North Western State Trail
The North Western State Trail runs from Petoskey north to Mackinaw City along the former Grand Rapids and Indiana line of the Pennsylvania Railroad. This is a multi-use trail open to all non-motorized uses year-round and snowmobiles from December 1 to March 31.
The trail surface is asphalt from Petoskey to Alanson (7.5 miles), and crushed limestone from Alanson to Mackinaw City (23 miles). There are also small sections of paved trail in Pellston and Mackinaw City, and a short .7 mile shared road ride in Alanson.
The trail begins at Spring Lake Park on M-119 where parking, restrooms, and picnic tables are available. Leaving the shoreline, the trail follows a scenic route, running adjacent to two small lakes. At the Round Lake overlook a small beach can be accessed via the Little Traverse Conservancy’s Fochtman Nature Preserve trail. Check out "Points of Interest" and "Nearby Trails" on this page to learn more about nearby nature preserves, parks, beaches and more. The Top of Michigan Trails Council website has more trail related info.
Note: Not all sections of each trail are approved for every activity listed for the trail as a whole. Please click on individual trail sections to see approved activities for that section.
| LENGTH: | 32.1 mi |
| SURFACE: | 72% Dirt and Cinder26% Asphalt1% Road Route |
| ORGANIZATION: | Michigan DNR |
| TERRAIN: | 100% Unspecified |
| WEBSITE(S): | https://www.trailscouncil.org/north-west... |
| TRAIL FILES: | Northwestern State Trail.pdf |
| ADD INFO: | Send Email |