Outdoors Life

After 25 years, Leelanau County residents and visitors would finally be able to hike, bike and sled on the slopes of an abandoned ski resort.

Long-distance musher Laura Neese opened MI Dog: Michigan’s summer sled dog center to showcase the sport and make money in the off-season.

Officials generally acknowledge around 300 waterfalls in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. ‘Yooper Steve’ says he’s found more than 800 and is on a mission to find 1,000.

The Edmund Fitzgerald was carrying Iron Ore to Detroit when it sank in 1975, killing all crew members. Now, 68 swimmers — Led by Jim “The Shark” Dreyer — will complete the mission.

It's been 50 years since a freighter sank on the Great Lakes, but the the Michipicoten's close call shows the risk still exists.

Fe, believed to be the world’s oldest and most prolific common loon, hatched two more chicks this season at Seney National Wildlife Refuge in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Researchers say her known offspring count is at least 44, with likely more unrecorded.

You’ve Got Mail: How a small boat delivers packages and more to passing Great Lakes freighters.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza is having a deadly effect on Michigan’s eagle population. A 2022 outbreak reduced breeding pairs. Now cases are going up again, and researchers are watching for a second wave.

A package of Senate bills would require every registered vehicle owner to buy a parks pass when renewing their plates, while raising fees for hunting and fishing licenses for the first time in 11 years.

High-powered boats designed to create big waves are dividing watersports fans and lakefront residents angry about property damage and erosion. A battle is brewing over whether to regulate them.

From renting to volunteering, opportunities abound in Michigan to sleep in lighthouse quarters. We followed along as guests slept on the grounds of the Pointe aux Barques Lighthouse in the Thumb.

Michigan has more lighthouses than any other state and some offer a place to stay

Frankfort and 10 other Michigan communities received state funds for boating upgrades through the DNR’s Waterways Grant Program. The grants support repairs, studies and expansion of public access to water.

What does Pure Michigan smell like to you? The state’s tourism brand thinks FRESH, a new summer scent launching with a custom perfumery that promises to evoke ‘beachy vacation days in the Great Lakes State.’

A young black bear in Montmorency County was freed by wildlife biologists on June 2 after living for two years with a plastic lid stuck around its neck. The lid likely came from a bait container that didn’t meet the requirements permitted in Michigan.

The commission hasn’t voted on the proposal to make coyote hunting year-round since first introducing the idea in March.

Reaching the top of this point in the Huron Mountains was voted #6 on the Michigan Dreaming Summer Bucket List.

An Ingham County Circuit Court judge said the Natural Resources Commission’s decision last year to shorten the coyote hunting season was legally sound.

Kona Hills Campground is a private campground started by three local friends. It’ll give access to a popular local attraction overlooking Lake Superior.

The Straits of Mackinac holds the 2019 record for the most red-tail hawk crossings in North America in a single season.