Michigan

Begin your hike at the Noquemenon South Trailhead and follow the markings for the Morgan Creek Falls loop. You will immediately have to cross Hwy 553 to get to the main trail. From there, you have two options to reach the falls. The first and more scenic is the marked Noquemenon trail (look for b...

Huginnin Cove is located on the west side of the island close to Windigo and is a great day hike.  Many people feel it's an even better overnight trip.  If you're going to be spending the night on the island, you must first go through the orientation with park staff and then get your permit.  The...

Windmill Island features an authentic and operational Dutch windmill called "De Zwaan" (The Swan) as well as gardens planted with over 100,000 tulips. The windmill was built in 1761 and moved to Holland in 1964. Notably, this windmill is not only the oldest authentic, working Dutch windmill in th...

Take the Kneutson Trail next to the lodge for 700 feet and you will come upon the America Dock. This century old dock provides a great view of the bay area and other smaller islands at sunset.

The trailhead for the snowshoe trail is located across the street from the Boyne Cross Country Ski center parking lot.  The trail starts out by winding through the woods sandwiched between the Boyne Mountain Resort maintenance facility and a road, so you’ll hear traffic and equipment noise for th...

Sugarloaf Mountain is one of the most popular hikes in the Marquette area. The easy hike quickly takes you up to clear views of Lake Superior and is perfect for a winter afternoon. Begin your hike at the trailhead off of Big Bay Road north of Marquette. There are two routes to the top - labeled e...

Outside of Marenisco, MI, take Cty Rd 523 north of town. The trailhead is just north of the bridge over Presque Isle River, hidden away in the trees. We missed it our first pass over the bridge. Once at the trailhead, hike down roughly 0.25 to 0.5 miles to see the waterfalls to your left. There a...

Of course, you can come any time of the year, this is always a lovely small park! It is guaranteed to be crowded and cost money (unless you have the Ottawa County park pass) in the summer, though, and I've had better luck with parking and personal space at Holland State Park. I've found that the ...

Park your car at the Sleeping Bear Point Trailhead in Glen Haven, Michigan, once parked find your way to the sign for point of reference with the map. You'll find that the Ghost Forest Trail is a 2.8 mile loop. You can start the loop at the trailhead which is near the bathroom, or at the sign whe...

Launch your kayak in the sheltered marina of Grindstone City County Park. Once you paddle past the break walls, paddle east along the shore. In less than a mile, you will come to huge rock faces. Some faces have beaches of rocks and sand. If it's wavy or windy, be careful not to get too close! A...

The total trip is approximately 2 miles, or 50-90 minutes. Your leisurely trip begins at the Waterford Clinton River Canoe Launch. While some paddlers go downstream and then back upstream to the start, I recommend staging a car or a bike where you end. The end point for this trip is the business ...

The hike begins at the Union Spring trailhead, roughly two miles south of the Park Headquarters on Boundary Road. This area of the park is also the winter cross country and snowshoeing section of the park, so many of the trails are marked for winter travel. To make sure you stay on the summer rou...

The locals will tell you that if you go one place in Marquette, MI, it needs to be Black Rocks Cove. A favorite cliff jumping site in the summer, the cove is just as worth visiting in the winter in order to see the impacts of Lake Superior's winter storms on the landscape like the ice blasted tre...

Gabbro Falls is located just east of Blackjack Ski Resort in Bessemer, MI. There are two options for seeing the falls. First, you can continue through the resort parking lot, and continue up a service road. On the left, you see a small parking area. From the parking area, you can see a small hand...

Starting at the Tobin Harbor day use dock kayak/canoe northeast or out of the inlet towards Lake Superior. Stay on the left side of the inlet for roughly a mile. You will pass several small chains of islands so stay to the left. You will come upon another day use dock and you will want to get out...

Just outside the village of Empire is where this venture starts. This hike may be the most famous hike in the area. The Empire Bluff Trail provides incredible views of the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes, South Bar Lake and Lake Michigan! The hike is slightly hilly, and stays primarily in the trees. At ...