Running on the Island

Posted on September 28th, 2017

Summer has come to a close and Jim DuFresne, the main blogger at MichiganTrailMaps.com, has some thoughts before we move into that short but sweet hiking season known as Fall in Michigan. Get out there because before you know it, winter will be here. For tips and suggestions on where to go in October ch… read more

Timeless In The Porkies & Loving It

Posted on October 16th, 2016

Hey buddy do you know what time it is? Jim DuFresne didn’t. The main Trail Talk blogger for MichiganTrailMaps.com didn’t know the time for five days while backpacking in Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. And it was so unusual he almost didn’t want to emerge from those rugged ridges w… read more

A hiker crossing the old boardwalk along the Jordan River Pathway.

Shaving a Mile Off a Day’s Hike

Posted on June 8th, 2016

The new Manistee River Trail and Hoist Lake Foot Travel Area maps from MichiganTrailMaps.com In our latest Trail Mix e-Newsletter, Jim DuFresne pondered how far he’s willing to go to shave a mile from a day’s hike (with a backpack on no less). It drew considerable response so we’… read more

On the Way to Adventure

Posted on August 11th, 2015

Sometimes how you get to the trailhead is almost as exciting as the hike itself. In this Trail Talk blog entry Jim DuFresne says that Colorado has nothing on Michigan in terms of exhilarating entries into the backcountry. If you’re hoping to squeeze in one more hike or backpacking adventure befo… read more

Kids, Rain & Lakeshore Trail; What Could Be Better?

Posted on June 2nd, 2015

Ken Jacobsen is a nature photographer and a father. When he took his kids for a backpacking trip on the Lakeshore Trail in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and it was raining he thought he had a disaster on his hands. Hardly. In this Trail Talk blog he tell us why it was one of their best outings ever. You… read more

Honeymoon Cabin in the Green Timbers tract of the Pigeon River Country State Forest.

Losing Honeymoon Cabin For Good

Posted on May 1st, 2015

The DNR Parks and Recreation Division has announced the removal of Honeymoon Cabin in the Pigeon River Country State Forest. Too bad, that was Michigan’s most amazing trailside shelter and we have only ourselves to blame. Want to check out the cabin before it’s gone? Order the MichiganTrailMa… read more

The Big Agnes mtnGLO Tent with built-in LED lighting.

Too Much High Tech In The Woods

Posted on April 7th, 2015

Let Google’s Street View Trekker hike the path for you? No thanks, we’ll pass even if it means we might get a blister on the back of our heel. In this Trail Talk blog we ponder when is so much high tech too much out in the woods, the one sanctuary we’ve always counted to escape from the modern world aro… read more

Outhouses: Taking A Load Off Your Feet

Posted on September 16th, 2014

A smelly outhouse? Not to Jim DuFresne. Our Trail Talk blogger loves what a privy provides in the middle of the backpacking trip; a roof over your head and a seat to take a load off your feet. MichiganTrailMaps.com has been on its summer sabbatical, researching trails and enjoying life in northern Mic… read more

Hoist Lakes: Fishing For Anything

Posted on July 17th, 2014

In this Trail Talk blog Jim DuFresne explores the Hoist Lakes Foot Travel Area in search of trophy bass and bluegills. For more on the unique backcountry tract of the Huron National Forest see our latest Trail Talk newsletter or check out the MichiganTrailMaps.com eshop for a copy of the new edition o… read more

The famous sand dunes of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

In Search of Wilderness Solitude

Posted on June 12th, 2014

Recently the new Sleeping Bear Dunes Wilderness was officially designated but Jim DuFresne wonders in the latest MichiganTrailMaps.com Trail Talk blog; can a place that has been extensively logged and farmed, that is crisscrossed with new roads and old two-tracks, that was once the site o… read more

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