Awesome day on the island! We took the inaugural ferry of 2026 and had the inaugural tour at the…read morelighthouse! Just a really nice day hiking and having a picnic lunch. The lodge/boat house is really cool; take time to review the exhibits inside. (Enjoy some great soup at Jackson Harbor Soup Shop afterwards!)

This island is definitely worth the ferry rides to get there. You can tour the lighthouse and hike…read morethe entire island. The lighthouse attendants are so friendly and knowledgeable. Very beautiful place to see.

I'm putting in an update since it has been 4 years since my last review of the Ridges, and will…read morealso post under the Ridges Nature Center as it seems more are reviewing this area under that listing in Yelp. Please do see my older reviews too. This is a lovely natural area with easy boardwalk and flat packed dirt trails. There are many swales with frogs and turtles and tons of wildflowers including so many dwarf irises! It's great seeing those doing so well here. 7 years ago they were excited about one small patch, and now they're everywhere! We even saw some wild orchids. This is a great spot for an easy, relaxing walk in a beautiful setting. Entry is $5 per person and parking is easy during non-peak times.

There is a $5 entrance fee. They have beautiful gardens around the office. We hiked the ridges &…read moreswales and out to the range lights. It was well worth the $5 per person entrance fee. They have a very nice trail system! Bring bug spray though!

The view was definitely worth the trip! Directions from the previous review are spot on. After you…read moreturn on Knowles Creek Rd from CTH F follow that until you see the lake on your right. Immediately after the lake you will see a little driveway on your left that leads to a campsite. After that you are looking for the 3rd road on the left(road number 2781. It is marked with a small vertical wooden sign that is somewhat hidden by weeds but pretty easy to spot). I'm not sure the exact distance, but it was a few minute drive past the campsite till you reach the 3rd road on the left. Take a left on road 2781 and follow it until you come to a fork in the road where road number 2349B splits off to the right(there is a large mud hole at the start of this trail). At this point you will need to abandon your vehicle and begin hiking. Hike down the road 2349B until you come to another fork in the roadway. When you reach this fork take the trail that goes up hill (this trail goes off to the left and has a few broken off trees at the start of it). From there its a short hike up hill until you reach one of the most beautiful views in the northwoods! The total hike round trip is right around 2 miles. Shoes that can get muddy and bug spray are also definitely a must for this hike! I made the driving portion of this trip in my all wheel drive BMW X1. It made the trip ok, however driving down road 2781 was a bit of a nail biter as there are some bigger stones in the roadway and a few larger mud holes that a 2 wheel drive vehicle may not have made it through. That being said road 2781 is definitely definitely more of an offload trail with 2 tire tracks that you drive on and no place to turn around until you get to the fork for road 2349B. I would recommend a 4 wheel drive truck or suv for this journey, or just parking on the side of Knowles Creek Rd and hiking from there. Doing this would only about another mile to the hike. Also you may be able to drive down road 2349B if you have a Wrangler or similar vehicle. I also recommend stopping at the lake you pass on Knowles Creek Rd and getting some beautiful pictures! There is a small campsite that you can turn off into if it isn't occupied and spend a little time taking in the beauty of the lake.

YES. After many hours of searching to no end...on multiple days...we have finally discovered this…read moreproudly hidden gem, so titled The Big Rock. Hopefully this review will lead you right to the site and save you all the hours of endless exploration, but this is mostly serving as a note-to-self...to help me find this place in the future :-) Soooo starting from downtown Lakewood, WI: Head north on F until you hit Knowles Creek Rd, turn left. Continue on Knowles Creek until there comes a fork in the road. At the fork, follow Knowles Creek to the left and do NOT continue straight/right-ish onto McCaslin Tower Rd. Continue on Knowles Creek, where you should see a sort of lake on the right and then a campsite further down on the left. After these two "markers", look for the 2nd trail on the left with one of those mini-snowmobile stop signs. The correct trail should be numbered 2781. Follow this trail (in the car is still fine, but watch for huge puddles/deep mud) until you can literally drive no further. You should then see a sort of pathway at the end on the left that is somewhat upward sloping at first. At this point, abandon your vehicle and begin walking up the clearing (there is typically a puddle or mud of some sort at the start of this path). Walk for a bit (1/2 mile?) and keep your eyes out for an uphill path on the left side of where you are walking (in my experience, there has been a partially fallen tree trunk marking the base of this hill). Follow the path up this hillside to the top, at which point, you have reached The Big Rock! The total walking time is minimal and, round-trip, clocks in at around 2 miles. You'll know when you've reached your destination because the view is breathtaking! Now supposedly, this is a geocaching site (I have included the URL in my creation of this business listing), so there are instructions and coordinates on how to reach the place on that as well. In my two trips to The Big Rock, I have yet to discover where the cache is located...we searched for quite a while on both occasions and were unable to find the box. So good luck to all future enthusiasts with that endeavor; as for me, I'll be lounging on that huge rock over there enjoying the view :)

