Michigan County Highpoints

County Highpointing in a “Flat” State…

As a Midwestern state Michigan sits amid some of the least interesting terrain in the country. As it is, however, Michigan sits surrounded by four of the five Great Lakes and has a geologic history that has helped create a rather varied landscape. Split into two ecologically, geologically, and demographically distinct peninsulas, the state of Michigan offers the best and worst in county highpointing. The western Upper Peninsula lies within the rugged Canadian Shield and offers some of the toughest cross-country travel in the Midwestern US. The eastern UP and northern LP are characterized by lakeshore plains mixed with glacial hills and uplands. The land is not as rugged here but nonetheless includes some of Michigan’s highest elevations. The southern LP is perhaps the least interesting from a highpointing standpoint. The land is generally flat and you are likely to need a good topo map with you to tell you when you are, indeed, where you need to be.

I don’t consider myself an avid county highpointer, I am awestruck and dumbfounded by the people who take it upon themselves to visit all the U.S. county highpoints. The time and money required for this are far beyond my reach so I have set my sights on a goal more attainable…visiting the county highpoints in my home state. So far I’ve visited a little over half of them, and will hopefully complete the lot of them in the next year or so. Even though none of these highpoints are very dramatic it has treated me to an interesting journey into some of the more remote corners of my home state, each unique in its own way…

Upper Peninsula

County highpointing in the UP is a completely different animal than it is in the Lower Peninsula. Most of the highpoints here lie on public land but due to the difficult terrain and lack of good access roads make these places quite difficult to reach. The eastern half of the peninsula is comparatively flat but the maze of muddy backroads that criss-cross the backcountry here makes finding these highpoints an adventure...

County	Elevation	Location	Access	Information
Alger	1170'	Unnamed	Short Hike	Near where Alger, Schoolcraft, and Luce Counties meet. The highpoint is obvious...if you can find it...you'll need 4WD and a good map.
Baraga	1979'	Mt. Arvon	Short Hike	Michigan's Highest Point. SE of Skanee. The route to the trailhead has been much improved in recent years, it's a half-mile hike from the parking area.
Chippewa	1090'	McNearney Lake Tower	4WD/Short Hike	NE of Eckerman. An old truck trail leads to the summit area (you'll want a 4WD). Hiawatha National Forest
Delta	1068'	Unnamed	Private Land	Near Lathrop off M-35. Highpoint is actually on State Land but you must cross private property to reach it.
Dickinson	1609'	Sagola Lookout	Drive-Up	Just W of Sagola. From reports you can drive up to the old lookout easily.
Gogebic	1870'	Unnamed	Roadside	Extreme SE corner of county. Highpoint is located 50 yards W of FR-321 just inside the state border.
Houghton	1659'	The Bluff	Bushwhack	Extreme SW corner of county. A steep bushwhack, one of the toughest on this page. Ottawa National Forest
Iron	1880'	Unnamed	Private Land	SW of Beechwood near State Line. Highpoint is located within the privately owned Smoky Lake Wilderness, get permission to access this one.
Keweenaw	1540'	Mt. Horace Greeley	Private Land	This highpoint all but impossible to visit as it is on the grounds of a juvenile detention center and is strictly off-limits to the public. The entrance is along Gratiot Lake Road SE of Phoenix.
Luce	1197'	Unnamed	4WD/Bushwhack	Near where Luce, Schoolcraft, and Alger Counties meet. Logging roads criss-cross the area so have a good map and a 4WD.
Mackinac	1000'	Maple Hill & Unnamed	Roadside & 4WD/Bushwhack	Maple Hill-Adjacent to East Lake Road at Chippewa County line. Unnamed Area-W of Fish Road(two-track), half-mile bushwhack
Marquette	1932'	Unnamed	North Country Trail	Along North Country Trail in McCormick Wilderness, N of Michigammee. A 4-mile round-trip hike.
Menominee	1171'	Unnamed	Private Land	NW of Hermansville near Dickinson line, must obtain owner permission to access.
Ontonagon	1952'	Summit Peak	Short Hike	Highest point in Porcupine Mountains State Park. Access road gets you within a quarter-mile of the top in the summer.
Schoolcraft	1050'	Unnamed	4WD/Bushwhack	Near where Schoolcraft, Luce, and Alger Counties meet. Logging roads criss-cross the area so have a good map and a 4WD.

Northern Lower Peninsula

The northern LP is a mix of what you will find to the north and south. The amount of public land here decreases, meaning you’ll likely run into more “No Trespassing” signs. The terrain here, however, is still quite interesting. Particularly towards the tip of the mitt glacial activity has created a fairly hilly landscape to explore.

