From lazy afternoons on the lake to evening ballgames at Comerica Park, there’s no place like Michigan in the summer. But how to enjoy it if you want to avoid the crowds? Here’s some of the best of Michigan, off the beaten path, from summer 2025. 

1. North Country Trail

If you want something that feels like a secret, but isn’t, try the North Country Trail. It stretches nearly 5,000 miles from North Dakota to Vermont—including 1,200 miles right here in Michigan. 

From Grand Rapids, there are a number of ways to access the trail. A section of it runs just a mile from my parents’ house on the north side of town. It’s lovely and wooded and accessible—but feels distinctly domesticated. Even a bit suburban. I decided to explore a bit further and drove north toward Cedar Springs to hike a wilder, more remote portion of the trail. 

Let’s take a look at a few of the trailheads and access points north of Grand Rapids. 

Red Pine Dr. Parking 4 (Cedar Springs / Kent City)

16080 Red Pine Dr NW, Kent City, MI 49330

Just a 30-minute drive north from downtown Grand Rapids, you immediately get a very Up North feeling en route, even before hitting the trail. 

You’ll find a very small dirt lot at the above address—barely room for three or four cars, but I’ve been twice and only once seen another car there. 

The hike north from the Red Pine lot is remote. No hiking through people’s backyards and that sort of thing. The hike north to 22 Mile Road is a great 3- or 4-hour there-and-back hike. I didn’t get tired of the scenery, and only felt like the journey back enriched my experience. It’s a calm hike, and borders on the Rogue River, which flows south toward Rockford. 

Features: 

• Depression-era pine groves 
• Rogue River, and tributary 
• Heavily forested throughout
• Lots of mushrooms (Aug./Sept. 2025)

North Country Trail 40th St. Trailhead (Newaygo)

E 40th St, Newaygo, MI 49337

There’s another parking lot with easy trail access near Newaygo. This one is about 50 minutes north of downtown Grand Rapids, so it’s a bit further. You get the same remote feeling as you do in Cedar Springs. I encountered a few other hikers (and one runner) on the path further south, but I didn’t see a single person when I went hiking on a weekday afternoon in the late summer.

For some reason I can’t quite put my finger on, I enjoyed this segment of the trail a bit less. Perhaps I was disappointed in the terrain, which was a bit less varied and slightly less interesting to me. Despite hiking more than an hour in, I felt like I hadn’t “arrived” anywhere. 

Features: 

• Marshland (mostly dry in autumn 2025)
• Interspersed glades

North Country Trailhead M-20 (White Cloud)

North Country National Scenic Trail, White Cloud, MI 49349

Just a bit further from Newaygo, about an hour north from Grand Rapids, you’ll find the M-20 trailhead. From the trailhead, hike south toward White Cloud. This section of the trail feels a little less isolated than the other two, actually, as there’s a section where you briefly pass through a quiet neighborhood on a dirt road. 

I highly recommend M-20 over the 40th St. trailhead. The landscape here is dramatically varied, from Depression-era pine groves to marshland, thick forests and fern-covered fields—the White River a natural stopping point, a little more than three miles in from the trailhead. 

Features: 

• White River
• Marshland (including boardwalk; dry in fall 2025, but plan ahead)
• Depression-era pine groves

A quick note

North of White Cloud, many of the North Country trailheads are in the Manistee National Forest. This means you will have to pay $5 for parking, so plan ahead to bring cash with you. 

2. Qahwah Coffee (Grand Rapids)

Needing a place to do work—and one that was open late—I was delighted to find that Qahwah Coffee had taken over the vacant Starbucks I used to haunt in high school. The Yemeni coffee shop is the first in West Michigan for the Dearborn-based company. 

Open until 10 o’clock most nights (11 on Fridays and Saturdays), Qahwah offers plenty of room whether you’re looking for space to catch up with friends, or a place to do a deep-dive in whatever project you have going on. 

Then of course there’s the coffee. Qahwah offers a solid variety of drinks, from Adeni chai (which I highly recommend) to the iced brown sugar latte (ask for Yemeni spices), to their dependable dark-roast coffee. It took me a minute before I started to explore the pastry case, but don’t be shy. They offer savoury pies (spinach and goat cheese, olives and tomato—both good, but I prefer the latter), chocolates, and the honeycomb, a sweet-savoury combo with cream cheese baked in and drizzled with honey. It’s hard to choose, but I think the honeycomb is my favourite.

The staff are friendly and helpful and made me feel especially welcome after I became something of a regular. I can’t recommend Qahwah enough. Replace your Starbucks with a Michigan-based alternative that’s far superior to Biggby and offers a tempting assortment of delicate pastries you won’t want to pass up. 

What sets Qahwah apart: 

• Open late (10 pm most nights, 11 on Friday and Saturday)
• Accessible suburban location (Knapp’s Corner)
• Delicious Yemeni pastries
• Michigan-based

3. Muskegon 

Everyone loves the Lake, but when everyone loves the lake, how can you find a quiet corner to enjoy? The answer, I’ve found, is Muskegon’s north shore. If you’re driving from Grand Rapids, it’s a bit further, but for me, it’s worth it to beat the crowds. Muskegon State Park is a great option with plenty of beachfront. Visitors tend to cluster around the parking lot, leaving plenty of space to spread out.

Duck Lake State Park is another fantastic option. Ten minutes north from Muskegon State Park, the park is mostly interior from Lake Michigan, but it includes a small but impressive beach, some small dunes, and a stream from Duck Lake that’s nice for wading. It’s quiet on weekdays, but be warned, there are likely to be big crowds on the weekend. 

On the way

Stop at The Coffee Factory in downtown Muskegon. My favourite are the homemade poptarts. The food is solid, all around, with lots of options for a light lunch. Also … check out the bathroom. 

4. The Brooklyn Street Local LLC (Corktown, Detroit)

As post-bankruptcy Detroit transforms, it’s nice to be able to go back to something familiar. Something grounded, earnest and earthy. A restaurant that’s committed to sourcing food from local producers. After a decade away, I was really delighted to go back to The Brooklyn Street Local for a meal every bit as good as I remember from my last visit. 

Located at the corner of Michigan Ave. and the Lodge, the Brooklyn Street Local is a little urban oasis straddling the border of Corktown and downtown. When I visited with my mom in early September, we split the banh mi sandwich (good) and the special, a shawarma poutine (epic). Both times I’ve been, I’ve had some of the best poutine that gets the essence of the tradition while putting a new spin on it. 

Brooklyn Street is the kind of place you want to go back to—that feels familiar even if it’s your first time setting foot in the door. You get the best of an unpretentious diner experience with an elevated menu and excellent, friendly service. 

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