In a state ranging from thriving city life, to an almost costal feel with the shores of the famous great lakes, Michigan has so much to offer in making your summer one to remember. “Milford can get boring and repetitive” said Milford Michigan resident Tyler Dean, “I went backpacking last year for the first time and saw a whole new side of Michigan.”

                The luxury of backpacking is an experience like no other. The popularity of the activity is growing each year according to a proud lake DNR officer, “Hiking and backpacking in Michigan has always been an amazing experience, it’s growing in popularity from bordering states.” Backpacking combines the experience of beautiful sight seeing, survival tactics, and physical fitness. Through backpacking, one journeys out hiking a trail living off of the land and what he/she carries only on his or her back. Michigan has become a popular sight to do just that.     

In the 1700’s Chief Pontiac helped found Michigan itself, before it joined the union in the mid to late 1800’s. To this day you can walk in the footsteps of Chief Pontiac on Chief Pontiac Trail through Michigan. Between the beautiful scenery and rich history of Michigan, it’s becoming an increasingly popular destination, and has much to offer for bored Michigan residents.

“I wish I could go back to those days. I highly recommend it to anyone your age” Said once avid backpacker Dave Erlich, teacher at Milford High School. “I’ve done Santé Fe trail, parts of the Appalachian trail, Royale Isle, and parts of Canada. “Some of the best times of my life.” Backpacking can be as expensive or as inexpensive as you choose it to be. It could be as expensive as the price of gas to the destination and that’s it. Living off the land, water access is available, and through water purification both food from fishing and water can be provided. Michigan is beneficial for this being surrounded by the largest bodies of fresh water in the world.

                While backpacking can be as inexpensive as you choose it to be, there are still crucial expenses to look into while hiking certain trails. In an effort to preserve these natural parks and trails, as well as ensure safety to the travelers, rules and permits apply. For instance, hikers are required to register for the trail by checking in at an office at the start of their trail, as well as have a set destination at each night so officials and rangers are able to know your estimated location in the case of an emergency. Backpackers that wish to camp freely on their own in the designated camping areas need to obtain a Backcountry Permit. These are relatively inexpensive ranging from $20-$50. As for hiking the trail in general, in most cases you need to obtain a trail permit to be hiking in the first place. A lot of hikers fail to remember the need of a fire permit if they intend to start a fire in the backcountry. Failure to provide a fire permit to a ranger with an open fire can result in thousands of dollars in fines per person present, and lack of backcountry permits and trail permits collectively can add up to a couple hundred of dollars in fines per person present as well.  With extreme efforts of officials, park rangers, and the DNR, park maintenance and trail preservation awareness is a steadily increasing subject within Michigan backpackers. It’s always nice to see cautiously and respectfully practiced hiking in our rich history filled parks and trails in an effort to preserve them for as long as we possibly can.

For teens and financially struggling college students looking for an inexpensive vacation getaway, Pure Michigan backpacking serves as a ‘look no further’ opportunity. Between unbeatable scenery, in state location, and relatively inexpensive cost, backpacking in Michigan is becoming in a sense a recovered treasure. Once the ways of how the state itself and land was founded, is becoming a recreational sport enjoyed by people of all ages.