Michigan On Foot

08/29/2026

Took another hike at Eagle Run. Different season this time. Terrain is pretty easy. There were a couple trees down across the trail. A few damp spots but not a lot of mud today, however the eastern section of this trail goes through a lowland so always expect it to be soft and wet there. Poison ivy is present, even a few shoots in the trail itself, so be careful removing footwear. Mushrooms galore. There were hundreds of them along the path from the trailhead to the lowland, eastern most end of the loop.

07/24/2025

Wisconsin, but near the Michigan border. The best part of Wisconsin in my opinion is this northernmost quarter of the state, and you can hike it.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1Lg366xgtr/

07/24/2025

https://www.mlive.com/news/2025/07/up-north-trail-system-slated-for-timber-harvest-including-clear-cuts.html

Harvesting could start this week and continue for the next five years at Chippewa Hills Pathway near Alpena, Mich.

06/10/2025

Bridge walk in the Soo. Price is $10 for the bus back to your vehicle, and you'll need passport or equivalent to participate because it's an international bridge. No walking half way and turning around.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BkBXFzZQT/

07/23/2024

Poison oak is NOT in Michigan, and not a plant to worry about. There's plenty of poison ivy and poison sumac here to keep us on alert though. Stinging nettles are a barrel of fun too.

07/23/2024

Excellent article about poison sumac.

Learn about poison sumac in Oakland County, Michigan.

07/23/2024

Marquette is full of places to walk, hike, bike, mountain bike, and snowshoe or ski. Presque Isle Pathway is one network of trails that tie into other trail systems, including the NCT. The area at Hogback Mountain is very hilly and rocky. The map is marked based on difficulty and within the park the trail markers are color coded and named. I think the trails could be better labeled at intersections, since there's a lot of them, and destinations should have signs pointing you in the right direction. I didn't have cell service at lower terrains, but did once I got atop "Top of the World Lookout". I had no idea you can easily get there by car via Forestville Road. Instead I took the 6+ mile round trip trek from the parking lot on Big Bay Road. I figured going downhill via Doc Nobs would be easy, but it's an ankle eater. The photos should give you a good idea of what to expect. The trail I took uphill was called Jedi. The blue line marked multi-use on the map is an old railroad bed. I'll be coming back to explore the other trails I hadn't hiked.

07/22/2024

Zoe at Backpacker Magazine offers up several good suggestions on how to deal with this issue, the dog backpack is genius. I'm grateful when there's no landmines on the actual trail, but we all know there's times when we have to walk the edge, like when passing another group of hikers. Pick it up, bag it up, pack it out.

I'm adding these hikers to the hall of shame. Photo of the Dead River Falls trailhead in Marquette. Their vehicles only feet away, they have decided to leave their trash and poo bags right by the fence opening instead. Other hikers must go thru the stench and cloud of flies. Don't be these people.

I have a two gallon bucket with lid in my car that I use for trash I accumulate while traveling. Sadly, I also fill an additional kitchen trash bag with the trash others leave on the trail that I pack out. Crazy how it's little effort for me to haul out their mess and later put it in a campground dumpster, yet they can't be bothered. I draw the line at packing out poo bags.

07/22/2024

At the end of Stover Road is the east branch of the Rifle River and some public land. Slow moving water with frogs and bass, bunch of birds. Got a geocache here. I didn't walk the entire property, but others have said they've gotten about 5 miles total exploring. I was with someone who wasn't up to the challenge yesterday. Most of it is level terrain on old two-tracks. Seasonally this is hunting land. Some of the ditches look difficult to get a kayak down. The south stretch to Wigwam Bay from the maintenance shed area looked clear. One side of this ditch is private property.

07/05/2024

A small boardwalk park just outside of Munising. A great little spot to picnic, stretch your legs, and grab some 5G's if you're camping in the no-fi zone. 100% ADA, dogs allowed on a leash only, not sure about hours.