Hogback Mountain

The Hogback Mountain hike, located just outside of Marquette, Michigan, offers a lot in a relatively short 4-mile out-and-back hike. If you're headed from Marquette, the trailhead is located off Beagle Club Road, which is on the left, a half-mile past the Sugarloaf Mountain trailhead on CR550. The gravel parking lot is also the the location for the Wetmore Pond area. After a wooded half-mile relatively flat hike, the trail comes to a small granite dome surrounded by woods, and hikers will enjoy their first good views of the mountain ahead. After this point the trail begins to gain elevation as hikers switchback their way along the ridge up Hogback Mountain. The fun lies in the last half-mile, when the trail becomes more of a rocky scramble with the final 20 feet requiring both hands and feet to reach the summit. While this is certainly short of rock climbing, grippy shoes that cover the toes are recommended. The pay off awaits at the summit. Because of the solid granite dome at the top, the mountain top offers an unobstructed view of the surrounding Huron Mountains and Lake Superior. Visit in early October for a blast of fall color.