Hartwick Pines State Park

This park includes one of the most-visited old-growth forests in the nation. Immediately behind the Michigan Forest Visitor Center is a paved 1.25 mile trail that leads through a 49-acre remnant of Michigan's original forest. The gentle rolling trail is suitable for all abilities. The forest is dominated by majestic white pines that inspires one to imagine what Michigan was like when it was first settled. In 1927, Karen Michelson Hartwick purchased over 8,000 acres of land here, which included 86 acres of old growth white pine. A short while later she donated the land to the State of Michigan as a memorial park to be named for her husband who died in World War I. She also specified the forest should never be logged and that a log cabin (the Memorial Building) should be built to honor her husband, Maj. Edward Hartwick as well as the lumberjacks that worked in the area during the White Pine Logging Era (1840-1910). Today Hartwick Pines covers 9,672 acres and is one of the largest state parks in the Northern Lower Peninsula -- although very little of it is old-growth. A windstorm in 1940 reduced the old-growth pines area from 86 acres to 49 acres. The Hartwick Pines Logging Museum is open seasonally. Please check the website for hours of operation.