Best Hikes in Michigan

Michigan offers over 13,000 miles of marked hiking trails, spanning lakeshores, dense forests, waterfalls, and sand dunes. Whether you're looking for a quick day hike or a multi-day backpacking adventure, the state delivers far beyond expectations.

North Country Trail runs 1,150 miles through Michigan — the longest stretch of any state along this 4,600-mile national scenic trail. The Michigan section passes through the Porcupine Mountains, Pictured Rocks, and the Manistee National Forest. Thru-hikers can spend weeks exploring it; day hikers can pick up any segment.

Pictured Rocks Lakeshore Trail (42 miles) follows the stunning sandstone cliffs along Lake Superior near Munising. The multicolored cliff faces — stained by iron, copper, manganese, and limonite — drop directly into crystal-clear water. Chapel Falls and Miners Beach are standout stops along the way.

Sleeping Bear Dunes: Empire Bluff Trail (1.5 miles) is a short but spectacular hike to an overlook above Lake Michigan, the Manitou Islands, and Platte Bay. It's consistently ranked among the most beautiful short hikes in the Midwest.

Manistee River Trail (20 miles) loops through the Manistee National Forest along the river valley and across high bluffs. Combined with the North Country Trail, it forms a popular 20-mile loop that's one of Michigan's most beloved backpacking circuits. Suspension bridges, riverside campsites, and towering pines make it unforgettable.

Tahquamenon Falls Trail leads to the Upper and Lower Tahquamenon Falls — the Upper Falls is one of the largest waterfalls east of the Mississippi. The root beer–colored water (tannin-stained from cedar swamps) cascades over a 200-foot-wide ledge with a 48-foot drop. A 4-mile trail connects the Upper and Lower Falls through beautiful boreal forest.

Isle Royale National Park offers some of the most remote hiking in the eastern US. The 40-mile Greenstone Ridge Trail traverses the spine of the island, with views of Lake Superior and encounters with moose and wolves. Getting there requires a ferry or seaplane — making it the least-visited national park in the lower 48.

Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness on Lake Michigan's coast is Michigan's only federally designated wilderness area on the Lower Peninsula. The 10-mile loop winds through towering dunes, jack pine forests, and a wild, undeveloped beach.

Michigan's trails are uncrowded, well-maintained, and set in some of the most beautiful Great Lakes scenery in the country.