White Pine Trail State Park

Michigan (Kent, Mecosta, Montcalm, Osceola, Wexford County)

About This Park

Overview White Pine Backcountry Campground is a primitive camp located in the southern district of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, on the lower peninsula of Michigan. It is located approximately two miles from the Trail's End Road trailhead on the Platte Plains hiking trail south of Empire just off of M-22. This year-round campground has six campsites, two shared fire rings, pit toilet, and two shared animal resistant food storage lockers. Plan to pack your water in

White Pine Trail State Park stretches 92 miles through the heart of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, following a former Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad corridor from Comstock Park north to Cadillac. Spanning five counties — Kent, Mecosta, Montcalm, Osceola, and Wexford — it ranks among the longest rail-trails in the United States and offers one of Michigan’s most rewarding long-distance routes for cyclists, hikers, and cross-country skiers.

The paved southern section from Comstock Park to Cedar Springs draws road cyclists and families looking for a smooth, accessible ride through rolling farmland and small-town Michigan. North of Cedar Springs, the surface transitions to packed crushed limestone, winding through the Manistee National Forest and past quiet lakes, wetlands, and the mixed hardwood-conifer forests that gave the trail its name.

Each trailside town — Big Rapids, Reed City, Cadillac — offers rest stops, restaurants, and local charm that make multi-day trips practical. Several communities along the route provide bike-friendly lodging and gear shops. The trail connects to the Pere Marquette Rail-Trail in Reed City, opening up even more mileage for ambitious riders.

Spring and fall deliver the most comfortable riding temperatures, with autumn foliage turning the northern sections into a tunnel of color. Summer brings the longest daylight hours but also humidity and mosquitoes north of Big Rapids. In winter, groomed sections welcome cross-country skiers and snowshoers.

The White Pine Trail proves that Michigan’s best adventures aren’t always found at a single destination — sometimes they unfold mile by mile.