Traverse City Travel Blog

I first graced the slopes of Hickory Hills as a wobbly-kneed two-year-old, nineteen years ago. By ‘slopes’, I mean the tow-roped Bunny Hill... But let us not be derailed by minutia. I may not remember the moment my parents strapped the toddler version of me into a hot pink training harness and let

A sunlit Lake Effect storm seen from the Open Space on West Bay

By MIKE NORTON

Midwinter sunshine is a precious thing, and here in “lake effect country” it can be especially fleeting. So when that January sun peeks out – especially on a weekend – we tend to drop everything and get outside to

The welcoming bridge at Veronica Valley Park

By MIKE NORTON

One of the crazy things about being a travel writer is that you sometimes find yourself doing more writing than traveling. You’re whacking away at a keyboard, answering phone calls and emails and wondering what happened to your joie

A skier and her canine companion enjoy the trail at Sand Lakes.

By MIKE NORTON

New Year’s is all about looking ahead, but sometimes it helps to take a little glance at where you’ve been.

That’s what led me and my cross-country skis out to the deep woods east of Traverse City last week – to

By MIKE NORTON I've lived in the Traverse City area for more than 30 years, but the beauty of this region still has the power to amaze me. Last week, for instance, I spent a day hanging out at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, a place I've visited many times