Trails / Michigan / Northern Lower Peninsula

Sand Lakes Quiet Area Pathway

Pere Marquette State Forest (near Williamsburg, east of Traverse City)

The Sand Lakes Quiet Area is a 2,800-acre, non-motorized tract of the Pere Marquette State Forest east of Traverse City, set aside as a “quiet area” in 1973, according to Michigan Trail Maps. Its trail loop of about 7.4 miles winds among a dozen lakes and ponds, and walk-in campsites at Sand Lake No. 1 make it a short, simple overnight.

Michigan Trail Maps is candid that the tract lacks the scenery of nearby Sleeping Bear Dunes; its draw is the quiet.

The hike

Pure Michigan suggests starting at Guernsey Lake State Forest Campground, hiking about 4.5 miles to a campsite, and returning 2.9 miles the next day. Michigan Trail Maps describes the same two-day loop and says eight trailheads reach the loop from four roads and the campground. Fastest Known Time calls the Broomhead Road lot, just north of Sand Lake Road, the main trailhead and describes a dirt and singletrack loop with roots, ruts, and water crossings over rolling oak and pine hills.

The maintained loop is marked with posts numbered clockwise. From the Broomhead Road trailhead at Post No. 1, it’s 1.1 miles to the walk-in sites at Sand Lake No. 1; from the Sand Lake Road trailhead at Post No. 6, it’s under half a mile, according to Michigan Trail Maps. Unmarked old fire lanes cross the area and are becoming overgrown, so stick to the posted trail.

The tract holds 12 lakes and ponds, including five Sand Lakes. Michigan Trail Maps says they are marl lakes that can look greenish, several over 40 feet deep. Sand Lake No. 1 is stocked with rainbow trout, No. 2 with brook trout, and No. 3 holds bass and panfish. Guernsey Lake, beside the campground, covers 50 acres, according to the DNR.

The DNR says the pathway links to the North Country Trail, and Fastest Known Time notes that parts of the loop are shared with it, so you can extend the trip. Mountain bikes are allowed, mostly on old two-tracks, per Michigan Trail Maps, and the more technical VASA singletrack is about two miles away. The area is open year round and also has winter ski trails.

The loop is short and close to Traverse City, but plan for water: the old backcountry pump at Sand Lake No. 1 is gone.

Tips

• Bring a filter. The Sand Lake No. 1 pump has been removed.
• Fill up at Guernsey Lake if you start there; its hand pump has drinking water (DNR).
• Stay on the numbered loop. Old fire lanes are unmarked and overgrown.
• Carry a vehicle pass. Michigan Trail Maps says a Recreation Passport or daily permit is needed at trailheads.
• Expect bikes on the two-track sections.

Camping

Michigan Trail Maps describes walk-in backcountry sites at Sand Lake No. 1 with two vault toilets and shade for about six tents, and says backcountry camping there has no fee. Guernsey Lake State Forest Campground, at one trailhead, has 35 first-come, first-served sites (eight of them walk-in), a hand pump, and a 15-day maximum stay, according to the DNR. For dispersed camping elsewhere on state forest land, the DNR requires a site more than one mile from any state forest campground and a backpacking registration card posted at camp; confirm with the DNR whether that applies anywhere inside the quiet area, since Guernsey Lake campground borders it.

Inside Intel: No camper accounts recommending a specific site were found. Michigan Trail Maps’ description of shaded room for about six tents at Sand Lake No. 1 is the most detailed account of the backcountry sites.

Trail facts

• Distance: About 7.4 miles (7.4 to 8.5 by source)
• Route type: Loop
• Difficulty: Easy to moderate
• Campsites: Sand Lake No. 1 walk-in sites (1.1 miles from Broomhead Road); Guernsey Lake State Forest Campground
• Water: Guernsey Lake campground hand pump; filter lake water
• Permits: None found for backcountry sites; vehicle pass at trailheads
• Motor vehicles: Not allowed (quiet area)
• Trailheads: Broomhead Road; Sand Lake Road; Guernsey Lake campground
• Last verified: October 7, 2026

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

• Michigan DNR: Guernsey Lake State Forest Campground
• Michigan DNR: Backpacking
• Michigan Trail Maps: Sand Lakes Quiet Area summer trails
• Pure Michigan: Sand Lakes Quiet Area Pathway
• Fastest Known Time: Sand Lakes Quiet Area Pathway (MI)
• North Country Trail Association: Trail alerts

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.