This New Michigan Hiking Book Makes Family Adventures Feel Doable

You want your kids to spend more time outside. You want fewer screens, more fresh air, and the kind of memories that happen when little legs are climbing over roots, spotting birds, collecting leaves, asking questions, and racing ahead to see what is around the next bend.

But hiking with kids can feel like a lot before you even leave the house.

Which trails are actually good for families? How long is too long? Where do you park? Will there be something interesting enough to keep your kids moving? Is the trail stroller-friendly? Are there bathrooms nearby? Is it worth the drive?

That is where a good guide can make all the difference.

Hiking with Kids Michigan: 40 Great Hikes for Families by Amanda Shaffer was created for parents, grandparents, and caregivers who want to explore Michigan with kids but need the planning part to feel a little easier.

Instead of guessing your way through a trail search, this guide gives families a practical place to start.

A Michigan Hiking Guide Made for Real Families

There are plenty of beautiful places to hike in Michigan, but not every trail makes sense for kids.

Some are too long. Some are too rugged. Some are wonderful for experienced hikers but difficult for a family just trying to enjoy a Saturday outside together.

Hiking with Kids Michigan helps narrow the search. The book features 40 family-friendly hikes across Michigan, with details designed to help families choose the right adventure before they go.

Inside, readers will find helpful planning information like maps, GPS coordinates, directions, fees, contact details, and the best times to visit.

That kind of information matters when you are packing snacks, loading kids into the car, and hoping the outing feels fun instead of frustrating.

Turning a Hike Into an Adventure

One of the strongest parts of this book is that it does not treat hiking as something kids simply have to get through.

It helps make the trail part of the adventure.

Along with practical trail details, Hiking with Kids Michigan includes kid-focused features such as games to play on the trail and tips for hiking with kids. These extras can help turn a family hike into something more engaging, especially for kids who need a reason to keep looking, noticing, and wondering.

That might mean spotting a certain plant, listening for wildlife, learning a piece of local history, or paying closer attention to the landscape around them. The author also included a “fun factor” for each trail. This fun factor is almost always something nearby the trail to add on to your adventure. These fun factors range from finding a shipwreck 20 minutes away to a favorite waterpark near the nature center trails.

For parents, that can be the difference between dragging everyone through a hike and giving kids a reason to take ownership of the experience.

Meet the Author Behind the Guide

Amanda Shaffer knows Michigan trails the way families need them to be known: firsthand.

As the creator behind Explore Michigan More, Amanda is a writer, photographer, mom, outdoor storyteller, and long-time contributor to Awesome Mitten who has spent years exploring Michigan with her family and sharing those adventures with others. Her work is rooted in a simple but powerful idea: you do not have to travel far to make a memory.

That firsthand experience is what gives Hiking with Kids Michigan its strength. Amanda completed, wrote about, and photographed each hike herself, so the book comes from real time on the trail. Parents are not just getting a list of places to go. They are getting guidance from someone who has walked the paths, noticed the details, and thought through what makes each hike work for families.

That matters because family hiking advice needs to be practical.

A trail may look great online, but families need to know how it actually feels once they are there. Amanda’s perspective brings together the eye of a photographer, the curiosity of a traveler, and the real-life experience of a parent who understands that hiking with kids requires a little extra planning and a lot of flexibility.

Less Guesswork, More Time Outside

The beauty of a guide like this is that it removes some of the mental load. You do not have to start from scratch every time your family wants to get outside. You do not have to scroll through endless trail reviews and wonder which ones apply to families with kids.

You do not have to guess whether a hike is worth adding to a weekend trip, a summer vacation, or a spontaneous afternoon adventure.

Instead, you can choose a trail, read what to expect, pack accordingly, and give your family a better chance at a good experience.

That does not mean every hike will be perfect. Kids will still get tired. Someone will probably ask for a snack five minutes in. Shoes may get muddy. Plans may change.

But with the right trail and the right expectations, those moments can become part of the story instead of the reason you never try again.

A Helpful Resource for Michigan Families

Hiking with Kids Michigan is a useful resource for families who want to explore more of the state one trail at a time.

It can help you plan a weekend outing, add an outdoor stop to a Michigan road trip, build nature time into your homeschool routine, or simply find a new place where your kids can move, explore, and be curious.

You do not need to be an expert hiker to start building outdoor memories with your kids. You just need a good place to go, a little confidence before you arrive, and someone who has walked the trail ahead of you.

With Hiking with Kids Michigan, Amanda Shaffer gives families a guide that is practical, personal, and rooted in real experience.

Q&A With Amanda Shaffer

To learn more about the heart behind Hiking with Kids Michigan, we asked Amanda Shaffer to share more about her experience creating the guide, exploring Michigan with her family, and helping other parents feel more confident on the trail.

You personally completed, photographed, and wrote about each hike in the book. How did that firsthand experience shape the final guide?

Because I had been feet on the ground for each trail, I was able to write the descriptions so families know exactly what to expect if trying out the trail. A lot of times, what held our family back from exploring new areas or things to do in Michigan was that I wasn’t sure what to expect or whether it would be a good fit for us. By gaining this knowledge firsthand through each hike, I hope to pass that information on to readers so they can make a decision with confidence.

When you were choosing hikes for the book, what made a trail feel truly family-friendly?

This was actually a really tough one for me when I was picking out each hike, just because each family and their needs are so different. What I really focused on were trails that were easy to follow, offered something else to add on to the adventure, and that my kids actually enjoyed. I tried to include as many hikes as I could that had easy access to bathrooms, because that was often a deciding factor for our family when we first started hitting the trails.

How do you help kids stay engaged on the trail when they start getting tired or distracted?

I touch on this at the beginning of my guidebook, but we definitely use classic games modified to use on the trail. One example I use in the book is having a trail boss or playing follow the leader. Having a child take control and set the pace or make decisions at a fork in the trail, for example, can help build confidence and keep spirits high. For our family, having a hike be a small part of a bigger day has also worked well. We almost always pair time on the trail with a visit to something, like a waterfall, a playground, or a nature center.

How has exploring Michigan with your own family changed the way you see the state?

Absolutely. I grew up in a tiny beach town in Michigan, and besides some sporadic camping trips or the Upper Peninsula, a lot of our family adventures were just enjoying our hometown area and the shores of Lake Michigan. By exploring Michigan more with my family, I realize how many incredible places, people, and things are going on all over our state.

What do you hope families feel after using this book for their first few hikes?

I hope families feel its easier to get outside than they think. You don’t have to be a rugged outdoor backpacker to enjoy what Michigan has to offer. Some sunscreen, bug spray, and snacks go a long way to just getting out the door with your kids and trying something new.

Start With One Trail

Whether your family is brand new to hiking or already looking for the next trail to explore, Hiking with Kids Michigan offers a practical and personal place to start.

Pick a trail. Pack the snacks. Let the kids help lead the way.