Lost Lake and Island Trail – Hiking Ludington State Park

Hiking the Lost Lake and Island Trail Loop at Ludington State Park – September 14, 2013

Ludington State Park has over 18 miles of well marked hiking trails. One of our favorite short hikes is a 2 mile loop around Lost Lake. This loop is completed using the Lost Lake Trail and the southern section of the Island Trail. This is an easy hike with just a little elevation gain on the north end of Lost Lake. The trail is wide and well traveled and is good for even small children. We had two 3 year olds with us and they both did pretty good. We only had to carry them on our shoulders for about the last 0.5 mile.

We were staying at the Beechwood Campground so we started our hike on the boardwalks along Lost Lake. If you are not camping you can park at the Hamlin Lake day use area. To pick up the trail from here, head north along the beach for the swimming area.

The boardwalks along Lost Lake. This time we hiked the loop in the clockwise direction.

Checking out the big blow down along the shore.

Rounding the north end of Lost Lake the trail climbs up above the water on a dune.

 

Not the position that you want to see along the trail. Lucky for us it was a false alarm.

About 0.2 mile after the junction with the Island Trail you cross a bridge over to the chain of islands that separates Lost Lake from Hamlin Lake. A couple divers were walking back under the bridge as we crossed.

Out on the islands.

I didn’t get many photos from the island section of the hike because I had someone riding up on my shoulders for most of it.

View Lost Lake and Island Trail Loop 9/14/2013 in a larger map

The track from our hike in Google Maps.

Ludington State Park Trail Map >>

The loop around Lost Lake is about 2 miles. Starting from our campsite it was 2.3 miles total and it took our crew about 1 hour and 20 minutes to complete.

If you are looking to add a few more miles try doing the Ridge Trail out to the north end of the Island Trail. This is a little more strenuous, but has some nice views of the dunes on the interior of the park.  For more on this hike see: Explorer’s Guide 50 Hikes in Michigan: Sixty Walks, Day Trips, and Backpacks in the Lower Peninsula (Third Edition) (Explorer’s 50 Hikes)

 

 

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