wanderingswithsarahWhat are the best West Michigan hiking trails? I set out to answer this question and created an e-book guide to share what I found.
The Origin of Best West Michigan Hiking Trails
In order to graduate from the GVSU Frederik Meijer Honors College, I had to complete a senior project. When I took the prep class in the fall of 2022, I had no idea what my project would be.
I was inspired by a paper that I wrote about the importance of outdoor exercise, which investigated how outdoor exercise is actually more beneficial than indoor exercise. I wanted to do something related to this paper.
While talking with my professor, we landed on something I was really passionate about: a resource to help people get outside and hike.
It started out simple. It would be 4-5 of the best trails in the area in a few categories. The potential categories would include lakeshore trails, forest trails, dog-friendly trails, and handicap accessible trails.
As I began the project, I realized my original idea wouldn’t work. So I reframed my the project concept. I focused on the 4 main counties of West Michigan: Allegan, Kent, Ottawa, and Muskegon. From there I wanted to share information on the best 5 trails in each county. I planned to add a few honorable mentions and a separate section devoted to handicap accessible trails. It would all be in an e-book format, detailing the best West Michigan hiking trails.
The Journey to Complete My Project
I thought I had landed on something simple and easy to accomplish, partly because I thought I had hiked a lot of the trails already.
I was wrong.
Once I started researching trails, I soon realized that I had completed all of the hikes for one county, but hadn’t explored the other counties much at all. And to get the content I needed for the project and properly pick the top 5, I had 26 parks I needed to visit. In only a few months.
I planned a couple hikes per day on the one day a week I had available. I tried to group them if they were located nearby each other. Since this was the winter semester and January in Michigan is unpredictable, I ran into bad weather the first few weeks of my project, delaying my schedule.
I was incredibly busy with my other classes and my internship, so I would squeeze in hikes when I could, slacking on the e-book design part of the project.
And then it happened.
I was on a trip in February to the Upper Peninsula and I partially dislocated my right kneecap. Although it had been awhile, this wasn’t an unfamiliar injury for me, but it threatened to derail my project. My doctor told me that I shouldn’t hike for at least a month post-injury.
I threw myself into catching up on the eBook, hoping that everything else would work itself out.
I was limping along a trail by 3 weeks post-injury. During my spring break I devoted a few long days to the project where I would visit every trail I had left for one of the counties. These days included 10+ miles of hiking, without doing the entire trail at each stop. I did it all limping around with a hiking pole, my trusty knee brace, and someone to drive me.
I finished all of the hiking by my deadline, against all odds.
The next few weeks I spent countless hours writing, researching, and designing the e-book. My final trail selections were based off of a total of 45 parks I’ve hiked in the area.
I finished the e-book a week earlier than expected to make a last-minute deadline for the Honors Senior Project Awards. My advisor nominated me and I received an honorable mention for my project, placing in the company of some other outstanding senior projects.
Sharing My Completed Project
Now that it’s finally done, I want to share my project with you.
It’s everything you’ll need to hit the trails in West Michigan. There’s no need to look up the address or if it’s dog friendly. You’ll find a Google Maps link on the trail page and everything you need to know before you go. Even the trail map is linked if I could find one online. I gave a quick overview of each park as well as tips from my experience.
I also dove into the history of each place because I found myself fascinated by it. Reading about each park’s history made me even more grateful for the recreational experiences that we have available to us. I hope you take the time to read these sections and appreciate that as well.
Per my advisor’s request, I’ve included a ranking system, justifying why these parks were the best. Yes, it’s mostly just my opinion, but I shared some insight on my reasoning.
In the e-book you can find more about my journey creating this project, educational resources, research from the paper that inspired this whole project, and even handicap accessible trails.
I hope you enjoy using this project as a guide to the best West Michigan hiking trails! Make sure to share it with your hiking friends!
To download the e-book, visit this page here.
