Gather your friends for a snowy hike through one of Michigan’s largest remaining stands of virgin white pine.
Hartwick Pines is one of the largest state parks in the Lower Peninsula, with an area of 9,672 acres. The park’s gently rolling hills and towering forest of old growth pines are just 10 minutes from downtown Grayling, making it a popular recreation spot in all four seasons.
Throughout the winter, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources hosts several two-day snowshoe building workshops, full moon snowshoe hikes and for the first time this year, lantern-lit hikes. During the new lantern hikes, the Visitor Center will be open as a staging area for people to put on their snowshoes, and a fire will be roaring in the Logging Museum for guests to warm up after hiking the beautiful 1.25-mile Old Growth Trail.
Photo by Michigan Department of National Resources
“The Full Moon Snowshoe Hikes have been so well attended, it’s unbelievable. We held one two years ago when the temperature was in the single digits, and we had more than 100 people show up,” says Park Interpreter Craig Kasmer.
We Northerners are a crazy bunch, though, so bundle up and hit the trail!
SNOWSHOE BUILDING WORKSHOPS ($185)
Dec. 7–8, Jan. 4–5, Feb. 1–2, March 14–15
FULL MOON SNOWSHOE HIKES
Dec. 14, Jan. 11, Feb. 8, March 7
LANTERN-LIT SNOWSHOE HIKES
Dec. 28, Jan. 25, Feb. 22, March 21