RANKED: Midwest Hiking Trails Best to Worst (by a guide!!)
June 24, 2021
The Upper Midwest is full of hidden gem hiking locations, paddling routes, and more. I’ve been lucky enough to hike extensively throughout Northern Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, and have laid out thirty (30!) hiking trails in the region. From Isle Royale, to the Border Route Trail, to the state parks and ADA- accessible options, I’ve ranked these Midwest hiking trails from best to worst.
Upper Midwest Hiking Trails Ranked Best to Worst
For my ranking system, I’ve considered trail difficulty vs reward, views, bugs, crowds, and my gut instinct to create a resources with thirty Midwest hiking trails ranked.
For a full trail guide for any of these hiking trails and more, check out my book Hidden Gems of the Northern Great Lakes: A Trail and Paddling Guide!
The Top Ten Best Hiking Trails in the Upper Midwest
The Upper Midwest is underrated when it comes to hiking trails. Throughout the Midwest, you can find sand dunes, waterfalls, incredible overlooks, sea caves, and more. After living in three different states and hiking through the region, here are the top ten best hiking trails in the Midwest.
1) The Superior Hiking Trail
Only in Minnesota can you find a 300-mile long trail that winds through the mountains and canyons both. The Superior Hiking Trail is truly incredible, with overlooks of both inland lakes and Lake Superior, waterfalls and canyons that rival the Rockies, and beautiful bridges over streams and rivers. From start to finish, the Superior Hiking Trail (SHT) is one of the most scenic, best backpacking trails in Minnesota.
There are COUNTLESS views like the one above along the Superior Hiking Trail. If you can’t hike the Superior Hiking Trail start to finish, worry not! There are plenty of day hiking options along the Superior Hiking Trail. Many of the most impressive places and waterfalls are within state parks, but the entirety of the trail has endless potential for exploring.
Hands down, the Superior Hiking Trail is the best hiking trail in the Midwest. 10/10.
2) The Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive
One of the must-see places of Michigan, the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive is a quick cruise through the Sleeping Bear Dunes through a covered bridge and out to multiple overlooks of the Dunes, Glen Lake, and Lake Michigan. This is a great spot for photography, sunset watching, leaf peeping, and many of the overlooks are ADA accessible! 10/10.
The Pierce Stocking has some of the best hiking trails for families in Michigan, and is one of the best places for sunset photography in Michigan, and has the best accessible hiking in Michigan.
3) The Entire Island of Isle Royale
Off the coast of Minnesota and Canada, Isle Royale National Park is an island isolated from the mainland, creating a closed ecosystem and a whole other world. There are endless options for backpacking loops on the island, with rugged cliffs, well-maintained trails, and abundant wildlife including moose and wolves. Isle Royale is easily home to the best backpacking in Michigan, and some of the best backpacking in the Midwest, rivaled only by Minnesota’s Superior Hiking Trail.
Basically, Isle Royale is a hiker’s paradise, and you should absolutely drop everything and book a trip out to the island. That being said, Isle Royale can be incredibly difficult to reach, requiring either a ferry or seaplane ticket. For that reason, I will be docking one point from the island’s overall score for lack of accessibility.
Accessibility aside, Isle Royale has some of the best hiking in the Midwest, as well as incredible kayaking and canoeing. 9/10.
4) The Chapel-Basin Loop of the Pictured Rocks
An 11-13 mile hike with two and a half waterfalls and incredible views of Lake Superior, the Chapel-Basin Loop is one of the best hiking loops in the Midwest, and possibly the world. The bugs can be bad, and this trail gets crowded on peak summer weekends. That being said, I still 10/10 recommend this hike for any bucket list.
An overlook on the Chapel Basin Loop. This is a very old iPhone shot edited to look even older. You can read about photo editing here.
A part of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, the Chapel Basin loop has several overnight camping options along the way. You also have the option to backpack from Grand Marais, Michigan to Munising, Michigan, along the Pictured Rocks Cliffs. This is a longer backpacking route (3-4 days), but easily one of the most beautiful backpacking routes in Michigan, and one of the best backpacking routes in the Midwest.
