The trails of the Sleeping Bear Dunes offer fair views of Lake Michigan, like this one from the Pyramid Point trail.
Get outside and do it simply, Detroit Free Press outdoor writer Eric Sharp urges in this article on hiking trails of the Pinckney and Waterloo state recreation areas.
Hiking is a great way to get some exercise and tune into nature without spending hundreds on a bike or boat. That’s not to say that I couldn’t sink a few pay checks into ultralight tents, packs, sleeping bags and camp cookware systems. But all you really need are some shoes and a trail.
Sharp profiles some the 2- to 30-mile trails in the Pinckney–Waterloo system. Some of my favorites in the state are the Manistee River Trail and some of the 13 trails that cut through the Sleeping Bear Dunes.
But what else is out there? If you have a favorite hike in the Great Lakes states, whether it takes an hour or a week, tell us about it in the comments.