H58 – The Adventurous Road To Pictured Rocks

Posted on October 4th, 2013

Editor’s Note: Finally we’re starting to get back to what we do best; cover trails and parks in Michigan. The re-launch of MichiganTrailMaps.com has been a time-consuming experience and we still haven’t worked out all the bugs. But please check out the new site and let us know what you thi… read more

Thoughts on a Wilderness Island

Posted on October 29th, 2012

Editor’s Note: Jim DuFresne has long since departed the Manitou Islands of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore but he filed one more blog entry for MichiganTrailMaps.com since his return to the mainland. Mark your calendar for a pair of Jim DuFresne presentations in November. DuF… read more

Pic Rock Yo-Yo Madness!

Posted on October 21st, 2012

Editor’s Note: This edition of MichiganTrailMaps.com Trail Talk was written by our favorite ultra-hiker, Roy Kranz of Midland. It’s titled Pic Rock Yo-Yo Madness! and in it he tried to explain why he hiked the 42-mile Lakeshore Trail at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore twice (there and back… read more

Chipmunks & Ticks on North Manitou Island

Posted on September 22nd, 2012

Editor’s Note: This is Jim DuFresne’s third Trail Talk blog in a series from the Manitou Islands in Lake Michigan, where he was working recently on a mapping project for MichiganTrailMaps.com. By Jim DuFresne Chipmunks I have no fear of. These small, striped rodents are so numerous on… read more

The Cosmopolitan World of South Manitou Island

Posted on September 14th, 2012

Editor’s Note: Here is the second blog in a series based on Jim DuFresne’s recent research trip on South and North Manitou Islands, part of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. By Jim DuFresne There are two former U.S. Lifesaving Service boathouses on South Manitou Island. Th… read more

First Time Backpacking? No Worries

Posted on May 24th, 2012

Editor’s Note: Jim DuFresne has suggestions for anybody heading to Isle Royale National Park for the first time. For more on the island park check out the Isle Royale pages at MichiganTrailMaps.com. By Jim DuFresne Teresa sent me an email recently with a question about backpacking that I hav… read more

Going Extreme on Classic Michigan Trails

Posted on May 3rd, 2012

I received two emails recently from what only can be described as “extreme trail users,” people who push it to the limits and then some. The first came from Roy Krantz of the Midland Hiking Club. In 2003, Roy and a friend hiked the entire Lakeshore Trail in Pictured Jim DuFresne Rocks National Lake… read more

Lose the Smart Phone & Hit the Trail

Posted on April 19th, 2012

Editor’s Note: Don’t forget on Tuesday, April 24, Jim DuFresne will be giving his presentation Michigan’s Top Ten Backpacking Treks at 7 p.m. at Backcountry North, 2820 N. US-31 South in Traverse City. Advance registration for the show is required and can be made by calling Backcountry Nort… read more

Selling A Book and Taking On Amazon

Posted on February 28th, 2012

Jim DuFresne It was a Sunday when the new MichiganTrailMaps.com e-shop was launched and then those of us who had worked tirelessly for three months to build it … waited. Patiently. What else could we do? The first order is always the hardest and as Sunday rolled into Monday and Monday rolled into Tue… read more

Alone in the Winter Woods

Posted on February 20th, 2012

I was the first skier to arrive at Wilderness State Park on Saturday morning after this corner of Emmet County was blessed with three inches of lake-effect snow the night before. I stepped into my skis and headed south on Swamp Line Trail, alone in the woods, surrounded by winter’s stillness. Jim Du… read more

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