Exploring Michigan's Great Outdoors

 Fall is officially here and it is a great time of year to get outdoors. We were looking for the perfect adventure to kickoff the season so here is what we did. 

We started in Ludington at Ludington State Park. We visited the park this summer and when we returned it was great to see the changes in season starting to take place. There were early glimpses of fall color as we inflated our paddleboards and went through Lost Lake, to Hamlin Lake, portaged the dam and went down the Big Sable River. Check out this video to see how to take the same route.

@mi_playground

The perfect paddle day ##fall ##miplayground ##ludington ##upnorth ##paddleboard ##michigan ##travel ##traveltip

♬ Send Me on My Way - Guy Meets Girl

After we left the park we made our way to Manistee to grab some coffee and check out the lighthouse. While we were at the beach we noticed a massive slide that caught our attention. We had to check it out, and well, lets let this video do the talking!

@mi_playground

Throwback to when playgrounds were dangerous. ##miplayground ##michigan ##FeelingGood ##vlog ##fyp

♬ original sound - mi_playground

Next up we made our way to the Arcadia Dunes area in Manistee County. We started off by biking and hiking the Dry Hill Trails and then making our way to Baldy Trail. This is an amazing trail that we have visited many times in the past and this time we went to the overlook deck and took in the views. Also, there was something extra special about the seating at this lookout!

@mi_playground

Rockin good views 🪑 ##arcadia ##lakemichigan ##feelingood ##miplayground ##michigan ##michigancheck

♬ original sound - mi_playground

To continue this adventure, we headed to Benzie County to the Betsie Valley Trail. After taking a walk down the trail, we noticed the fall colors starting to come out along the river. We made decision to throw in our paddleboards and take a paddle down the Betsie River. There were many people out fishing and it was a relaxing journey on the river. 

When we were done on the river, we headed into Beulah for some food and had amazing wings from Lucky Dog. We can't wait to have them again!

To finish this journey, we went to Cadillac for some hiking but started with a stop at Clam Lake Beer Co. As we headed to the trails we noticed that the colors were really starting to pop in Cadillac so the views along the trails were amazing, like this! The trails at Mitchell State Park were so peaceful and when peak color hits it will be at another level!

We had so much fun on this adventure and all of these spots will have amazing fall colors over the next month. Grab your hiking boots, bike, board, kayak or whatever you prefer and get outside to explore Michigan's great outdoors this fall!

Check out our full video here!

To learn more about trails and things to do in these areas, check Northern Michigan Trails here!