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

A hiker crossing the old boardwalk along the Jordan River Pathway.

Shaving a Mile Off a Day’s Hike

Posted on June 8th, 2016

The new Manistee River Trail and Hoist Lake Foot Travel Area maps from MichiganTrailMaps.com In our latest Trail Mix e-Newsletter, Jim DuFresne pondered how far he’s willing to go to shave a mile from a day’s hike (with a backpack on no less). It drew considerable response so we’… read more

Wandering in The Garden of the Gods

Posted on December 10th, 2014

Red stone sculptures and rock climbers. In this blog entry of MichiganTrailmaps.com Trail Talk Jim DuFresne writes about the magnificent Garden of the Gods, a city park in Colorado Springs. Don’t forget our special holiday sale: purchase either Backpacking in Michigan or the new, full… read more

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

Driving Father Jack’s Buick

Posted on November 8th, 2011

I’m driving a new car. No, let me re-phrase that; I’m driving a newer car. I picked up a Saturn Vue that is three-years old and has 43,000 miles on it. It’s high tech. For the first time I can use my IPod in my vehicle. It has remote start for those mornings when the windows are all frosted up and during… read more

Upper Bushman Lake: A Place To Escape

Posted on December 31st, 2010

The only thing you can be sure of in life – beyond death and taxes – is that the amount of undeveloped land in the world, places without the heavy footprint of man, will never increase. Jim DuFresne It will only shrink. As our population grows and our needs for fuel, food and housing increases, natur… read more

The World in a Kelty Backpack

Posted on October 5th, 2010

When I dropped my daughter off at the airport and pulled her suitcase out of the trunk , I knew the weight of it even without a scale, a hair under 50 pounds. Jessica was moving to Argentina and needed to take part of her life with her but was too cost conscious (fiscally responsible?) to allow the airlin… read more

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