County	Elevation	Location	Access	Information
Alcona	1273'	Unnamed	Bushwhack	W of Curran near County Line, Huron National Forest
Alpena	1140'	Turtle Lake Tower	4WD	Extreme SW corner of county in large roadless area
Antrim	1489'	Unnamed	Short Bushwhack	On Otsego County line just S of Elmira
Arenac	870'	Unnamed	4WD	Just W of I-75 in Au Sable State Forest
Benzie	1161'	Unnamed	Private Land	Extreme SE corner of county, 4WD will get you close
Charlevoix	1562'	Hudson Lookout	Gravel Road	East of Boyne Falls near Otsego County line, Mackinaw State Forest
Cheboygan	1300'	Unnamed	4WD, Short Hike	SW of Wolverine within Mackinaw State Forest
Clare	1509'	Unnamed	Short Hike	Just W of Harrison
Crawford	1540'	Portage Lake Lookout	4WD, Short Hike	SW of Grayling within Camp Grayling(U.S. Army), open to public
Emmet	1329' & 1338'	Boyne Highlands, Nubs Knob	Private Land	N of Harbor Springs, both are popular ski areas so visit in the summer, steep climbs to the tops
Gladwin	1240'	Unnamed	4WD, Mile Hike	Extreme NW corner of county on Roscommon County line, Au Sable State Forest
Grand Traverse	1214'	Unnamed	Private Land	W of Traverse City off M-72, must obtain owner permission to access
Iosco	1030'	Unnamed	Short Hike/Bushwhack	3 Areas in extreme NW corner of county, Huron National Forest
Isabella	1270'	Bundy Hill	Private, Short Hike	SW of Lake Isabella, must obtain owner permission to access
Kalkaska	1476'	Cleary Hill	Hike/Bushwhack	SE corner of county within Camp Gryaling (U.S. Army), open to public. 4WD would be handy to reach trailhead, 2-mile round-trip.
Lake	1410'	Unnamed	4WD, Short Hike	E of Baldwin near county line; a 4WD will get you close, then it's a half-mile hike.
Leelanau	1165'	Unnamed	Private Land	W of Traverse City, just N of M-72. A short dirt two-track leads to the top.
Manistee	1180'	Unnamed	Bushwhack	SE of Kaleva in Manistee National Forest
Mason	955'	Unnamed	Private Land	SE of Ludington off US-31, must obtain owner permission to access
Mecosta	1280'	Unnamed	4WD/Hike	W of Big Rapids at Newaygo County line. A 1.5 mile round-trip hike.
Midland	770'	Unnamed(x28)	4WD/Hike	28 separate areas around the community of Coleman. This one's a mess, go here for info.
Missaukee	1555'	Unnamed	Private Land	NW of McBain, not far off the road along a corn field.
Montmorency	1440'	Unnamed	4WD/Short Hike	W of Atlanta near Otsego County line.
Newaygo	1350'	Unnamed (1,2)	Bushwahck & Private Land	2 separate highpoints. First is west of Big Rapids in Mansitee National Forest, second is farther N on Private Land
Oceana	1058'(x5)	Unnamed	Bushwhack	5 Areas NW of Walkerville, Manistee National Forest
Ogemaw	1510'	Unnamed	Private Land	W of West Branch at Roscommon County line, located in brand new subdivision so access could become an issue
Osceola	1722'	Grove Hill	Roadside Park	Highest Point in Lower Peninsula, NW of Tustin.
Oscoda	1470'	Old Baldy	4WD/Short Hike	SE corner of county, numerous ATV tracks make this one tricky, Manistee National Forest
Otsego	1560'	Unnamed	Private Land	NW of Waters, numerous dirt roads lead to gated property, its a decent bushwhack from there.
Presque Isle	950'	Unnamed(1,2,3,4)	Roadside/Private Land/Short Hikes	#1-Mackinaw State Forest, #2-Mackinaw State Forest, #3-Private Land, #4-Roadside
Roscommon	1579'	Indian Springs Lookout	Short Hike	Just S of I-75 near Ogemaw County line, short walk up to radio tower.
Wexford	1706'	Briar Hill	4WD or Hike	SE of Harrietta, a high clearance 4WD will get you to the top, otherwise a 1.5 mile round-trip hike. Manistee National Forest

Southern Lower Peninsula

This is a true Midwestern landscape in all its monotony. Flat farmland and an unending conglomeration of cities, suburbs, and subdivisions makes for the least interesting highpointing of the entire state. All but a handful of highpoints here lie on private land making access difficult at times though for many you hardly need to leave your vehicle...

