Hi there!
One of the best trails in Muskegon State Park is the Dune Ridge Trail!
It’s a trail across sand dunes, and you will be walking towards Lake Michigan!
You can even hike the Dune Ridge Trail to Channel Beach!
So the Dune Ridge Trail can be a fun little sand dunes hike you can do in Muskegon State Park that will allow you to walk on a sand trail and see Lake Michigan!
So if you’re looking for an excuse to hike, you might look to the Dune Ridge Trail for a little hiking in Muskegon State Park!
For part of the trail, you will be walking along the top of a “ridge” of sand dunes!
Here is the official Dune Ridge Trail description from Muskegon State Park:
The trail leads you through open and wooded dunes with views of Muskegon Lake, Lake Michigan, interdunal ponds, and the channel with its lighthouses.
This trail connects the Channel Campground to the Hearty Hiker Trail.
The trail is listed as 1.75 miles. Since you will also be hiking on sand, you can expect it to take longer than a regular hike on pavement or dirt!
Here are a few quick things to know about hiking the Dune Ridge Trail in Muskegon State Park!
1. You can start the Dune Ridge Trail at Snug Harbor.
If you’re staying at Channel Campground in Muskegon State Park, you can take a short access trail from there that connects to the Dune Ridge Trail. Otherwise, I think Snug Harbor makes for a good starting (and end!) point since it has a picnic area with lake views. (Bring a picnic meal for post-hike recovery fuel!)
2. There are sign posts that are intended to guide you to keep you on the Dune Ridge Trail.
Although… these only helped me to a point…
3. The trail from Snug Harbor starts off through a forest on a dirt trail.
4. The trail will eventually become a sand trail and you’ll be hiking across sand dunes!
And then from here, you basically follow the trail. Good luck! 😜 Actually, I did not exactly follow the Dune Ridge Trail. Even in getting back onto the Dune Ridge Trail, I don’t know at which point I made a wrong turn.
But I was not upset at getting off the Dune Ridge Trail. I ended up at Lake Michigan near the Muskegon Channel!
So, you can also make this a beach hike in the sense that you can make this into a hike to a Lake Michigan beach! You can end up at Channel Beach of Muskegon State Park. If you’re up for an adventure, just generally try to hike in the direction of Lake Michigan! (You’ll start to see Lake Michigan at some point while on the Dune Ridge Trail.)
5. As you are hiking along the Dune Ridge Trail, you’ll find a couple of Lake Michigan overlooks with benches so you can rest and take in the views!
Take care not to step on dune grass!
You may have also noticed the dune grass in the pictures. Dune grass is said to be fragile and an important part of the coastal ecosystem. So take care not to step on it as you’re having fun on the sand dunes or at the beach!
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And now…
More PHOTOS of hiking in Muskegon State Park on the Dune Ridge Trail!
So to get to the Dune Ridge trailhead start location at Snug Harbor, you can find the Snug Harbor boat launch and Snug Harbor Muskegon SP kayak launch on google maps.
There are many roads that lead to Snug Harbor, but at some point you’ll enter Muskegon State Park. And as a state park, the “cost” of hiking this trail will be the cost to enter the park. Hopefully you already have a Michigan state parks recreation passport! Otherwise, you can see current state park fees here.
Once you get near, you can follow the signs for Snug Harbor.
Then, after you turn onto the immediate road to Snug Harbor, you can make your way to the RIGHT to get to the trailhead parking lot.
As you go to the parking lot, you’ll see the picnic areas. You can make this spot the location of your post-hike meal or snack!
There is also a bathroom near the Dune Ridge trailhead.
And then once you’re ready, you can get started on the trail that’s at the end of the parking lot!
You’ll also see a “shoe brush” at the start of the trail. This is to help prevent you from tracking any invasive species that might be attached to your shoes from other places you’ve been.
Start the hike through the forest! I hiked the Dune Ridge Trail in July 2020. I’ve included the approximate times below to start to give you an idea of how long the hike might take. But of course, this can vary greatly depending on your speed of hiking, how long you stop to take in the views, etc etc! And that thing about whether you stay on the intended trail…
1:05pm
At some point you will start hiking on sand.
And then you’ll come to an open space where you can see Lake Michigan out in the distance!
And then you can continue on the sand trail to hike across the sand dunes of Muskegon State Park!
1:35pm
2:05pm
2:35pm
2:45pm: Arrival at Lake Michigan!
Channel Beach is just across the road.
And so, it took me a little over 1.5 hours one way to hike from Snug Harbor to Lake Michigan, starting off on the Dune Ridge Trail. I also spent some time walking around Channel Beach, walking the path along the Muskegon Channel, and taking in the views of the Muskegon lighthouse that’s across the channel.
And then, I walked back the same way I came.
More hiking trails in Muskegon State Park
And that’s a bit about hiking across sand dunes in Muskegon State Park!
Explore more of Lake Michigan:
- Best hikes in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
- Things to do in Sleeping Bear Dunes
- Channel Beach in Muskegon State Park
- Lake Michigan campground in Muskegon State Park
- Hiking in Hoffmaster State Park (down the road from Muskegon State Park)
- Hoffmaster State Park campground near Lake Michigan
- South Haven beaches
HAPPY HIKING IN MUSKEGON STATE PARK!
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