The Chapel Basin Loop is one of the best trails for photography and views in the Midwest. 9/10.
Read 30 Things to do in the Pictured Rocks!
5) Cascade River State Park
Just south of Grand Marias, Minnesota, Cascade River State Park is one of the few places where you can hike less than one mile and see as many as seven waterfalls. While the park is likely to be crowded in the summer, the falls are best viewed in the spring when full from snowmelt, or in the rain.
This is a great waterfall hike for families, photographers, or anyone with limited time looking for some of the best waterfalls in Minnesota. Hop on the Superior Hiking Trail from the Cascade River and head either up into the Sawtooth Mountains or along the river for more views and smaller falls.
Cascade River State Park is one of the best easy hiking trails in Minnesota. 9/10.
6) The Border Route Trail
Winding along the Minnesota-Canada border, the Border Route Trail is a 65-mile backpacking route through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. This is a rugged trail, difficult to follow, with no cell service. Despite this, the views are incredible.
You’re likely to see very few people along the Border Route Trail (BRT), and find beautiful campsites. The Border Route Trail offers some of the best overlooked and less travelled hiking and backpacking in the Midwest. Permits are required in the BWCAW. This is not a beginner level backpacking trail. You can read about my experience on the BRT here.
The Border Route Trail has some of the best overlooks in Minnesota, but can be a very challenging backpacking route. 8/10.
7) The Apostle Islands Lakeshore Trail
Above the famous Apostle Islands Sea Caves you can find one of the best hiking trails in the Midwest. The Apostle Islands Lakeshore trail offers views down into the sea caves, incredible sunsets over Lake Superior and the North Shore in the distance, and beautiful spring wildflowers.
This trail can be crowded on summer weekends, but is still one of the best hikes in Wisconsin for families looking for a moderate challenge. The Lakeshore trail can be turned into a backpacking trip by backpacking in 5 miles to the only mainland campsite in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. Permits are required to camp in the National Park. 8/10.
Read 30 Best things to do in the Apostle Islands
8) Bond Falls
Although Tahquamenon Falls is commonly said to be the best waterfall in Michigan, I humbly disagree. Tucked away in the Western Upper Peninsula, Bond Falls is a waterfall system of several cascades, with ADA-accessible viewing platforms and incredible views of multiple falls.
While Tahquamenon Falls are beautiful, Bond Falls has the added bonus of being less popular and more seculded. Bond Falls is a great spot for families of all ages, and a great place to escape the summer crowds. Short and sweet, Bond Falls is one of the best easy hiking trails in Michigan. 8/10.
9) Tettegouche State Park
Near Silver Bay, MN, Tettegouche State Park offers some of the best moderate hiking trails in the Midwest for day trippers and photographers specifically. The park is home to four different waterfalls, impressive overlooks of Lake Superior, as well as some of the most beautiful overlooks on the Superior Hiking Trail.
The flip side to this is that Tettegouche is a well-known state park, and likely to be crowded even in the off season. In addition to tourists, this is also a popular state park among photographers. If you’re out for the perfect shot, you’ll likely find yourself competing with both crowds and other photographers. Unfortunately, there are no ADA accessible trails in this state park.
That being said, the views truly can’t be beat, and Tettegouche has some of the best waterfalls in Minnesota, and best overlooks in the Midwest. 7/10.
Check out the Ultimate guide to Tettegouche State park
10) Copper Falls State Park
Near Ashland, Wisconsin, Copper Falls State Park is an excellent location for families looking for waterfalls and light hiking, or for more serious hikers looking to hike farther out to multiple falls. Copper Falls has beautiful cascades, several ADA accessible trail options, and has some of the best easy hiking trails in Wisconsin.
Pictured above is just one of the many waterfalls in Copper Falls State Park. In the summer, trails will be very crowded.
Copper Falls State Park has some of the best hiking trails for families in Wisconsin, best waterfalls in Wisconsin, and some of the best ADA-accessible trails in the Midwest. 7/10.
