Matt Johnson

Hidden on the northeastern side of Door County, Newport State Park offers 16 secluded, hike-in only campsites throughout its 20-plus miles of hikable terrain. The Europe Bay Trail Loop encompasses the northern portion of the park, and leads to three campsites bordering Europe Lake or the Lake Michigan shore. The trail begins at Parking Lot C, only .5 miles from the park entrance. Follow the sig...

We began our hike at the beginning of the afternoon after about two-three hours driving up the 14 mile road. The first mile of the trail was mild, turning into an uphill adventure. Lots of switchbacks, winding paths, and some tree coverage. By mile 2, we were on a steep grade the rest of the way. Following a river stream most of the way up, the density of the forest began to engulf the trail. T...

Located in Amberg, Dave's Falls is in the heart of Marinette County, known for its various rapids, rivers, and waterfalls. The hike to the falls is well marked and very simple, and uses stairs for easier access. Hikers can shoot right for the falls, or continue left for a foot bridge and another section of light rapids along the river. 

During the winter months, Peninsula State Park offers a number of winter activity trails, including three designated snowshoeing trails. One of those trails within the park is the Nicolet Beach Trail. Starting at Nicolet Beach, hikers can see the trailhead from the eastern side of the rentals shack. The first portion of the hike goes through the Nicolet Bay campground, and continues closer to t...

Superior Falls sits right next to the Superior River, near the northern terminus of the Montreal River. The parking area for the falls is rather large, and there are porta-potties directly next to the parking area.  To see the lower region of the falls, you can hike down to the base of the river, towards the lake. Once down, you'll hike towards a rocky wall near the base of the falls. For the b...

Located in Many Glacier, the Red Gap Pass trail begins at the Apikuni Falls Trailhead located east of the Many Glacier Lodge (if you're looking to check out the falls before your hike, check out Hike to Apikuni Falls at Glacier National Park). The trail starts at a gradual incline and continue this way along the Swiftcurrent Ridge for the first three miles of the hike. The incline is mild, so i...

An unusual hike to see the falls, Saxon Falls sits next to a flowage station. On foot, follow the short, wooded hiking trail to the east of the parking area, which leads to the overlook location. For better viewing, continue down the path. The falls sports one of the deepest gorges in the region. Saxon Falls is surrounded by many waterfalls in the region, so make sure to plan another stop while...

The Milwaukee River Trailhead for the Ice Age Trail (IAT) is located on WI-28, east of the Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive. Before the hike, make sure to pack water, or hike off-trail to the New Fane trailhead (1.1 mile round trip, we got caught doing this) for an early water source on the trail. The Kettle Moraine State Forest had been shaped and sculpted by glacier thousands of years ago, leaving...

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 the Greenstone Falls and Section 17 hiker cabins (reservable at Michigan DNR Website). Continuing on t...

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 route, follow the "ungroomed section" of the Union Spring trail. Continuing the trail, you should reach...

Located roughly 8 miles north of Bruce Crossing on Highway 45, the O Kun de Kun Trailhead is a small turnoff located on the right side of the highway. The trailhead offers limited parking, but the trail is rarely busy. At the beginning the trail, hikers can see the blue blazes of the North Country Trail, an interstate trail stretching from North Dakota to New York. The trailhead is also east of...

Inside of High Cliff State Park, Lime Kiln Trail is a unique spot right off the shores of Lake Winnebago. The trail extends 1.7 miles, but has a early cutoff to shorten the hike if desired. In the winter, the trail is not marked well, but hikers can follow the tracks to continue on the loop.The trail also runs next to the old kiln lines of the Western Lime and Cement Company that operated for o...

The Porcupine Mountains offer a lot of fantastic winter options including cabin and yurt rentals for winter excursions. The most remote trek available in the park is towards the Lost Creek Yurt, a 6.8 miles route that is 2.8 miles on cross country ski trail, and 4 miles on a flagged route into the woods.  To start the hike, enter the park at the Headquarters Office off of the junction of M-107 ...

Long Slide Falls is one of the largest slide falls in the Northeast Wisconsin region. Taking Hwy 8 north of Pembine, head towards Morgan Park until reaching the turnout for Long Slide County Park. Once there, the waterfall can be heard from the parking area. To see the top portion of the falls, head right from the parking area with little effort. However, to reach the base of the falls, the cli...

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 can lead you to old railroad tracks above the falls. Don't worry, they are covered by plastic and ad...

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 10 feet deep. The climb back onto the path is done right under the cliff itself. Continuing on the ...

Cascade Falls is accessed through the North Inlet Trail on the western side of Rocky Mountain National Park. The trailhead, North Inlet Trailhead, is north of the main town area of Grand Lake. Parking at the trailhead is limited, so hikers can also park along the road leading to the trailhead. The beginning of the hike is on an unpaved road, leading to a privately owned cabin (1.0 miles in). Ju...

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 Carp cabins. The beginning of the hike offered fantastic views of the overlook area. The cliffs and she...

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 handmade sign for the falls. Be careful, from the sign, the falls are only a few steps away! This is the...

Located in Munising, MI, Grand Island National Recreation Area is a part of the Hiawatha National Forest. While this section of the Upper Peninsula is known for Pictured Rocks National Park, many people fail to see or check out Grand Island. Secluded by ferry access, the island features 12 backpacking sites and two group sites along a 20-ish mile loop, along with six other sites on the eastern ...

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 are multiple sets of falls to see along the way. 

High Cliff State Park has some great hiking and cool spots throughout the park, but something that isn't on the map is located right next to the Observatory Tower atop of the bluffs. From the main parking lot area, left of the observatory tower, there is an old stone entrance behind a wooden fence. Climbing around the fence, explorers can walk down the stone steps and loop around the bluffs bel...

Mill Bluff State Park is located south of I-90 in Tomah. The park is known for it's featured bluffs that can be seen very prominently in the flat landscapes in the area. The park offers campsites, a small swimming hole, and some hiking trails along the bluffs.  The trail along the main bluffs follows the base of the hills, and stretches for over a mile. The scenery is great, and separated from ...

From Moab, take Kane Creek Blvd out of town towards the beginning of the trailhead at the Kane Creek Recreation Parking Lot. From there, the trail is pretty much the only route available. The drive follows along a very smooth dirt road for the first six miles. Here, take a right to follow towards Hurrah Pass (see Drive Hurrah Pass for more info), climbing for about 3.5 miles.  After reaching th...