UNGROOMED PATHWAYS AND TRAILS

      Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore: This 70,000-acre national park spread along the Lake Michigan coastline offers some of the best cross-country skiing in the Midwest. Spectacular dunes and beautiful overlooks amid pristine woodland settings create a memorable backdrop for your tour.
      Seven trails designated for cross-country skiing offer a good mix for all levels of skiers, with most ranging from easy to moderate. A few have short, advanced sections thrown in for good measure.
      The more popular trails are: Alligator Hill, which offers two great overlooks, a three-mile beginner trail and an additional two-mile intermediate and two-and-a-half-mile expert trail; Scenic Drive Trail, offering a four-mile easy skiing trail that winds up to the Lake Michigan and North Bar Lake overlooks (two of the best in the area); Empire Bluffs, a mile-and-a-half more-difficult trail that winds out along the dunes and offers spectacular overlooks of Empire and the Lake Michigan shoreline; Platte Plains, presenting a nice, easy four-and-a-half-mile trail that winds around Otter Lake; and the Bayview Trail adjacent to The Homestead, which offers a nice variety of trails, some with panoramic views of Leelanau County's rolling hills, Sleeping Bear Dune and Pyramid Point.
      Since all of these trails are located on National Park Service land, you have to obtain a trail pass from park headquarters in Empire. Daily passes are $4, annual passes $20, and must be carried with you while skiing. Park rangers frequently patrol the more popular trails.

      Betsie Valley Trail: This is a pleasant DNR pathway that meanders through low woodlands just west of Crystal Mountain. The six-and-a-half-mile pathway is one of the best for beginners in the area, with one section bordering the beautiful, swift-flowing Betsie River. It's all easy skiing.

      Lake Ann Pathway: It's not long, but the hills will give you a good workout. One of the sportier area pathways, the trail glides by several picturesque small lakes, the Platte River and Lake Ann. It's not a good system for beginners, but all others will love it. The total distance around is 5.5 miles.

      Sand Lakes Quiet Area: No snowmobiles are allowed in the 3,500-acre DNR preserve. It's wonderfully peaceful and quiet as you ski along the seven-mile wooded pathway, which crosses several small and beautiful frozen lakes dotting the area. The long, exterior trail is a relatively easy ski with just a few small hills. The interior trails and hinterland are quite hilly. This is also a very popular spot for winter camping enthusiasts. Weekends are very busy with people, but midweek, you'll have the place to yourself.
     
GROOMED PATHWAYS AND TRAILS

      Vasa Pathway: This is arguably the premier cross-country trail in the state. It's long, has a lot of variety, scenic woodlands and impeccable grooming. The popular trail is a delight to ski, but not for beginners. The hills can be exhausting. There's little here for a beginner but a two mile single-track trail that loops around from the trailhead. The other two loops, groomed for both classic and skate, are six-and-a-half and 16 miles. Weekends and late afternoons will find large crowds on the trail. Weekday mornings and midday are the best time to avoid the congestion.

      Leelanau Trail: Stretching over 15 miles through the last of the Leelanau County railway corridors, the Leelanau Trail connects Traverse City and Suttons Bay. The trail route features rolling hills, lush forests, picturesque orchards, peaceful meadows, and an aquatic medley of streams, lakes, and ponds.

      Muncie Lakes Pathway: It's the antithesis of Sand Lakes; kind of like the groomed cousin. Also a popular pathway with locals, Muncie Lakes is the one trail that the Traverse City DNR Field Office grooms on an irregular basis. When it's freshly groomed, which is only once a week at best, it's one of the top classic single-track trails you'll find. The terrain along the 10-mile trail is much like Sand Lakes, rolling and wooded, dotted with small frozen lakes and bordered in part by the Boardman River. However, numerous snowmobile trails also bisect the area, so expect to put up with the noise and smell. They also frequently wipe out the tracks, which is why it would be nice to see grooming on a more regular basis during the season.

      Big M: This is an excellent U.S. Forest Service trail system located between Wells and Manistee. Groomed by the Manistee Ski Council on a volunteer basis, the area offers a warming hut and about 15 miles of classic single-track trail.
      Opened in the early 1980s, it was the site of a former downhill ski area that had been idle for about 20 years. It was laid out by John Capper, a well-known ski trail designer who lived in the area at the time. He has since passed away, but Big M stands as a tribute to his imaginative ski trail designs and the fun and excitement they've brought to cross-country skiing.

      MacKenzie Pathway: This popular Forest Service trail system is located adjacent to Caberfae Peaks Ski Area. Groomed with both single- and double-track sections regularly by volunteers, the scenic, wooded 5.5-mile trail system offers a nice variety of loops for all skill levels. You don't even see the downhill area from the trail system, although there is a connecting link.
      The outer parameter offers the easiest skiing. The trails all circle in toward the center, where the most difficult skiing is to be found. The section of the trail that borders bubbly Johnson Creek is particularly picturesque.

      Cadillac Pathway: A popular DNR pathway located on the outskirts of Cadillac, it's also groomed in the classic single-track tradition. The 10-mile loop offers a good workout with lots of quick hills on the last two loops. A portion of the trail system meanders along the scenic Clam River.
     
TOURING CENTERS

       While they don't offer miles and miles of trails, it's a nicely groomed system that offers a couple of nice loops and connects to the Vasa Pathway. Lighted for night skiing, it's also convenient for locals after work and to grab an hour or so at night if you're training for a cross-country ski race. Timber Ridge also conducts several learn-to-ski cross-country clinics throughout the season.

     

      Crystal Mountain: Crystal was one of the first downhill ski resorts in the area to recognize the potential for cross-country skiing. They hired Big M trail designer John Capper to lay out the original trail system, which was an instant hit with the "skinny ski" crowd. Although the system has been largely rerouted, much of Capper's original feel and excitement has been retained. Crystal's grooming equipment keeps the more than 20 miles of trail in great shape.