Tahquamenon and Beyond: Michigan’s Best Quiet Winter Recreation Spots
Julie Bitely
| 2 min read
Interest in quiet winter recreation – think snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and winter camping – is on the rise.
If you’re looking for a way to enjoy a beautiful Michigan winter day (or night) in peace and quiet, here are some great spots to check out.
- Tahquamenon Falls State Park is a popular tourist destination in the summer and thanks to two marked snowshoe loops and a half-mile packed walking trail, there’s no reason you can’t also the falls in the winter. Track chairs help make the park accessible to all (reservation required).
- Fumee Lake Natural Area in the Upper Peninsula’s Dickinson County has trails that vary in length, difficulty and terrain, suitable for snow shoeing and cross country skiing.
- While Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is a packed summer tourist destination, winter affords visitors a little more solitude and a beautiful backdrop for quiet winter sports and winter camping.
- The Leelanau Conservancy website lists cross country skiing or snow shoeing at Kehl Lake Natural Area as something to put on your Leelanau bucket list. “The snowy hemlocks here make for a magical trail.”
- Enjoy 60,000 acres of pristine wilderness at the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. Snowshoe, cross-country ski and winter camp to your heart’s content in the “Porkies”.
- Known for its luge track, the Muskegon Winter Sports Complex is also a family-friendly place to enjoy cross-country skiing and snow shoeing.
- If you’re new to snow shoeing, the Ludington State Park offers guided snowshoe walks on select Saturdays in January and February. The park stays open year-round for hiking and snowshoeing so you can enjoy the pristine beauty of Lake Michigan in winter.
- Kensington Metropark is located in Milford and offers wooded, hilly terrain surrounding Kent Lake. Ski or snowshoe on the park’s trails or fish or skate on frozen lake waters.
- Cross-country skiing at Waterloo Recreation Area, the largest park in the Lower Peninsula, starts at the Gerald E. Eddy Discovery Center. The more than 20,000-acre park is located in Chelsea.
Where do you go when you want to enjoy the peace and quiet of a wintry Michigan day? Tell us your favorite spots in the comments.
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Photo credit: Kate Ter Haar via Flickr
