolen horses and goods in this cave (as local legend has it). A couple of years ago while hiking in with the family, some folks who have lived in the area their whole life informed us that the DNR blew up the cave entrance about 15 years ago due to safety concerns. Despite this, you can still enter a portion of the cave fairly easily.
Each year I lead a group of adults and students on a week-long backpacking trip and first-time students are required to hike with fully loaded packs through this section in order to qualify. All in all, we usually do about 5 miles of hiking in order to get them familiar with the packs as well as the gear and how to pack and carry it all.
Thanks again for watching, and we'll see you outdoors!
----------
If this is your first time with us, my name is Dave, and David's Passage is the name of my vlog. This passage in life started with a desire to share my love of the outdoors with the world. My hope is that those who tune into my videos will be inspired to venture out and enjoy all of creation for what it's worth. This video blog features videos on an array of outdoor-related topics, as well as DIY projects that might just help you more fully enjoy the outdoors. New videos come out on Tuesdays at 3pm EST, so please subscribe and be on the lookout for new content soon!
----------
To keep up with what I'm doing outdoors, please subscribe to my channel and visit: davidspassage.com
You can also connect with me on twitter: twitter.com/davidspassage
and on Facebook: facebook.com/davidspassage
See you outdoors!
Music you heard in this video was from the finger-style guitarist, David Youngman. I highly recommend you check him out.
davidyoungmanmusic.com
I have obtained written permission from the original artist to use his music in my videos.
