Michigan Trails

Biking, hiking, and walking trails 2019 & 2020

I am sharing a brief overview of some of the beautiful hiking and biking trails in Michigan that we have been on. If you want to visit trails inside Michigan state parks, the Recreation Passport entrance fee is currently being waived. The state of Michigan news release says that the $12 annual fee will be waived "For the duration of the COVID-19 situation."

I told my husband last year that we needed to set a goal to travel a portion of every trail in Michigan. He thinks I am nuts! I think we have many beautiful trails in this great state, and we are fortunate to be able to enjoy them.

Leelanau Trail between Suttons Bay and Traverse City

Northern Michigan

The paved trail between Suttons Bay and Traverse City (Leelanau Trail) is hilly in both directions. The distance is about 17 miles one-way. This is a beautiful trail, and it is often busy.

Stop on Leelanau Trail near DeYoung Natural Area

Bus service, which accommodates transporting bicycles, is available between Traverse City and Suttons Bay, if you do not want to bicycle both ways. You can also connect to TART Trail from Leelanau Trail in Traverse City. That trail is also paved, and passes by the state park. Boardman Lake Trail downtown Traverse City, is an easy walk or bike ride of about 2 miles. It does not go around the southwest corner of the lake.

View of Harbor Springs before heading down to town

A couple of our favorite trails in Petoskey are easily accessible from the state park: Little Traverse Wheelway and Petoskey to Mackinaw Trail. We have bicycled these trails as far as West Park, Harbor Springs, and north of Alanson. It is only a tad hilly, except for the section between Petoskey State Park and Harbor Springs; that section is very hilly! There are many stopping points along all sections of the trails in this area: nature preserves, benches with views, picnic areas, parks, and businesses. The water and waves in Lake Michigan have been high this past year, and sadly, a large section of Little Traverse Wheelway, between East Park and Magnus Campground, has collapsed into the lake.

View of Crystal Lake from Railroad Point Natural Area in Benzie County

Montague and Whitehall, Michigan / attractions, lodging, boating, beaches, bicycle trails, food & beverage

July 2018

We stayed at Trailway Campground in Montague for a month starting at the end of June. I am sharing some of our experiences and area finds for future travelers. I have condensed much of the information to keep this post from becoming even longer. Please let me know if you want more details about any places we visited.

Sunset colors over the field behind Trailway Campground

Lodging: Trailway Campground, White Lake Municipal Marina, Elllenwood Landing

We stayed on site 46 at Trailway Campground, which is a pull through site near Montague Foods. This is a grassy site with plenty of shade. All of the sites are grassy, and other than a few tent sites, they all have full hookup. There is one community fire pit, and wood is provided. Although this campground is located in town, it is peaceful. We were not disturbed by any traffic noise during our stay.

Partial view of campground from trailhead parking where we kept our boat

We wanted to leave our boat in the water a couple of times during our stay, so we rented a boat slip two different times: Ellenwood Landing Marina for one night, and White Lake Municipal Marina for two nights. Ellenwood Landing is located across Dowling Street from the campground. This marina has a clubhouse, swimming pool, and hot tub. White Lake Municipal Marina is located next to Goodrich Park in Whitehall, ½ mile away. Both are decent marinas with locked bathhouses and Internet access. The municipal marina does not have the extra amenities that Ellenwood has, and the cost was half as much per night for our 25' boat (Ellenwood $60, Municipal $30).

July 4th fireworks from our slip at White Lake Municipal Marina

Montague and Whitehall, Michigan / Trailway Campground, Car Show, Hart-Montague Trail, Downtown

July 2016, Weekend, 2-nights

Beautiful bouquet for our camper from a friend's garden

Trailway Campground arrival and check-in

We arrived at Trailway Campground via Dowling Street/Business 31 from the south. The campground sign was easily visible; however, we misjudged which drive goes into the campground. When arriving from the south, the drive directly in front of the sign goes into the campground, and the drive after the sign goes into the parking lot for Montague Foods. We had arrived a bit early that Friday morning, and another camper was on our site. We were able to complete the check-in process, and park in the overflow area of the campground until the other guests departed.

Site 39 in Trailway Campground

Site 39 is a pull-through site near the back of the campground. It has a cement pad (for the table; not to park on), and full hook up. The site was grassy with a couple of trees. The site was nearly level; we had to put down one set of leveling blocks under the driver's side wheels.

Looking toward site 39 from the front