Michigan

Your paddle begins at Veteran's Waterfront Park in Port Austin. This is a beautiful sandy beach with plenty of parking. From here, paddle west. I like to stick close to shore to check out everything up close and to minimize the waves. Not far into your paddle, you will come across your first big...

Outside of Agate, MI, this spot is a couple of miles west of the town on MI-28. With parking on the side of the road, follow the main path under the bridge to reach the wooden walkway to the overlook. If you'd like to see the falls from above, before the walkway, there is a path up the hill that ...

Hungarian Falls is a set of three waterfalls, the largest being around fifty feet in height, on the Dover Creek, just outside of Houghton, Michigan. In less than a mile, you can access these waterfalls, plus smaller unnamed drops and some very scenic overlooks. The lower and middle drops are belo...

The main trailhead parking for the north unit is found on the west side of Harmon Rd, just south of Predmore Rd. The north unit consists of a west loop of this parking area (Blue and White trails) and an east loop (Orange trail). While both loops are rugged and scenic, the best loop is following ...

Taking US Hwy 41 south of L'Anse, you can see the Canyon Falls Roadside Park and trail access to the Canyon Falls gorge. The hike is mainly downhill to the first cliff jumping spot, roughly 200-300 meters down the path. A good warm-up, this cliff is roughly 10-15 feet, with the river base roughly...

Gabbro Falls is on the Black River and is as impressive waterfall.  This wild waterfall does not have any fences or barriers, so view with caution from above. Getting there, take Black Jack Road north. This road will take a sharp left turn and will go by the ski hill. Before you get to the ski hi...

The Little Carp River Trailhead is located in the center of the Porcupine Mountain State Park, about 16 miles west of the park headquarters on S. Boundary Road. At the start of the trailhead, hikers can see Overlooked Falls. About a mile in one the trail, Greenstone Falls can be seen past both th...

The trip to Mirror Lake begins at the Summit Peak Scenic Area. To extend your hike, start at the Lily Pond trail-head farther south on Summit Peak Road (5.3 miles to cabin). The initial trail towards the lake is the Beaver Creek trail (1.2 miles). The trail climbs down the peak slope into some lo...

Located just south of Charlevoix is Fisherman's Island State Park. The park offers miles of biking/hiking trails, and campsites directly on the beach of Lake Michigan.  Although located just outside of town, there is no service in this area, leaving you completely cut off from the outside world. ...

This adventure begins at Waterworks Park in Holly. There is a parking lot, pedestrian bridge, map, nature lookout, and designated launch at this site. From here to Storm Park in Fenton, it is 7 river miles and will take most paddlers 2-3 hours. The Shiawassee is a slow-moving, warm water river th...

Potawatomi and Gorge falls are two of the most scenic waterfalls on the black river. These two waterfalls are an easy stop for anyone and both waterfalls are accessible for wheelchairs.  The Black River Scenic Byway starts north of US 2 near Bessemer. There are signs on the highway.  The falls ar...

Hiking in the porcupine mountains could be a day trip or a week trip. From a short rim hike overlooking Lake of the Clouds to a three day back country camping excursion, there are endless amounts of options for planning a getaway to the Porcupine Mountains.  Located in the far northwest of Michig...

At a pretty even elevation, this four mile trail ranks as one of the top trails in the National Park system. Begin your hike on the Stoll Memorial Trail and continue until you hit the Scoville Trail. Follow the Scoville Trail for another roughly 600 meters and you will hit a spectacular lookout o...

Park at the High Rollway Observation Deck in Kingsley. There's actually two parking lots that you will come to on a dirt road. I suggest parking at the eastern most lot (drive straight instead of making a final right turn). There are two primary wooden platform lookouts near the parking lots. Be ...

We started our hiking in the afternoon at the Lake of the Clouds parking lot. Our original plan for the hike was to thru hike the Lake Superior Trail, however, due to muddy conditions and recent rain, we chose the Big Carp River Trail as a dryer route to get to our mid-camp point near the Big Car...

This adventure starts at Argo Park. Rent a kayak for $21 (including shuttle service back) or bring your own. Caution: parking can be limited on the busiest summer days, so be sure to check out the overflow lots and shuttles. Check the livery website for hours and additional parking information. ...