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Did you know there’s a getaway destination in Michigan’s lower peninsula where you can walk beneath giant 150 foot-tall pine trees?
And that some of the towering trees are 350- 375 years old?
Some places just feel like Michigan, and Hartwick Pines State Park is one of those places that will leave you saying, “Wow! I had no idea this was here!”
Hartwick Pines State Park in Grayling, Michigan has the largest unbroken stand of Old-Growth White Pines in the Lower Peninsula. You’re gonna want to hug these trees by time time you’re done reading this article.
Without question, it’s been one of my favorite parks in Michigan since the first time I discovered it years ago. I’ve walked these trails in every season and love this park more with every visit.
Don’t be surprised if Hartwick Pines puts a pitter-patter in your heart, too.
Climb the stairway from the parking lot to begin your adventure at the Visitors Center. The year-round, fully accessible visitor center is a gateway to the towering pine forest that surrounds it.
Stroll through the exhibit hall inside the visitors center to explore Michigan’s forests and wildlife on a journey through time beginning with the Ice Age.
Memorial Day – Labor Day: open daily, 10 AM – 5 PM
Sept – Nov 14: open daily, 10 AM – 4 PM
Nov 15 – Dec 31: Closed
Walking a loop on the Old Growth Forest trail is becoming a family tradition whenever we drive past the Grayling exit on I-75.
It’s paved, and fully accessible for everyone to enjoy. We’re talkin’ stroller-friendly, dog-friendly, wheelchair friendly, and family-friendly. Everyone in your car, even if they’re wearing Crocs, can do this trail.
My teenage daughter recently taught me you can put Crocs into “sport mode” simply by wearing the back heel strap. You’re welcome.
The Old Growth Forest trail meanders through one of the last standing old-growth forests in Michigan.
This trail begins at the Visitors Center (which is open year-round) and it’s short (only 1.25 miles).
In addition to strolling under some 350-400 year-old White Pines, you pass two main highlights of the park along the way: The Chapel in the Pines and the Logging Museum.
Walking in the woods always delights me, but this deep, old forest smells richer and sounds quieter than other forests I’ve hiked. The mossy ground almost pulses with life.
Deep in the woods at Hartwick Pines State Park, on the Old Growth Trail, is a little log structure known as The Chapel in the Pines.
It’s a peaceful sanctuary hidden away from the hustle and bustle of modern day life. It’s the perfect place to sit down and reflect on the beauty of nature.
The first time I spotted this log chapel up on the hill it took my breath away.
The amazing pine wood smell and the light beaming through the huge cross-shaped window will delight your senses as you enter the back of the chapel. It’s absolutely stunning. That single window is the only light source inside the chapel.
Beneath the cross window, Nature’s Prayer is hand-carved into the wood:
Our Heavenly Father, Creator of all that is nature, we humbly come to you in the midst of nature’s splendor to thank you that as Americans we are free to worship as we please, work as we please, and move about as we please to enjoy all that is nature – its mountains, its hills, its valleys, its lakes, its streams, and the living things that dwell therein…
No matter your religious beliefs, it’s evident that the prayer’s author wanted the reader to notice, enjoy, and appreciate the beauty of Hartwick Pines.
Getting hitched? The Chapel in the Pines is one of the smallest and best-kept secret wedding venues in Michigan.
Past the Chapel in the Pines, on the Old Growth Trail, you’ll find the Logging Museum, one of our favorite destinations in Hartwick Pines State Park.
Lumberjack saws once rang out across Michigan, and this area of northern Michigan is still known as “Timber Town.” Get a glimpse of our state’s logging history and what life was like for 19th century tree workers in this fascinating museum.
If you’re lucky enough to be at Hartwick Pines State Park during one of the ranger programs, you might be able to try old fashioned chores or use a crosscut saw.
Occasionally, during the summer, costumed actors from the Michigan History Center are on site to demonstrate activities and share the history of an 1890s logging camp.
Step into the Logging Museum to explore the restored bunkhouse, where the “shanty boys” once slept. Can you imagine waking up on a frigid Michigan winter morning in a lumber camp bunkhouse?
