Great Lakes Mindset Blog | Recent Articles 2024-2026

Here you’ll find my recent Great Lakes Mindset blog articles from 2024-2026. Share in my adventures from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on the southern shore of Lake Superior and southern Lake Michigan beaches. Additionally, I share my exploration of Wisconsin’s Ice Age National Scenic Trail, the northwoods of Wisconsin, and top scenic biking and hiking trails throughout the Upper Midwest. There is so much beauty in the Great Lakes region!

Outside of the Midwest, I’ve highlighted recent adventures from the western U.S., including a hike along the rim of the ancient Capulin Volcano in New Mexico, exploration at 10,000 feet in the Santa Fe National Forest, and hikes across the vast dunes of Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado.

Erin, blog author
Erin, blog author, Great Sand Dunes National Park
Erin, blog author with Sasquatch statue at Muldoons pasties, Munising, Michigan
Erin, blog author
Erin, Great Lakes Mindset blog author on stand up paddleboard, Northwoods WI
Erin, blog author

Winter Hiking | Ice Age Trail, Wisconsin

Outdoor Gear Recommendations | Great Lakes Region

Outdoor recreation should be comfortable and fun in all seasons. If you’re looking for comfortable, functional, durable outdoor gear, check out my personal recommendations for outdoor gear HERE. I’ve highlighted a few of my favorite packs, hiking layers, insulation, biking gear, and outdoor accessories that have worked well for me for different weather conditions and activities.

Check out the images below from some of my recent adventures!

  • View looking up through the pines, Ice Age Trail
  • Stoney Ridge pines (edited with Prisma app)
    Sunny afternoon among the pines (edited with Prisma)
  • Ice Age Trail yellow blaze trail marker
  • Stoney Ridge segment of the Ice Age Trail (edited with Prisma app)
    Snowshoeing around Lake LaGrange, Ice Age Trail
  • Hepatica, early spring ephemeral
    Hepatica, spring ephemeral
  • Gray tree frog
  • Eastern Pasque flower
  • Lake Superior rocks beneath the water
  • Miners Castle, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Munising, Michigan
    Miner’s Castle, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
  • Blackrocks Beach, Presque Isle
    Blackrocks Beach, Presque Isle
  • Blackrocks Beach, Presque Isle, Marquette, Michigan
    Blackrocks Beach, Presque Isle, Marquette, Michigan
  • Picnic Rocks Beach, Marquette, Michigan
    Picnic Rocks Beach, Marquette, MI
  • Simmons Island Beach overlooking Lake Michigan, Kenosha, WI
    Simmons Island Beach, Kenosha, WI
  • Osprey Talon 11 backpack
    Osprey Talon 11 backpack
  • Fresh strawberry pie, Jelli's Farm near Jefferson, Wisconsin
    Fresh strawberry pie from Jelli’s Market Farm Store
  • Man riding a mountain bike along the Glacial Drumlin State Trail
    Tree-lined stretch of the Glacial Drumlin State Trail
  • El Santo Tacos and Tequila, Michigan Margarita
    El Santo Tacos and Tequila, Michigan Margarita
  • Marquette Harbor Lighthouse at McCarty’s Cove
  • Noquemanon Trailhead – South Trails, Marquette, Michigan
    Noquemanon Trailhead – South Trails, Marquette, Michigan
  • Sculpture at South Trails Noquemanon Trailhead, Marquette, Michigan
    Sculpture at South Trails Noquemanon Trailhead, Marquette, Michigan
  • Signage for intersection of Sugar River State Trail and Badger State Trail
    Sign for intersection of Sugar River State Trail and Badger State Trail
  • Lavender ice cream and gift bags, New Life Lavender Farm, Baraboo, WI
    Gifts from the farm store and lavender ice cream – delicious!
  • New Life Lavender Farm, Baraboo, WI
    Lavender fields of Baraboo
  • View from Heart of Vilas County Trail, Manitowish Waters, WI
    Manitowish River, WI
  • Ghost pipe plant, Boulder Junction
    Ghost Pipe
  • Blackrocks basalt outcrop - 1.7 billion years old (Presque Isle Park)
    Blackrocks basalt outcrop – 1.7 billion years old (Presque Isle Park)
  • View from Crater Rim Trail, Capulin Volcano
    Expansive view of the Raton-Clayton Volcanic Field from Crater Rim Trail
  • Sticky Gilia with visitor, Crater Rim Trail, Capulin Volcano
    Sticky Gilia with visitor, Crater Rim Trail
  • Erin, blog author, Great Sand Dunes National Park
    Great Sand Dunes National Park
  • Interurban Bridge over Cedar Creek, downtown Cedarburg, Wisconsin
    Ozaukee Interurban Bike Trail, Cedarburg, WI
  • White River State Trail
    White River Trail near Lyons, Wisconsin (effects by Prisma)
  • View from the Tumbled Rocks Trail, Devil's Lake State Park
    View from the Tumbled Rocks Trail, Devil’s Lake State Park
  • Aspen leaf from the Santa Fe National Forest, Norski Trail
    Aspen leaf, Santa Fe National Forest
  • Nambe Lake Trail - Santa Fe National Forest
    Nambe Lake Trail – Santa Fe National Forest
  • View of Fallison Lake from Fallison Lake Trail, Boulder Junction, WI
    Fallison Lake Nature Trail, Boulder Junction, WI
  • View from cedar trees atop Gibraltar Bluff
    View from cedar trees atop Gibraltar Bluff
  • Geodetic Survey Marker atop Gibraltar Bluff
    Geodetic Survey Marker atop Gibraltar Bluff

Great Lakes Facts

Check out the Pure Michigan website for 10 Great Lakes Fun Facts You May Not Know. To learn more about current research in the Great Lakes, check out NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab.

Furthermore, I’d love to hear about your adventures in the Great Lakes region, or topics and places you’d like to learn more about. Subscribe using the form below for access to my bi-monthly newsletter filled with information on outdoor recreation, food, culture, and adventure in the Great Lakes region. Come explore with me!

GET OUT THERE AND FIND AN ADVENTURE!

-Erin