Ludington & Manistee
Manistee
A Lake Michigan port city where the river meets the lake, with a historic downtown riverwalk, three city beaches and a pierhead light to climb in season.
About 20 miles away (straight line)
Attraction · Ludington & Manistee
Manistee National Forest
More than half a million acres of public forest, run from Cadillac, with backpacking and ski trails, campgrounds and two National Scenic Rivers.
The Manistee National Forest is the big public backyard of this part of the state: about 540,000 acres of woods, rivers and trails in the Lower Peninsula, run from Cadillac together with the Huron National Forest to the east. If you are staying in Manistee or Cadillac and want a day in the woods, this is where it happens.
It is not one solid block of forest. The land is a patchwork broken up by private property and towns, so you will drive in and out of it, and it pays to know where you are headed before you leave.
For hiking, start with the Manistee River Trail, which joins the North Country Trail to make a loop. For skiing in winter and mountain biking in summer, head to the Big M trails near Wellston.
Paddlers and anglers have two National Scenic Rivers, the Pine and the Pere Marquette. Recreation.gov sells watercraft permits for both, so check whether your trip needs one before you book a livery. Campers can choose from developed campgrounds and primitive sites across the Huron-Manistee.
Practical information
- Managed by
- U.S. Forest Service (Huron-Manistee National Forests)
- Best months
- January, February, May, June, July, August, September, October, December
- Headquarters
- The Huron-Manistee National Forests supervisor's office is at 1755 S. Mitchell Street in Cadillac.
- Ranger station
- The Cadillac/Manistee Ranger Station is on Nursery Road in Wellston, near the Big M trails.
- Getting around
- The forest is not one continuous block. It is a patchwork of public land broken up by private property and towns.
- Official website
- fs.usda.gov
Location
Map of Manistee National Forest
4 places on an OpenStreetMap map
Nearby towns
Grand Traverse & Inland Lakes
Cadillac
For lake and trail people in every season: two lakes, a state park beach between them, the end of the White Pine Trail and a big winter trail network.
About 25 miles away (straight line)
Also nearby
Straight-line distances, not driving distances.
Trail
Big M Trail System
Groomed cross-country ski and winter fat-tire bike trails, and summer singletrack, in the Manistee National Forest near Wellston.
About 7 miles away (straight line)
Trail
North Country National Scenic Trail
The national scenic trail's long run up the west side of northern Michigan: Manistee National Forest, the Jordan River Valley, Petoskey and Mackinaw City.
About 7 miles away (straight line)
Ski area
Caberfae Peaks
A ski resort west of Cadillac with 27 runs and 5 lifts across three peaks, plus about 10 miles of cross-country trails that are free to use.
About 10 miles away (straight line)