County	Elevation	Location	Access	Information
Allegan	1000'	Unnamed	Drive-Up/Short Hike	Extreme SE corner of County, highpoint is in a cornfield about 1000' from the road.
Barry	1138'	Unnamed	Hike/Bushwhack	Near Yankee Springs in Barry State Game Area.
Bay	845'	Unnamed	Private Land	Extreme NW corner of county just S of M-61, must obtain owner permission to access.
Berrien	938'	Unnamed	Private Land	S of Buchanan near Indiana line, must obtain owner permission to access.
Branch	1130'	Unnamed	Private Land	SE corner of county near Hillsdale County line, HP is in a field a quick walk from the road.
Calhoun	1106'	Dixon Hill	Short Hike	Just N of M-60 between Tekonsha and Burlington. An ATV trail leads the half-mile to the top.
Cass	1150'	Bald Hill	Drive-Up/Short Hike	Near Swiss Valley Ski Area
Clinton	930'	Unnamed	Drive-Up	Just W of US-127 at Ingham County line, HP is in parking lot of Granger Recycling Center
Eaton	1000'	Unnamed	Drive-Up	South of Eaton Rapids near Calhoun County line, an easy dirt road drive-up.
Genesee	1030'	Unnamed	Drive-Up	2 HP's on either side of State Road at Livingston County line in Fenton.
Gratiot	890'	Unnamed	Private Land	5 HP's just S of M-46 W of Alma, must obtain owner permission to access.
Hillsdale	1280'	Unnamed	Private Land	Just S of Hillsdale, the HP is on private property and, according to a recent report, the owners are not very hospitible.
Huron	860'	Unnamed	Private Land	12 areas just NW of Minden City near the Sanilac County line.
Ingham	1050'	Teaspoon Hill	Drive-Up	N of Leslie, HP is along Covert Road just E of US-127.
Ionia	950'	Unnamed	Drive-Up	5 areas in extreme NW corner of county, most can be driven right over.
Jackson	1190'	Unnamed	Private Land	HP is located on a dairy farm NW of Hanover, must obtain owner permission to access.
Kalamazoo	1056'	Unnamed (1,2)	Private Land	8 total HP's all located on private property W of Kalamazoo.
Kent	1063'	Fisk Knob	Drive-Up	Easy to visit HP in NW corner of county. An impressive view for this part of the state.
Lapeer	1280'	Mt. Christie	Drive-Up/Short Hike	S of Metamora on Oakland County line. HP is within Mount Christie Estates but access is not a problem (for now).
Lenawee	1227'	Prospect Hill	Private Land	NW of Onstead, requires a 3/4 mile round-trip hike but owner permission must be obtained to access.
Livingston	1230'	Foley Ridge	Private Land/Short Hike	S of Fenton in Foley Ridge subdivision. The land here is all privately owned but I didn't see any postings on the trail to the summit...nice view!
Macomb	1150'	Twombley Mountain	Private Land/Escorted Drive-Up	Good luck visiting this one! The HP is located on the Ford Motor Company Proving Grounds which are off-limits to the public. You'll have to arrange a private tour to reach this one.
Monroe	735'	Unnamed	Drive-Up	Extreme NW corner of county, an easy drive up.
Montcalm	1120'	Unnamed	Drive-Up	Just NW of Stanton, an easy dirt road drive up.
Muskegon	974'	Unnamed	Private Land/Drive-Up	Just NW of Casnovia. A good dirt road gets you close, the highpoint is in a nearby peach orchard.
Oakland	1230'	Grampian Hills	Drive-Up	NE of Lake Orion. This is the official highpoint but a recent report states that Pine Knob, E of Clarkston, is higer by 50'.
Ottawa	950'	Unnamed	Private Land	HP is in an orchard W of Sparta, a paved road gets you close but you must obtain owner permission to access.
Saginaw	735'	Unnamed	Private Land	6 HP's located W of Oakley on Shiawassee County line, must obtain owner permission to access.
St. Clair	910'	Unnamed	Drive-Up	A county road passes right over this one, just N of Capac.
St. Joseph	1030'	Mount Zion	Drive-Up/Short Hike	NW of Three Rivers, a short trail leads from the road to this nice wooded HP.
Sanilac	910'	Unnamed	Private Land/Short Hike	Just W of Marlette near Lapeer County line, 5 HP's are located in privately owned fields.
Shiawassee	960'	Unnamed	Private Land/Bushwhack	SW of Shaftsburg on Ingham County line, must obtain owner permission to access.
Tuscola	980'	Unnamed	Private Land/Short Hike	SW of Mayville, HP is in privately owned field.
Van Buren	1060'	Unnamed	Private Land	E of Lawton near Kalamazoo County line, looks like you'll need owner permission to access.
Washtenaw	1150'	Sharon Short Hills	Private Land/Bushwhack	2 HP's NW of Manchester, both are on private land and require owner permission to access.
Wayne	990'	Mayberry State Park	Hike	In Michigan's most populous county it may surprise you to find out that this HP is along a well maintained hiking trail on State Owned land. Though not visually spectacular, this is one of the nicest HP's in southern Lower Michigan.

County Highpoint Map

This map shows the approximate locations of each of Michigan's County Highpoints. The ones I have visited include a link if you want to get a look at them...

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