In the campground the Yellow Trail departs site No. 54 and by staying right at every junction, you will follow the most interesting section of this loop: a long boardwalk. Reached Mile 0.5, the planked trail leads a quarter mile through a cedar swamp that can be buggy in midsummer but beautiful in the spring and fall.

Head north (right) at post No. 11 and at Mile 1.2 you break out at Seffern Road and cross it to post No. 12, marking the Blue Trail. This short segment returns to the woods and quickly crosses the dirt two-track that serves as the cabin access road to post No. 3. Head east (right) at the junction to quickly reach post No. 1 and then north (left) to pick up the start of the Green Trail. At Mile 1.5 you finally emerge at Lake Huron at post No. 2 just down the shore from the Poe’s Reef Cabin. A bench is located here and you can take a break while viewing Poe Reef Light almost 3 miles offshore.

Head west (left) and follow the green-tipped posts for one of the most scenic hikes on the east side of the state. For almost 2 miles, the trail is literally a walk along the beach in an area of the park that is open only to hikers and the handful of people who are renting the cabins. At Mile 2.3 you pass 14-Foot Shoals Cabin and then come to a sign and spur leading to the lighthouse ruins that will also be passed on the return. Nearby is a bench with a fine view of 14-Foot Shoals Light less than a mile offshore.

You continue west along on a wide, sandy beach, and at Mile 2.7 come to Lighthouse Point Cabin. This is newest park rental cabin and also the most spectacular. The two-room cabin sleeps eight and includes a screened-in porch and is within view of the lapping waters of the Lake Huron beach.

Within a quarter mile the Green Trail cuts the base of Lighthouse Point and then reaches post No. 6 near Cheboygan Point at Mile 3.3. Another bench is located here with a view of 14-Foot Shoals Light while the Green Trail swings south to become the Black Trail.

The return on the Black Trail begins in open and grassy dunes before moving into the woods just before crossing the dirt road leading to Lighthouse Point Cabin at Mile 3.8. Within a 0.3 mile you reach the old stone foundation and partial rock walls that are the lighthouse ruins. Cheboygan Point Light was first built on a pier in Lake Huron in 1851 but lasted only a few years due to rough water and winter ice. In 1859, it was rebuilt on shore and was operated by the U.S. Lighthouse Service until 1930. The crumbling rocks that remain were the foundation of the lightkeeper’s house that was attached to the tower.

Just beyond the ruins you arrive at post No. 5, indicating the start of the Blue Trail which begins by paralleling the cabin access road. At times it’s easier just to hike the two-track than to hunt for the foot path. At Mile 4.7 you arrive at the post No. 4, marking the junction with the Red Trail that heads south (right) for the campground. This 0.7-mile segment can be wet when it passes through some cedar swamps in the middle. The Red Trail then ends just up the road from the campground contact station.