Michigan
Your region's go-now guide: Perfect days in Indianapolis, Minneapolis, and Tulsa.
Our trail scouts' top local hikes
Wolf howls have echoed across Isle Royale National Park for decades. But with the once-widespread predators down to a single pack, the time to go hear--and maybe spot--them is now.
Serve a 5-star meal that matches the scenery.
Tired of the same old weekend loops? Looking to create memories your grandkids will talk about? In this how-and-where guide, we serve up 15 extraordinary escapes that will shatter your expectations of "normal." From adventure moviemaking to canyoneering, we'll take you places you've never been—but will long to visit again soon.
Climb dunes, find instant solitude, camp atop riverside bluffs, ascend to surprising above-treeline views, and hike along the St. Croix River.
This region's top mapper has notched 20 bag nights and 200 trail miles in 9 states this year scouting trails for BACKPACKER. Here are three of his favorite routes.
Hike a high escarpment above a northern forest and Lake Superior.
America’s leading advocate of wilderness silence shows the way to Mt. Rainier National Park’s quietest corner. Plus: 9 more campsites with life-list listening.
Hike these long trails in Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Kansas, and Oklahoma, and head south to Texas to see Horned Lizards.
The undisputed local experts—you—chose the top parks, trails, campsites, and weekend getaways from Alaska to Alabama.
Your favorite Great Lakes hikes—from dayhikes to weekenders to multiday trips.
Hike among moose and wolves on this two-day escape to Isle Royale National Park.
Your favorite parks, weekend getaways, peak ascents, campsites, and more in the Great Lakes.
We've covered 245,591 miles of trails in our 37-year history. Here are our 20 all-time favorite trips, plus—shocking!—20 routes we never covered.
Hike along bluffs and fern forests in total solitude on Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
Want to test the waters before attempting a Primitive Management Area? Get some experience on these traditional Boundary Waters trips first.
See moose, bag a high-desert peak, and sample a quiet long trail. (Click linked trips for GPS waypoints, photos, and more.)
Our army of reader-reader scouts mapped 59 local hikes from South Carolina to Northern California. See their favorites, then learn how to download tracklogs and waypoints.
Whether you're looking for Coastal, Canyon, Peak, Forest, or Urban hikes, we have those. Plus some paddling (Water) trips for good measure.
Hug the coastline in these Michigan, California, and British Columbia hikes.
Hike Lake Superior's shoreline in this 12+ mile hike.
Mississippi river vistas, ocean-size grasslands, and guaranteed solitude.
Explore a vast, trail-free prairie.
See the country's best light show.
Bushwhack into what very well might be the quietest spot in America.
Climb to views of the mighty Mississippi River.
Thru-hike one of the country's least-known National Scenic Trails.
Hike the River-to-River Trail over rugged ridges, through narrow canyons, and into small caves.
Alternative routes, where to find solitude in the Lower 48, and avoiding the crowds in America's most crowded park
A quick guide to the best acres, trails, and views.
Trek through a trio of wilderness playgrounds on shape-shifting mountains of sand.
See glowing plankton, mushrooms, and bugs on these brilliant adventures.
Being bordered by the Great Lakes, the Dakota Badlands, and the rivers of the Mississippi Valley gives Midwesterners plenty of land and water for hiking and camping adventure–even if the local high point is still lower than a Colorado knoll.
Happy coincidence for wildlife-loving paddlers: Canoes and woodland caribou converge like nowhere else on Earth in Ontario's Slate Islands. PLUS: See video of caribou on the move.
A wildlife researcher shares stalking tips.
Stay dry on spring treks in Minnesota, New Mexico, and more.
Adventurous types can still find magic in the rivers, lakes, and paths of Detroit.
Try this black diamond, three-day kayak trip that navigates Lake Superior's piney islands.
Thoreau, Hemingway, and Kerouac all went into the backcountry to find the right words.
Whether you are after fishing holes or skinny-dipping, Backpacker tracked down the best campsites in the country
16 wild ways to find backcountry solitude and big-time scenery. All this, and you can bring the ice chest, too.
Michigan's Upper Peninsula has way more than big lakes. Explore it all by foot, paddle, or pedal.
The view is nothing to write home about, but this newly crowned high point deserves a visit.
Lake effect snow and a vast virgin forest make this a spectacular winter getaway for skiing and snowshoeing
Michigan's Proud Lake has many flavors of wilderness to offer.
In Michigan's Trap Hills, you'll find space to wonder and wonder, and quiet rock outcrops with panoramas so wide you'll be blinking in disbelief.
Our comprehensive guide to the best backpacking you can find in Michigan.
What's good for elk is good for backpackers on Michigan's High Country Pathway.
A big Midwestern sandpile turned into an otherworldly escape by pounding surf and forests.
Hike up and down oak- and hickory-covered ridgetops, or explore underground.
Sunny beaches, cool forests, and a birder's paradise along the shores of Lake Michigan.
You'll emerge from a forested hallway into a wilderness playroom, and there before you will be skidmarks in the snow.
The blaze of fall color in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is unequaled.
Break the long Michigan winter with a lengthy hike on Michigan's Riding and Hiking Trail.
Two trails, same river, two different worlds.
At the edge of the world, Canada's Algonquin Provincial Park offers a window to the past.
