Hartwick Pines State Park
Michigan State Park · Grayling, Michigan
Hartwick Pines State Park sits just outside Grayling in the northern Lower Peninsula and protects the largest remaining stand of old-growth white pine in Michigan, about 49 acres of trees that escaped the lumber boom, inside a park of roughly 9,600 acres. The paved Old Growth Forest Trail, a little over a mile, walks you under pines that are several centuries old and taller than most buildings in the state. Beside it are the Michigan Forest Visitor Center, a logging museum with a reconstructed camp, and the small Hartwick Memorial Chapel in the woods. The Au Sable River and Grayling are a short drive away, and winter brings cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. It suits families, older visitors, photographers and anyone breaking up the I-75 drive north. It is honest to say the old growth is a small patch, not a wilderness, and the whole core visit takes two to three hours. Confirm building seasons and the Recreation Passport requirement before you go.
4216 Ranger Road, Grayling, Michigan, 49738, United States
The park is open year-round, with the grounds and trails usually open from morning until late in the evening, though the posted gate hours can change by season, so confirm them locally. The Michigan Forest Visitor Center and the logging museum are staffed on a seasonal and weekday-weighted schedule, mostly late spring through early autumn, and may be closed or limited in winter. The Old Growth Forest Trail itself needs no staffing and can be walked in daylight on any open day, snow permitting. A Michigan Recreation Passport is generally needed for a vehicle entering the park. Check the state park page or call the park office for current building hours, winter trail grooming and any closure after storms before you drive a long way.
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