The famous sand dunes of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

In Search of Wilderness Solitude

Posted on June 12th, 2014

Recently the new Sleeping Bear Dunes Wilderness was officially designated but Jim DuFresne wonders in the latest MichiganTrailMaps.com Trail Talk blog; can a place that has been extensively logged and farmed, that is crisscrossed with new roads and old two-tracks, that was once the site o… read more

Fat tire bikers following a trail in winter.

Fat Bikers & Skinny Skiers: A Trail Conflict

Posted on May 6th, 2014

Trail conflicts are nothing new and they are not going away. Jim DuFresne looks into the latest; fat tire bikers and cross-country skiers, in this Trail Talk blog entry. Don’t forget, our newest map is now out and available from our e-shop. The 11 by 17-inch, two-sided map covers the Lakeshore T… read more

Missouri Top Trails State! Show Me Why

Posted on December 2nd, 2013

North Mantiou Island Map Back by popular demand MichiganTrailMaps.com is staging its holiday sale again. Order a book and we’ll throw in one our trail maps, a $4.95 value! Order any book from our e-shop — maybe Isle Royale National Park: Foot Trails & Water Routes, Backpacking In Michigan o… read more

Lending A Hand For A New Trail

Posted on November 11th, 2013

There are new backpacking trails on the horizon for Michigan but they could use a helping hand in the planning and development of them. Read about them in the latest Trail Talk or check out other recent blogs at our newly re-launch MichiganTrailMaps.com website (www.michigantrailmaps.com). By Ji… read more

Thoughts on a Wilderness Island

Posted on October 29th, 2012

Editor’s Note: Jim DuFresne has long since departed the Manitou Islands of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore but he filed one more blog entry for MichiganTrailMaps.com since his return to the mainland. Mark your calendar for a pair of Jim DuFresne presentations in November. DuF… read more

Chipmunks & Ticks on North Manitou Island

Posted on September 22nd, 2012

Editor’s Note: This is Jim DuFresne’s third Trail Talk blog in a series from the Manitou Islands in Lake Michigan, where he was working recently on a mapping project for MichiganTrailMaps.com. By Jim DuFresne Chipmunks I have no fear of. These small, striped rodents are so numerous on… read more

The Cosmopolitan World of South Manitou Island

Posted on September 14th, 2012

Editor’s Note: Here is the second blog in a series based on Jim DuFresne’s recent research trip on South and North Manitou Islands, part of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. By Jim DuFresne There are two former U.S. Lifesaving Service boathouses on South Manitou Island. Th… read more

Racing to a Campsite on South Manitou Island

Posted on August 26th, 2012

Backpacking in Michigan Editor’s Note: Jim DuFresne is on the Manitou Islands of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore for two weeks working on a MichiganTrailMaps.com mapping project. Here is his first Trail Talk blog entry. For more on the islands, check out Backpacking In Michigan availab… read more

Paddling & Surviving the Au Sable Marathon

Posted on June 8th, 2012

Editor’s Note: At both ends of the river weekend festivals are staged as part of the Au Sable River Canoe Marathon Race. Grayling calls it’s event Au Sable River Festival and it includes the Black Bear Bicycle Tour, a 100-mile bicycle ride to Oscoda on Sunday that finishes near the end of… read more

Going Extreme on Classic Michigan Trails

Posted on May 3rd, 2012

I received two emails recently from what only can be described as “extreme trail users,” people who push it to the limits and then some. The first came from Roy Krantz of the Midland Hiking Club. In 2003, Roy and a friend hiked the entire Lakeshore Trail in Pictured Jim DuFresne Rocks National Lake… read more

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