Three trails converge at the Thoreson Road trailhead. By heading north you immediately cross the dirt road and begin a long, gentle climb through a hardwood forest to arrive at post No. 1, marking the junction to Lookout Point, at Mile 0.4.

This side trip heads east (right) and in less than 200 yards is post No. 2 on a grassy hilltop where a nearby bench marks Lookout Point, elevation 792 feet or 208 feet above Lake Michigan. The view includes beautiful vistas of Lake Michigan, Pyramid Point, farms and North and South Manitou Islands. Retreat back to post No. 1 and continue north (right) where the trail descends into the woods before breaking out on the edge of field,  with Miller Barn at one end. You briefly tread between the open field and the edge of the shoreline bluff, where you can see the Lake Michigan surf through the trees, and then swing east.

At Mile 1, you cross Miller Road and pass Miller Barn. The impressive structure, along with a farmhouse that burnt down in 1940, was built in the early 1890s by John Miller.  Poke around in the woods near the barn to spot some abandoned farm equipment, including what is believed to be an early corn chopper. From Miller Barn, Farms Trail becomes a mowed grassy lane as it swings past the Port Oneida School, also built in the 1890s.  Nearby is a picnic table, hand pump for water and a historic outhouse complete with a half moon on the door.

Farms Trail then arrives at the junction where the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail splits off and crosses Port Oneida Road. To the south (right) the path switches to a surface of a compacted stone and quickly arrives at Post No. 3. Reached at Mile 1.7, the post marks the east end of Ridge Trail, with Lookout Point a half-mile uphill climb to the west.

Farms Trail/Heritage Trail continues south in the open fields with a view of the traffic on M-22, arriving at the Olsen Farm at Mile 1.9. The house and barn, built in 1918, were the first in the area with indoor plumbing. A picnic table is located near the house but there is no source of drinking water. From the Olsen Farm the trail swings behind the barn and continues south.

At Mile 2.4, the trail crosses Thoreson Road and quickly arrives at post No. 4. The trailhead is just a short walk to the north. To the south (left) is Low Trail, which skirts a field and wooded bluff before reaching post No. 6 at Mile 2.8. Beyond the post Low Trail is paved as is most of the Heritage Trail. But not the spur to the west (right) that climbs more than 100 feet up the bluff, topping off at post No. 5. Your uphill effort is rewarded with sweeping views of Sleeping Bear Point jutting out into Lake Michigan.

Post No. 5 marks High Trail. Head north (right) on the mowed lane and more views follow as High Trail dips and climbs along the open top of the bluff. Within a quarter mile, the Thoreson Farm can be seen to the west, framed by Sleeping Bear Point and the Manitou Islands in the background. The farmhouse was built in 1900 by John Thoreson and Ingeborg Sakariasdatte, who emigrated from Norway. The farm has been fully restored by the National Park Service, right down to its dual privies.

Just beyond the Thoreson Farm, High Trail enters the woods and begins a descent off the north end of the bluff. At Mile 3.5, the trail swings east, cuts across an open field and arrives at the Thoreson Road Trailhead in less than a quarter mile.