Michigan trails · Hanson Hills Trail
Hanson Hills Trail
A 36.9-mile network in Michigan, with 118 ft of climbing. Reaches Guyton Hill and other summit/viewpoint destinations. Managed by the state.
Elevation profile
The climbing leans toward the first third: 45% of the ascent falls between mile 0.0 and mile 12.3. It gives back about 818 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Guyton Hill (summit)
- Hogarth Hill (summit)
- Croshaw Hill (summit)
- The Overlook (viewpoint)
Getting there
Hanson Hills Trail junction. About 1 h 22 min drive (53 mi, 1 of them unpaved) from Traverse City. 44.62729, -84.75099 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 7:23 a.m., the sun rises at 7:52 a.m. and sets at 6:56 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:25 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 04 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 36.9-mile route works out to roughly 13 h 43 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.
Loop options
- Hanson Hills Trail + Wilderness Trail (Section 1) (Nordic) + Service Trail — 3.2 mi loop, 252 ft gain
- Hanson Hills Trail + Wilderness Trail (Section 1) (Nordic) + Wilderness Trail (Buck Snort) (Nordic) — 4.1 mi loop, 345 ft gain
- Service Trail + Wilderness Trail (PB&J) (Nordic) + Hanson Hills Trail — 1.1 mi loop, 102 ft gain
Nearby trails
- North Central State Trail — 16.0 mi