Michigan trails · Porcupine Mts Big Carp River Trail
Porcupine Mts Big Carp River Trail
A 8.2-mile out-and-back in Michigan, with 816 ft of climbing. Reaches Big Carp Falls and other summit/viewpoint/waterfall destinations. Managed by Michigan DNR.
Elevation profile
The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Big Carp Falls (waterfall)
- Bathtub Falls (waterfall)
- Shining Cloud Falls (waterfall)
- LaFayette Peak (summit)
- Miscowawbic Peak (summit)
- Lake of the Clouds Scenic Overlook (viewpoint)
Heads up
Getting there
Porcupine Mountains State Park - Big Carp River Trail access. 46.80421, -89.76263 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:45 a.m., the sun rises at 7:17 a.m. and sets at 8:40 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 9:12 p.m. (EDT) — 13 h 24 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 16.3-mile round trip takes roughly 6 h 52 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 2:08 p.m. — 6 h 32 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Big Carp River Trail + Porcupine Mts Big Carp River Trail + Porcupine Mountains State Park - Big Carp River Trail — 9.8 mi loop, 1,482 ft gain