Inside you’ll see the mess hall where they ate, the cook’s shack where their food was prepared and the blacksmith’s shop where tools like saws, hammers and axes were both forged and repaired.
Make sure you check out the historic photos of lumberjacks building roads and using horses, steam engines, and rivers to move logs to shipping ports throughout the great lakes region and US.
Outside the museum, get an up-close look at the sawmill, big-wheel, and large road-building equipment.
May – Labor Day: 10 AM – 5 PM
Sept – Oct: 10 AM – 4 PM
Nov – April: Closed
Hartwick Pines State Park built its first public structure, the Memorial Building, under the direction of Karen Hartwick to honor her late husband, Edward.
For over 60 years, the Memorial Building served as the park’s visitor center.
Fun Opportunity Alert: Apply to be a Host at the Memorial Building
In exchange for leading tours, minimal building maintenance duties, and helping with park programs, you get to camp for free at the park’s campground! (I’ve been encouraged to cut back on my exclamation point usage, but that last sentence deserves to be yelled.)
Hosts can volunteer for one week up to one month and can serve as an individual, family, or group of friends.
Load up your camping gear and stay overnight at Hartwick Pines State Park.
Choose between their year-round rustic campground and seasonal modern campground with 100 sites: 64 electric-only sites and 36 pull-through sites with full hook ups.
Due to an enhancement project to upgrade the electrical system, the modern campground will tentatively close in October 2023.
The campground has a playground, sand volleyball court and trail connections including trail access to Bright and Glory lakes and a spur from the campground road that leads to the park’s mountain biking trails.
You can also stay overnight in the tiny rustic cabin that sleeps up to seven people. There is no electricity in the cabin, but propane heating is available.
The cabin is furnished with a table and benches and three bunk beds, one of which has a full-size bed on the bottom.
A hand pump for water, vault toilet, picnic table, charcoal grill and fire ring are located outside the cabin.
Visitors must bring their own bedding and cooking supplies.
3612 State Park Dr, Grayling, MI 49738
Hartwick Pines State Park is located 3 hours (200 miles) from Detroit, and just 8 miles off of I-75 near Grayling.
Michigan Recreation Passport is required for entry.
Don’t skimp on bug spray if you’re visiting anytime between May 1 and Oct 31. The mosquitos at Hartwick Pines State Park are some of the biggest and hungriest I’ve ever encountered in Michigan.
Admission and parking is free, however a Michigan Recreation Passport is required for vehicle entry into the park.
The park is most known for its 49 acres of old-growth pine forest. Other highlights include a stellar visitors center, 21-miles of gorgeous trails, a logging museum filled with historic items, and modern campground, and more.
There is not a designated dog play area, but dogs are allowed as long as they’re on a leash no more than six feet in length. Dogs are not permitted to enter public buildings.
The modern campground has 36 pull-through sites with full hook ups, and 64 electric-only sites.
Yes! There are a variety of programming options for school groups at Hartwick Pines. From forest ecology tours or Michigan wildlife studies, to maple syrup making – you’re sure to find a program that will delight your group.
“The Monarch” is the most famous tree at Hartwick Pines. It once towered 150 feet over the forest, the tallest and largest tree in the heart of the park. It was damaged by a storm in 1992 and died 4 years later. Today when you visit, you can hug its 60 foot tall stump.
Forests that have never been logged and have developed over a long period of time are considered old growth. They play essential roles in numerous ecological processes including wildlife habitat, carbon storage, nutrient cycles, and species diversity.
Some Michigan destinations are all about big attractions and packed itineraries. Hartwick Pines is different. It’s a place to wander beneath giant trees, take in a little history, and enjoy the kind of quiet beauty that’s becoming harder to find.
Hartwick Pines may be a little off the beaten path, but that’s why we love it. It’s a Michigan treasure you’ve just got to experience for yourself.
Amber Cox has spent hundreds of hours over the past 15 years researching, planning, and taking her family on outdoor adventures. She’s passionate about having fun, getting her three kids outside exploring their own backyard in Michigan, and encouraging other families to get outside, too. You can usually find her living life to the fullest in hiking boots on a trail somewhere. She loves capturing Michigan and sharing nature photos as @The.Fun.Finder on Instagram.
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