Fall Hiking Trails in Iron County, Michigan

Fall hiking trails in Iron County Michigan give you a chance to experience autumn from the trail instead of from behind the windshield. From hardwood forests around Lake Ottawa to lakeshore paths, nature trails, and paved riverside routes, there are several ways to spend a fall day outdoors in Iron County.

If you want to get a sense of when to plan your hike, see the when fall colors peak in Iron County before you go.

Where to hike for fall color in Iron County

Ge-Che Trail at Lake Ottawa

The Ge-Che Hiking and Cross Country Ski Trail is a roughly 9-mile dirt trail system in the Lake Ottawa Recreation Area of the Ottawa National Forest. The trail moves through hardwood forest and rolling terrain, making it a good choice when you want to spend time walking beneath the fall canopy.

Several sections offer shorter outings. The Lake Ottawa Nature Trail is about 1 mile, the Bennan Lake Loop is about 2 miles, and the Ge-Che Loop is about 2.5 miles. The longer trail system becomes more strenuous as the terrain changes.

Ge-Che is a hiking-only trail. Bicycles and mountain bikes are not permitted.

The Forest Service describes the scenery primarily as hardwood forest, with no broad vistas except for a section along the ridge beside Ottawa Lake. In other words, this is a trail for walking through the woods and experiencing the color overhead rather than looking out over a large landscape.

Lake Mary Plains Pathway

East of Crystal Falls, the Lake Mary Plains Pathway, also known as the Glidden Lake footpaths locally, winds through the Crystal Falls State Forest. The system includes roughly nine to ten miles of natural-surface pathway divided into three loops.

The pathway is open to hiking and mountain biking, but there is an important seasonal access issue to know before heading out. A 1.8-mile section of the northern loop around Glidden Lake is temporarily closed because of unsafe bridge and boardwalk conditions. The closure is between pathway intersections 7 and 8, and there are currently no reroutes.

The pathway is reached from Lake Mary Road, about a mile south of M-69, east of Crystal Falls. A Recreation Passport is required for motor vehicle access to Michigan state recreation facilities. Check current DNR information before your trip for access and closure updates.

Bewabic State Park

Bewabic State Park, along US-2 west of Crystal Falls, has about three miles of maintained trails, including a roughly 2-mile nature trail that loops through woodland and along the shore of Fortune Lake.

This is a practical option if you want a shorter walk combined with time at a state park. The wooded sections provide a different fall experience from the longer forest trails, while the lake adds another setting to the outing.

A Recreation Passport is required for motor vehicle entry to the park.

Wolf Track Nature Trail at Young's

At Young's Golf, Recreation & Dining in Crystal Falls, the Wolf Track Nature Trail is a 1.5-mile loop with a one-third-mile spur leading to Mt. Margaret.

The trail is a self-guided interpretive nature walk, with signs and artwork along the route. Young's also has several miles of two-track roads open to mountain biking. Public access is available, with daily trail passes and other recreational rates offered through the facility.

For a fall outing, Wolf Track is a useful option when you want a shorter trail and an opportunity to reach a higher point within the property.

What about fall biking?

Iron County's fall riding opportunities are better suited to paved routes, gravel riding, and shared-use trails than to a large mountain-bike singletrack network.

The Apple Blossom Trail is one of the easiest options. It provides about two miles of paved, non-motorized trail from Nanaimo Park to the Iron County Historical Museum, following the Iron River. It is flat and accessible in town, making it a practical choice for both walking and biking.

The Iron Range Trails also provide longer riding opportunities between Crystal Falls and Iron River. The surface is railroad ballast, which is coarse and different from the smoother crushed limestone found on some rail trails. Wide tires are a better choice for this type of surface.

The Lake Mary Plains Pathway also permits mountain biking, subject to the current closure described above.

Planning a fall trail day

Fall color typically begins appearing in the western Upper Peninsula in mid to late September, with the western end of the peninsula often changing before areas farther east. Current color conditions are updated weekly during the season, so check the latest report before choosing your trail.

For more ways to experience the season, see the Iron County fall color guide and explore fall color drives in Iron County if you want to combine hiking with a scenic drive.

Where to stay

A fall hiking trip is easier to enjoy when you have time to slow down and explore more than one trail. Find a place to stay in Iron County and use your stay as a base for exploring the county's forests, lakes, communities, and fall color.