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Middle-Ranked Hiking Trails in the Midwest
These aren’t the best hiking trails in the Midwest, but they certainly aren’t the worst! Here great trails worth checking out, but don’t plan a trip around them! These trails have more crowds with less reward than the trails above, more bugs, or otherwise simply did not make the cut to be one of the 10 best hiking trails in the Upper Midwest.
11) Pattison State Park and Manitou Falls
Pattison State Park is about an hour away from Duluth and has two beautiful waterfalls. Big Manitou Falls is the largest waterfall in the Midwest (multi-drop), and Little Manitou Falls is also a unique and impressive waterfall. The paths to the falls are paved, but technically too steep to be considered ADA accessible. That being said many of the overlooks are easy to access, with picnic areas and great for families.
Despite the awesome waterfalls, there isn’t much else to do in the area around Pattison State Park, and the hiking in the area isn’t as impressive as some of the other nearby state parks. If you’re looking to see the best waterfalls in the Midwest, you might have better luck on Minnesota’s North Shore.
Pattison State Park has some of the best waterfalls in Wisconsin, and best hiking trails for families, and is worth a trip! 6/10.
12) Ludington State Park
Ludington State Park in Ludington, Michigan has one of the best, most underrated trail systems in the Midwest. Here, you can hike from island to island on wood bridges on inland lakes, over dramatic ridges, dune ecosystems, and out to the Ludington Lighthouse and coastal environment of Lake Michigan.
Ludington is a perfect day trip both for a casual adventurer or a serious hiker. That being said, there are trails in the area that are better suited for serious hikers and overnight dune trips, and day trippers might have better views and comparable solitude in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. 6/10.
13) The Fife Lake Loop
Most backpackers of Southern Michigan flock to the highly overrated (we’ll come back to this) Manistee River Trail. Instead, I suggest instead tackling the Fife Lake Loop. Located just south of Fife Lake, Michigan, the Fife Lake Loop is a 21-23 mile loop along the Manistee River and through woods and inland lakes.
No permits or fees are required, the Fife Lake Loop has a few beautiful overlooks, and you’re likely to find more solitude than on the Manistee River Trail. Personally, I think the Fife Lake Loop is an incredibly underrated Midwest backpacking trail. While the views are not as classically “impressive” as the Manistee River Trail, in my opinion this is a better trail for backpacking.
All in all, the Fife Lake Loop is one of the best backpacking trails in Michigan, has beautiful fall color, and is super underrated. 6/10.
14) Empire Bluffs
The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is home to some of the most beautiful Michigan hiking trails, and Empire Bluffs probably ranks at the top of that list. Empire Bluffs is a short trail out to a beautiful sweeping overlook of Lake Michigan and large sand dunes in the distance.
This trail can be CROWDED in the summer. Extremely photogenic, Empire Bluffs is also extremely popular. It’s also currently at risk for dune erosion. Sand dunes and their fragile grasses are more sensitive to this kind of erosion than other trails on rock or dirt. This makes it incredibly important to not only stay on trail in the Sleeping Bear Dunes, but to not venture out on to “unofficial” or unmarked trails.
For great views, crowds and risk of erosion, 5/10.
15) Gooseberry Falls State Park
Located just north of Two Harbors, Minnesota, Gooseberry Falls State Park has some of the best waterfalls in the Midwest—if you can find parking. Gooseberry has some of the best ADA accessible trails in the Midwest, and some of the only ADA accessible trails on Minnesota’s North Shore.
There are several different cascades at Gooseberry, and it makes for a very easy stop off Highway 61 for anyone headed north. Despite the crowds, Gooseberry Falls State Park has some of the best hiking trails in the Upper Midwest for families. 5/10.
16) Oberg Mountain
Once upon a time, Oberg Mountain was a little secret trail in Tofte, Minnesota. That is a bygone era. Today, this classically beautiful hike and overlook are a bucket list destination for leaf-peepers throughout the Midwest. Oberg Mountain is a quick three mile hike with multiple overlooks, including of the very photogenic lake pictured below.
I hiked this trail in November, which I strongly advise against. It was a sheet of ice, not unlike the lake below. I recommend checking out Oberg on weekdays or in the spring or early summer only. 5/10.