This Pyramid Point Overlook has such a colorful setting here on the banks of Sleeping Bear Dunes…read moreNational Lakeshore. I really admired the surroundings and simply looking down upon Lake Michigan's beautiful sand and beaches. Pyramid Point Trail was recommended to me by the park ranger at the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center back in the town of Empire, MI. It's a casual 1/2-mile climb to arrive at this observation point. Though...you can hike a 2.7-mile round trip loop around the lakeshores to get a more real feel perspective of being here at Sleeping Bear Dunes rather than just heading straight for this Pyramid Point vista spot. I visited on a random Tuesday back in late May 2021 around 12pm and had the trail and observation point all to myself. So, from high above the waters I was able to hear the waves crashing down below. It was quite nice, and I genuinely appreciated the ambiance. And...I couldn't believe how scenic the turquoise green colors of Lake Michigan appeared especially when highlighted by the sun's strong reflections. Btw...while exploring at Sleeping Bear Dunes I also recommend hiking Empire Bluff Trail and driving the 7.5-mile Pierce Stocking Drive on the outskirts of Lake Michigan. And when traveling along Pierce Stocking Drive, my favorite pullovers were stop numbers 9, 10, 11 to capture the best backdrops for what makes the lakeshore special. Also, don't forget trekking up the 3.5-mile roundtrip Dune Climb to access the beach shores of Lake Michigan. Finally, this Pyramid Point Overlook and Trail was my last full activity here at Sleeping Bear Dubes NL. The crisp, clear background scenery was a terrific way to end my explorations in the Lower Peninsula section of Michigan before venturing further north towards the "UP" driving "Shipwreck Coast" and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore before ultimately ending at Isle Royale National Park. But...I highly suggest hiking the 1/2-mile (each way) Pyramid Point Trail to arrive at this visually appealing overlook!

Fabulous experience that is well-worth visiting. Hiked through the wooded area to eventually see an…read moreoverview of Lake Michigan. A must visit!

Pretty easy trail to follow. The whole map, if you walk fast can probably finish in 2 hours. There…read moreare no trash can on the trail so don't leave anything behind. There is a trail that reach the cliff and it has great views. If you physically can't climb Bear dunes, it is a good alternative

Really great place to check out for some trail time in nature! I can't wait to come back in summer…read moreor fall, as our visit was in winter- but still beautiful. We only saw one other couple hiking, so it was very serene. We started at the Mt Baldy trailhead parking area and went to the outlook trail. It was a fairly easy half mile with beautiful views and benches. We then went to the dune trail for the dune/bluff overlook. That, especially the part going right up to the dune, was a bit more challenging and steep. Could have been the snow obscuring steps or something though. It was VERY windy right on the lake but so beautiful with the epic views and the sand mixing with the snow. After that we headed back to the parking lot. Total it was about 2.5 miles. Trails are well marked and in the winter it appears appropriate for snow shoes or cross country skiing. There's so much more to check out than that at this preserve, so I'll definitely come back if we come to this area again.

One of our hands-down favorite places to hike. There's tons of hike-in camping spots along the…read more11-mile hiking trail, which largely follows the shoreline of the Manistee River with a few inland jaunts on a few of the oxbows. Despite being fairly well known, it's pretty pristine and doesn't feel overly busy but it's also never completely vacant. The river views are lovely, there's plenty of wildlife (great fishing & birdwatching), and there's a cliff swing over the water (huge adrenaline rush for this 43-year-old) on an off-shoot path just past the suspension bridge and a waterfall at mile 3.5 if you're coming from the north. You can return on the main path or on the other side of the river on a section of the North Country Trail.

What a great hiking trail! Parking wasn't bad at Red River Bridge Access…read moreOnce on the trail it is well marked. Campsites were clean and it looks like the hikers who enjoy the trail take good care of it. I didn't see one bit of trash the whole day. It was pretty busy, with folks heading both directions, everyone was very friendly and they all seemed to be enjoying the day! The views are beautiful. Absolutely the best hiking we have done in the lower peninsula. We will absolutely be back!

This is a rails to trails hiking path. It was a railroad track that was removed and surfaced with…read morecrushed limestone. It is flat and good for long hikes or cross country skiing in the winter. The trail is also used by horseback riders, bicycles, and snowmobiles. It is a total of 46 miles in length and winds through Door and Kewaunee counties. I usually pick it up blocks from my house on Perry street in Algoma beside the Hardwoods company. The trail appears to be well maintained. Right now is an excellent time to walk it. The leaves are just beginning to turn to their fall colors.

The vast array of hiking trails found behind the historic State Hospital grounds is one of my…read morefavorite discoveries since moving to TC a couple of months ago. It is a perfect place to "get lost", but not in the sense that a search party has to come and find you later! The trails are easy to follow and routes/loops are well marked. You can easily spend several hours wandering around in here. When you get tired of hiking up the big hills, there's usually a bench waiting for you. There are bridges over the creeks and nice boardwalks over wet areas in a cedar grove. If you make it up to the top, which isn't hard to do, you have beautiful views of the bay through the trees. Dogs are allowed and so are bikes - the hubs is looking forward to biking the trails when spring arrives. Park anywhere at The Village and head on up any of the trails going in to the woods and you're there. I like to park by Left Foot Charley and go up Yellow Dr., past the Underground Cheesecake Factory... that way, when you come back, you can easily grab a tasty snack, sip of wine, or cup of coffee from Higher Grounds.