By state

National parks in Michigan

Every National Park Service unit in Michigan, scored and ranked by our Experience Score.

National Scenic Trail · MI

North Country National Scenic Trail

At nearly 4,800 miles across eight states, the North Country National Scenic Trail is less a single destination than a lifetime project.

View from above the trees looking down at Duncan Bay Narrows, trees, Lake Superior, and Canada.

90ESSENTIAL NPS / Paul Brown

National Park · MI

Isle Royale National Park

Isle Royale demands a real commitment: you cross Lake Superior to get here, the park closes entirely for five months, and once you arrive, the wilderness is genuinely remote.

Multi-colored sandstone cliffs rise out of Lake Superior

90ESSENTIAL NPS Photo

National Lakeshore · MI

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Pictured Rocks is one of the most genuinely dramatic freshwater shorelines in the United States, where mineral-streaked sandstone cliffs drop straight into the cold, improbably blue water of Lake Superior.

Sand and pebbles in foreground with turquoise water in background

90ESSENTIAL NPS Photo

National Lakeshore · MI

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Sleeping Bear Dunes is one of the Midwest's most complete outdoor destinations, and at $15 it is a genuine bargain.

Painting of the Battle of the River Raisin

88ESSENTIAL Painting by Tim Kurtz

National Battlefield Park · MI

River Raisin National Battlefield Park

River Raisin is a free, genuinely underrated battlefield park anchored in one of the most consequential and least-taught episodes of the War of 1812.

Two story stone and brick building. The American flag flies in front of a blue sky background

68WORTH IT NPS Photo

National Historical Park · MI

Keweenaw National Historical Park

Keweenaw is a genuinely underrated industrial heritage park that rewards curious visitors willing to dig into the rise and fall of a copper empire.