17) Tahquamenon Falls
Sometimes called “Niagara of the Midwest”, Tahquamenon Falls is a classically beautiful Michigan waterfall. The Upper Falls are ADA accessible, and you can make this a longer trek by hiking along the river to the lower falls and back.
Tahquamenon Falls is incredibly well known, and never not crowded. While Tahquamenon itself is beautiful, there aren’t many other activities to do in the area.
That being said, Tahquamenon Falls is one of the best easy hiking trails in Michigan, best ADA accessible trails in Michigan, and one of the most impressive waterfalls in the Midwest. 5/10.
18) Temperance River
The Temperance River on the North Shore of Minnesota is one of the most interesting waterfalls in the Midwest. The gorge itself is reminiscent of something out West, and the Temperance River has multiple cascades and waterfalls.
Pictured above is the Temperance River Gorge in the early winter as ice started to form on the falls.
Similar to many other beautiful and easy to access locations, the Temperance River is likely to be extremely crowded in summer months. Unlike Gooseberry Falls, Temperance has no ADA accessible trails, and unlike Tettegouche, the trail system itself isn’t nearly as expansive. 5/10.
19) Munising Falls
Conveniently located near the Pictured Rocks visitors center, Munising Falls is one of the best ADA accessible trails in the Midwest. Munising Falls is easy to reach, photogenic, and not far from downtown Munising.
Due to ease of access and proximity to the visitors center, Munising Falls can be extremely busy. I recommend visiting these falls and the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in the Fall or Spring. 5/10.
20) Wilderness State Park
Just west of the Mackinaw Bridge, Wilderness State Park is a great spot to camp on the beach with dark skies and great trails. Wilderness State Park is home to a population of black bears, and trails can be rugged. Camping on the beach fills up on popular summer weekends. 5/10.
Oh hey, have I mentioned my book Hidden Gems of the Northern Great Lakes: A Trail and Paddling Guide? This is a place where you can find 85+ hikes, 35 paddling routes, 62 waterfalls, and pro tips on Midwest travel from an outdoor/adventure guide (me!!)
The Ten Worst Hiking Trails in the Midwest (can you say overrated?)
The Midwest has some great hiking trails and destinations, but it also has some terrible ones! From Michigan to Minnesota, here are the most overrated, buggy, worst hiking trails in the Midwest. Skip these 10 difficult, hard to reach, and overrated Midwest hiking trails.
21) Oak Island Overlook
Oak Island is the tallest of the Apostle Islands in Wisconsin, and home to a very prolific population of black bears! From the Oak Island sand spit, it’s 10 miles round trip out to the lovely overlook of the outer ring of Apostle Islands on Lake Superior. 10/10 for the view and picnic spot.
However, you might want to eat your picnic fast, because the resident black bears are watching. This spot is also difficult to get to; you either have to book an overnight sea kayaking tour, paddle 12 miles round trip from Red Cliff, or have a sailboat to take out to the island.
I opted for the 12 mile paddle, 10 mile hike.* In 2021, significant blow down and trail damage completely obliterated parts of the trail to the overlook. We still made it through, but it was considerably unpleasant. For lack of ease of access, black bear issues, and recent storm damage, 4/10.
*Note: This is not a beginner paddle; I am an ACA Level 3 certified coastal kayaker and have worked several summers as a sea kayaking guide in the Apostle Islands. Please do not attempt to paddle to Oak Island! If you want to learn more about kayaking on Lake Superior, click here.
22) Jordan River Trail
The Jordan River Trail is an easy (ish) overnight backpacking trip in Northern Michigan. It’s selling points include wildflowers, fall color, and the crystal clear Jordan River. That being said, there are better backpacking trails in Michigan, and the ticks are RAMPANT in the summer. 4/10.
23) Devil’s Kettle at Judge CR Magney State Park
Unpopular opinion: The Devil’s Kettle is not that cool. Devil’s Kettle is a waterfall on the Brule River in Northern Minnesota that splits into two lovely waterfalls. One cascades in plain sight, and the other disappears into rock, never to be seen again.
