what to do in MI?

“I am going to Ludington at the end of the month. Where should I hike/canoe maybe in Manistee? I dont really know anything about the area just loking for 3-4 days of camping and hiking. How expensive is it to rent a canoe, is it the best way to see the area?”

“Canoeing is a great way to check out the area. Chippewa Landing (chippewalanding.com) is a good start for canoeing the Manistee River. Shouldn't be too expensive.

If you don't mind hiking in the warm weather, check out the Manistee River Trail which makes a loop w/ a section of the North Country Trail. NW of Cadillac.

The North Country Trail runs right by there. I've only done a bit of it... all in the Huron-Manistee Nat'l Forest, but it's a great hike.

Go north a little ways and you can visit Sleeping Bear Dunes. A short ferry ride and you can spend a few days camping on North Manitou... Well worth it!

By all means... spend a day on Lake Michigan.

And, Have fun! Michigan is a wonderful state.”

“Nordhouse dunes is also near Ludington...great dayhike or overnighter right on lake MI. Largest freshwater dune system in the world, you can hike right to a lighthouse too.”

“tara how far away is cadillac from luddington? I live in WI and I am taking the ferry across.Looking to drive 2-3 hours from luddington?”

“Actually, the North Country Traill and Mansitee River Trail are not as far as Cadillac. So, you're probably looking at about an hour drive. Take M55 to M37 and go north. Follow signs for the Seaton Creek Campground (anyone remember the road? Is it 26 road?).

You can access both the NCT and MRT from Seaton Creek. Beware of the crowds at the campground on weekends.

If you simply want to hike sections of the NCT, which could be an even shorter drive, check out

http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/hmnf/pages/hiking_manistee.htm

for maps of the sections of NCT that run through the National Forest... "Segments A - E"

I've never been to Nordhouse Dunes, but Sass makes a good suggestion, too. I've heard from several people that it's great hiking. Seems like it would be a great place for warm weather hiking.”

“It is number 26 road.”

“I've never tried this, but if the Ludington trolley system runs to Ludington SP, you might not even need to take a car. I'd check first.

But from the last parking lot at Ludington SP, you can hike north to the lighthouse and into the Nordhouse Dunes. It's not 3 or 4 days of hiking unless you want to just hang out on the beach a lot. But it is really beautiful.

BTW, watch out for avalanches! Hehe.”

“He's taking a ferry across.”

“Buddur, I miss you. =(”

“Oh, my God. He survived.”

“He survived what? The big move?”

“He survived RL pushing him off a cliff.

See, RL, you were wrong about BuddurDog. He gave you a look of relief and then as soon as you were gone, he was down that hill, saving BuddurMan's life!! What a gooooood doggie.”

“mdwstskier, where are you in Wisconsin? I'm up in Rhinelander.

I used to live in Cadillac, also other places in West Michigan. The Pere Marquette River empties at Ludington, as I recall. Go upstream to the Baldwin area and there are canoe liveries and good paddling if the water level is okay. The NCT goes through Baldwin, too, doesn't it?”