The trail begins with a stairway of steps and from there continues as a path in a rolling forested terrain. Within a few hundred yards you reach the junction with the return of the Houdek Loop Trail, the first loop of the system and a hike of less than a mile. Head right.

The bulk of the hike will be along the Forest Trail that is reached at the second junction at Mile 0.35 and begins in a lightly forested area of rolling dunes. Within a quarter mile the trail begins a steady climb that tops off just beyond the junction with the Crossover Trail at Mile 0.75. You to dip and climb through forested terrain reaching the next junction at Mile 1.3. Here Forest Trail continues south (left), you head west (right) along the Ridge Line Trail, skirting wooded hollows from above and climbing to the top of a small knoll. At 660 feet, or 76 feet above Lake Michigan, this is the highest point along the loop, high enough to provide a view of other parts of the preserve and a vineyard clinging to the side of a ridge in the distance.

The trail immediately descends off the knob and continues along grassy ridgelines that allow you to peak into more hollows and wooded pockets at impressive birch trees. At Mile 2 Ridge Line Trail arrives at a posted junction and an octagon-shaped viewing deck that was built and donated by the Houdek Family. The view includes serene Houdek Creek gently flowing past a strip of grassy and open dunes. Nearby is a bench overlooking the creek under a shade tree, a most soothing spot for an extended break or lunch.

The short Houdek Creek Trail heads west to return you to the Forest Trail on the edge of the preserve’s most impressive dunes. Head north (right) and soon you’ll be skirting a fine line with the open dunes on one side and forest on the other. At one point, blue-tipped posts lead you across open sand to the forest on the other side and at Mile 2.4 you arrive a junction with Crossover Trail and Houdek Loop Trail. Nearby a pair of benches are positioned in front of the “ancient maple,” a large, old and distinctively gnarly tree, looking like it belongs in the Wizard of Oz Haunted Forest.

Follow the Houdek Loop Trail, a level path through the woods, and in a half mile you’ll be back at the stairways. There’s a bench at the top of the stairs. Take a break, no need to rush back into the summer traffic of M-22.