Ludington (as a resident of the Third Coast) has always been one of those places on my short list to visit, and it did not disappoint in any way at all. This was our first trip together, and I remember being super nervous about taking the trip because Jaime is a much more seasoned backpacker / hiker / camper than I am. I wanted everything to be perfect and somehow (in spite of myself) we succeeded to have an amazing trip.

The itinerary was pretty simple – get up early and hop on the Lake Express Ferry sailing between Milwaukee, WI and Muskegon, MI, then head up the coast to Ludington and camp out for a few days. It was the last weekend the Lake Express was running for the 2019 season (late October) and we took the “sunrise” cruise departing at 6am.

It was a relatively chilly morning when we set sail, and when the ship gets up to speed (cruising at 34 knots) it emphasizes just how windy and chilly it can get. Almost everyone stayed inside the cabin to keep warm, and every brave soul that went up top came back down in record time (including myself).

The entire ride was exceptionally calm for traveling at such a high speed on the open lake. As we approached Muskegon the ship slowed down and everyone inside finally ventured out to the observation deck up top and watched as we pulled into Michigan.

You’ll notice that there’s a small maritime museum on the north side of the channel, and they have a submarine docked there along with other military and non-military vessels. We pulled into the channel behind and ocean freighter, and as we passed everyone was waving to them and they let off a few loud blasts to say “hello”.

Once we arrived in Muskegon we hopped on the road and headed north towards Ludington. One of my favorite things about traveling with Jaime is we are rarely on a set schedule. We both enjoy the meandering and exploring associated with travel, so we took our time and actually made plans to stop at various spots that just catch our attention.

One such spot was the “Up North Farm Market”. We spotted a sign on the highway merely stating “Petting Zoo” so you know we had to stop and see what it was all about.

Goats, Llamas, Pigs, and every other kind of small livestock you can imagine. They have a great General Store with lots of farm fresh favorites you would expect, and for $0.25 you can grab a big handful of food pellets and head down and feed the animals.

I had a really nice time at this place, and after going inside and picking up a few more provisions, we were back on our way.

The drive north on the coast is peasant and relaxing. We made a few pits stop along the way to check out a lighthouse, and stretch our legs a bit. Even though it’s not a long drive, we enjoy the charm of the small towns, their lakefronts, and of course the lighthouses.

After that stop we were bound for Ludington State Park to setup camp before sunset. We had a reservation for a campsite and when we got there we checked in with the Park Rangers and confirmed our spot. It wasn’t too busy, but the spot we were given was really crowded and it was right by one of the bathroom facilities so it was noisier than either one of us prefers.

We decided to drive around and look for a better spot (and I’m really glad we did). We found a perfect location for our campsite and went back to the Ranger Station and requested to switch our locations. They were very accommodating, and we went and setup camp.

After a quick setup, we headed out for the lakefront to watch the sunset. The dunes are just gorgeous, and at that time of the day the lighting is just magical. We hiked for a bit, and then settled in to watch the dunk (sunset).

The next morning we got up early and headed out on the trails. Even though it was October, the leaves had not really started to turn just yet so everything was plush and green and serene. I really enjoyed the terrain because it had something for everyone. Coastal water trails, high ridge trails, deep forest trails, and since it wasn’t too busy we had a healthy amount of alone time. We ran across a few people along the way but they were few and far between which was lovely.

We started our morning hike along an interior lake and took the paths north along the water. The trails are very well marked, and there were plenty of bridges covering the marshy areas making it very easy to traverse.

Once we got further north we could see the dunes along the shoreline, and so we headed into the woods to get up on the ridge to make our way to the top of the dunes. Lets just say once we got to the top, Jaime was more than impressed with the view.

After a short break, we jumped back on the trails, and rode the ridge west all the way back to the lake-side dunes. The trails were absolutely stunning and there was no one around at all. The high ridges sharply fell off to the ravines on either side, and the sun somehow made its way through the foliage to light up the path in front of us.

Jaime spotted a lighthouse through the brush, and had a quick stop to check it out. It was pretty far away, so forgive the blurry image as I had to zoom in all the way.

We started to head back to camp, and there were a few memorable moments along the way. The first one was when I was doing a Harry Carey impersonation and walked right into an overhanging tree branch. I got a pretty good bump on my noggin and we both had a pretty solid laugh about it. The second was when we started talking about various things we liked (remember we had just started dating) and one of the things we both enjoy are the Dutch shortbread butter cookies that come in those round tins with pictures of Dutch castles on them. Typically they can be hard to find throughout the year until it’s holiday season, but being the savvy-eyed shopper that I am I remembered that Big Lots sells them year-round! Jaime, upon hearing this news, immediately asked if we would find a Big Lots on the return trip home!!!

Once we got back to camp Jaime tended to my head wound and then we built a fire. Jaime had brought along some battery powered string lights and draped them over the tent to mark the entrance for when it got dark, and I started dinner (lamb curry – remember, I was here to impress lol).

Outside of a few noisy campers in our section, it was the perfect fall evening. The fire was brilliant, and we settled in with our cocktails and enjoyed the evening. The fresh air, the beautiful hiking, and the wonderful meal all took part in us both knocking off to sleep like a couple of logs.

The next morning we got up and started coffee and breakfast. It was a little overcast, but still a gorgeous morning and the first time I really noticed that any of the leaves had started changing colors.

We had some time to kill on the way back to Muskegon because we were going to take the 6:15pm sunset cruise back to Milwaukee. So we had another shorter hike and then packed up camp and headed out for Muskegon.

A friend of mine owns a distillery in Milwaukee, and had mentioned that Muskegon has a really nice distillery there called the 18th Amendment Spirits Company. Since we had a few hours to kill, and were both pretty hungry at this point, we stopped in and had a few cocktails and a little nosh.

The craft cocktail list is fantastic, and the bartender was incredibly knowledgeable of the spirits. We tried a number of drinks off of the menu including one that was infused with smoke right in front of us. Neat little Applewood smoking contraption played a big part in the whole presentation, and the cocktail itself was delicious.

It was a great way to finish off a great trip.

We headed back to the docks and hopped the ferry back to Milwaukee. We had business class cabins seating (highly recommended) and once we got underway, it was lights out for Jaime…

All in all it was one of my favorite trips so far. Everything about this trip was relaxing and enjoyable. The scenery is stunning, the hiking is awesome, and the whole experience was just waht the Dr ordered.

Both of us would highly recommend putting Ludington State Park and the Michigan Lakeshore on your bucket list. It will not disappoint!

Until next time…

~CK