Best Hiking Trails in Northern Michigan
A Healthier Michigan
| 3 min read
From Traverse City to Alpena and points in between, the northern half of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula is home to wonderful vacation destinations and plenty of natural beauty to explore.
If you’re planning to be in the area, make a point to spend a day on foot, checking out some of the best hiking trails in Michigan.
The Alpena Bi-Path offers approximately 18.5 miles of paved paths in a main loop around Alpena. The path has several scenic city parks and beaches along the way, including the Thunder Bay River and Lake Huron. Parking, dining, shopping, and sightseeing are available at several points. This is a flat, easy trail with no elevation changes, making it an easy challenge for walkers, hikers, bikers and more.
The Bear River Valley Recreation Area in Petoskey is home to a 1.5-mile path along the beautiful Bear River. Walking, biking, cross-country skiing, fishing and birding are popular along the Petoskey waterfront. The Bear River Valley Recreation Area is also home to a quarter-mile whitewater course, which is the only whitewater course in the Lower Peninsula. Pedestrian observation decks and restrooms are available.
The 3.9-mile Au Sable River Trail crosses the Au Sable River twice and paths through a grove of old-growth Eastern hemlock trees and red pine plantations that were planted in the 1930s. The terrain is calm and easy for hikers of all experience levels. A section of the trail is currently closed indefinitely for construction on footpath structures, affecting the ability to loop the trail.
Travel from Traverse City to Suttons Bay on this paved pathway and trail, enjoying vineyards, lakes, ponds, farms, a historic potato barn, and ample natural beauty. The trail runs through the Leo Creek Preserve, which has a permaculture landscape adjacent to the cold-water Leo Creek, which flows into Suttons Bay.
This Department of Natural Resources multi-use trail covers 70 miles from Cheboygan to Alpena. The North Eastern State Trail is a rural trail that passes farmlands, former lumber towns, historic sites, and river crossings over the Ocqueocand Black rivers. It is a generally flat trail with a crushed limestone surface, making it a great choice for biking or walking.
Do you want to walk from the shore of Lake Michigan to the shore of Lake Huron? You can on this 420-mile trail system, which ultimately connects the towns of Empire and Oscoda. Hikers, runners, bikers, and horseback riders can enjoy rural Michigan through the back roads and river valleys of this trail through the Huron-Manistee National Forests. There are multiple camping and rest sites along the way, managed by either the Michigan Department of Natural Resources or the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service.
Hike along the beautiful scenery contained within the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on this non-motorized trail. This trail is more than 20 miles long, with 5 more miles planned to be added to complete a 27-mile trail. This trail passes along and through the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and two lakeshore towns, Glen Arbor and Empire. As a non-motorized trail, it is ideal for runners, cyclists, and walkers. Birdwatchers and wildlife lovers can enjoy views along the trail, especially along the boardwalks at Narada Lake in Port Oneida.
