Highline Trail

The Highline Trail winds 43 miles through some of the most remote country in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, connecting a chain of wilderness lakes from Grand Marais to the Canadian border country. This isn’t the alpine stuff you see in magazines — it’s proper North Woods terrain with thick forest, beaver ponds, and stretches where the only sound is your engine and the occasional loon call. The trail follows old logging roads and CCC routes through the Superior National Forest, crossing creeks on sketchy wooden bridges and climbing ridges that give you glimpses of Lake Superior through the trees.

Any decent 4WD can handle most of it, but expect mud holes, washouts, and the occasional fallen tree. Summer brings bugs and soft spots, while fall offers the best conditions once the leaves drop. No permits required, but you’re hours from help and cell service is nonexistent. Pack extra fuel, recovery gear, and bug spray. The payoff is true wilderness camping and some of the best brook trout fishing in the Midwest.