Which sounds GREAT and mysterious when you write it in a blog post. That sh*t gets Pinterest clicks. “This mysterious waterfall in Minnesota has scientist baffled!”. In person, it’s not that impressive. And it’s crowded. And there’s a really horrific set of stairs. One of the worst hiking trails in the Midwest. Hard pass. -2/10.
Pictured above is Upper Falls on the Brule, which is on the same trail as the Devils Kettle, but I find to be much prettier.
24) Miner’s Castle and Beach
A popular, ADA-accessible spot in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, this is also the place where every single first time tourist stops! Add to that the thousands of plastic kayaks lined up on Miner’s Beach, (so many that you can’t actually use the beach), and it’s a nope.
Instead, check out Munising Falls by the visitor’s center (ADA accessible), or head to the Grand Marais side of the Pictured Rocks for lesser crowds and equally lovely views. -2/10.
25) Saxon Falls, WI
This hike on the Michigan-Wisconsin border is the mother of all sketch, with multiple “caution, waterfall” signs along the way as you traverse some sketchy sketchy slippery metal bridges near a power plant. While I promise Saxon Falls is totally legal and a real trail, it’s not worth the “oh my god I’m trespassing” feeling you’ll get in your stomach.
Also, the “oh my god I’m going to fall in to this river and die” feeling. The waterfall is like, okay at best. Basically, the trail to Saxon Falls is one of the worst hiking trails in the Midwest. -3/10.
26) Sleeping Bear Point Beach
Once upon a time, this beach was the perfect swimming hole. It’s still a beautiful beach! In 2017, a USA Today article named it one of the best beaches in the world, and now a lot of the beaches in the Sleeping Bear Dunes get pretty crowded in the summer, and you might have trouble finding parking.
These trails have plenty of visitors already, fragile dune grass environments that are at risk from off-trail hikers, and water that is too frigid to swim in anyway. -3/10.
27) Sand Island, Apostle Islands
Sand Island is a swamp with no redeeming qualities. Only bugs. I said what I said.
It’s incredibly difficult for the average person to reach, has inferior sea caves to the other islands and mainland of the Apostle Islands, and one of the most dangerous crossings on Lake Superior due to fog banks, irresponsible boaters, erratic weather patterns, frigid, hypothermia inducing waters and a shallower lake bed creating locally larger waves. Sand Island is a ticking time bomb of a tragic kayaking accident. -4/10.
28) Caribou Rock Trail
It is TRULY amazing what people will call a trail. I hope you like scrambling down loose dirt cliffs edges, hauling your breaking body up and down mountains, and being eaten alive by swarms on swarms of Boundary Waters mosquitos. All for what? A waterfall and beautiful views? (Like, really, really beautiful views)! A delicious meal at Trail Center after to sooth your aching bones?
Ouch. Luckily, two of the best overlooks are in the first three miles. Then you can turn around before you turn into the next ill-prepared, backcountry casualty. My mosquito bites are the size of softballs. Is that normal? Caribou Rock Trail is one of the most miserable, worst hiking trails in the Midwest. Or the best. I go back and forth. -4/10.
28) Manistee River Trail
The Manistee River Trail is commonly said to be one of the best beginner backpacking trails in the Midwest, with beautiful views of the river, high banks above it, and a small waterfall.
Okay, so. First of all. That is not a waterfall. That is a small trickle of water down a clay bank. The backpacking route itself is fine, but why would you hike the crowded MRT when you can hike the FLL (Fife Lake Loop) instead, with just as lovely views, better campsites, and less people? Go do that one instead. -6/10.
30) The “Dune Climb”, the WORST hiking trail in the Midwest
The worst trail. In the entire. Midwest. Why, pray tell, would ANYONE want to drag their bodies up and down 400 ft tall sand dunes in the heat for four miles out to Lake Michigan, all for the chance at that empty, sweet Lake Michigan beach only to find the water too cold to swim in, but the dunes so hot?
-10/10. I don’t know what it is about Michiganders that they all feel like this trail is a “fun time” but I don’t hike up sand mountains. That being said, the Dune Climb is a really beautiful snowshoe in the winter.
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