Freeze-Dried Is Forever!

Posted on May 12th, 2020

We’re all longing not to just get outdoors but to resume adventuring again. Hang in there; we’re almost free from our stay-home, stay safe edicts. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore opens July 1, Pictured Rocks June 25, Isle Royale National Park June 15. Check our eshop if you need guideboo… read more

In Times Like These; Go Outdoors & Go Solo

Posted on March 20th, 2020

Joining other park systems, the Michigan DNR just announced that entry fees for state parks and trails will be suspended during the coronavirus pandemic. And to be totally safe from getting CODIV-19 the DNR recommended going solo. In the latest MichiganTrailMaps.com Trail Talk blog, Jim DuFresn… read more

Drive-in or Walk-in? In Michigan We Need Both

Posted on February 14th, 2020

Walk-in or drive-in? In Michigan there is a need for both types of access but not on the same lake. That’s the debate they’re having in the Upper Peninsula over the future of Silver Lake Basin. The latest Trail Talk blog looks at the issue and how a proposal to change access to walk-in would alter the… read more

The Right of a Coyote to Live Next Door

Posted on December 27th, 2019

Who’s your neighbor? Five whitetail deer that ravish your tomato plants or your expensive landscaping? A squirrel that empties your bird feeder? A coyote eyeing your cat from behind a tree? In this Trail Talk blog for MichiganTrailMaps.com, Jim DuFresne looks at the issue of when people butt hea… read more

The High Cost of a Backcountry Rescue – Who Pays?

Posted on July 12th, 2019

High water levels on Lake Michigan have doubled the cost of retrieving injured visitors along the shoreline dunes of Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore this summer. In this Trail Talk blog, Jim DuFresne wonders why are the rescued so shocked at the cost with many refusing to pay the $2,800 tab. If they… read more

Georeferencing, Smartphones and the Future of Trail Maps

Posted on June 10th, 2019

MichiganTrailMaps.com is proud to announce the addition of georeferenced maps for smartphones to its stable of trail maps. Following is a Trail Talk blog by Jim DuFresne on why we did it and how to download the new maps. But DuFresne also wondered if hikers and backpackers need or even want all this te… read more

Hard to Delete a Trail Like Valley View

Posted on March 14th, 2019

In a park known for great beaches, spectacular views and towering sand dunes, the Valley View Trail in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore had none of those. Yet when the decision was made not to reopen this short, obscure trail after the 2015 wind storms, we lost a lot. Read the latest Michiga… read more

Funding Our Natural Gems – Users or Society?

Posted on January 15th, 2019

Cross-country skiing on a snowy winter day in a Michigan State Park. The “opt-out” bills for the Recreation Passport didn’t survive the lame-duck session in Lansing last month despite all the support for them. But in this latest Trail Talk blog for MichiganTrailMaps.com Jim DuFresne argue… read more

Improving a Passport to Michigan’s Parks & Trails

Posted on December 14th, 2018

In this Trail Talk blog from MichiganTrailMaps.com, Jim DuFresne looks into a last-minute bill in front of our lame-duck legislators that is incredibly important to anybody who loves Michigan’s parks and trails. Don’t forget our a holiday sale is still on for a few more days; save 2… read more

#OptingOut of the #OptOutside Movement

Posted on November 23rd, 2018

The #OptOutside movement is full of good intentions but do they have to hold it today? Jim DuFresne our main blogger at MichiganTrailMaps.com, wonders if there isn’t a worse day than the final Friday of November to encourage people to go outdoors in Michigan. What this day is great for is plannin… read more

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