Hiking Trails

You can hike about 100 miles of designated trails in the Lakeshore. There are thirteen trails on the mainland for hiking, and most of them are maintained during the winter for cross country skiing, and snowshoeing too. Each trail has a trailhead with a parking area. Hiking trails on the dunes are marked by blue-tipped posts.

Trail maps are available in this section, at the visitor center, or at the trailhead. Read the Trail Regulations and Safety Information. A Park Pass is required for all trail use within the Lakeshore: Fee Information. There are also hiking trails on North Manitou Island and South Manitou Island.

Do you think you can hike all of the trails in one year? Then check out the Trail Trekkers Challenge.

 

Hiking trail

Each trail has its own unique beauty and challenges. Some have beautiful views from high vistas overlooking lakes, hills, or dunes. While others take you through fields of wildflowers with views of fields and lakes or forest in the background. Others take you through the sand dunes to explore the hardy vegetation and wildflowers that flourish in this harsh environment. The table below will give a brief description of each trail with a link to the trail map.

Don't be ticked

#	Name	Distance	Terrain	Vegetation	Comments
1	Old Indian	2.3-3.7 miles 2 Loops	Flat to gently rolling with a few sections of steep hills	Evergreens and hardwoods	Trail leads to a view of Lake MI
2	Platte Plains	4.6-15.1 miles Several loops	Mostly flat	Pine-oak-aspen	3 views of Lake MI
3	Empire Bluff	1.5 miles Round Trip	Hill	Beech-maple, fields, dune plants	Overlook on high bluff over Lake MI
4	Windy Moraine	1.5 miles One Loop	Hilly	Beech-maple, old fields, pine plantation	Views of Glen Lake, Lake MI, and Dunes
5a	Shauger Hill	2.4 miles One Loop	Hilly	Beech-maple	Crosses Shauger Hill Rd and Scenic Drive
6	Cottonwood	1.4 miles	Rolling dunes	Grasses, shrubs, wildflowers of the dunes	Loose sand - strenuous Views of Lake MI and sand dunes
7	Dunes	3.5 miles	Steep, rugged dunes	Grasses, shrubs, wildflowers of the dunes	Strenuous hike through dunes leads to Lake MI 2-4 hr round trip
8	Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail	4.25 miles, one-way linear trail	Flat	Mostly wooded; beech-maple and some cedar. Small area of open dunes	Paved walking and bike trail. Trail starts at the Dune Climb and goes through Glen Haven and D.H. Day Campground
9	Sleeping Bear Point	2.8 miles	Rolling dunes	Grasses, shrubs, wildflowers	Loose sand, views, and access to Lake MI
10	Alligator Hill	2.7-8.2 miles Several Loops	Hilly	Beech-maple, fields, pine plantation	Several loops, overlook of Lake MI and Glen Lake, horses are permitted.
11	Bay View	1.5-7.5 miles Several Loops	Hilly	Beech-maple, fields, pine plantation	Panoramic view of Lake MI and countryside
12	Pyramid Point	2.7 Miles Round Trip	Hilly	Beach-maple forests & fields	Trail leads to a high outlook over Lake MI.
13	Good Harbor Bay	2.8 miles One Loop	Flat, wet in places	Wooded, some dunes	Boardwalk over creek