Kettles Trail Hiking Guide
Kettles Trail explores a side of Sleeping Bear most visitors never see: a forest pocked with kettles, the steep-sided hollows left where blocks of glacial ice melted out. The trail opened in October 2019. The terrain is unusual, the first stretch is wheelchair accessible, and the trailhead sits inland, away from the busy dune corridor along M-109.
Permit: Requires a Sleeping Bear Dunes park pass like every lakeshore trail: $25 per vehicle (7 days), $15 per hiker or cyclist 16 and up, or $45 annual
Route Shape
The Park Service lists the trail at 3.0 miles including the spur to the bog overlook; mapping apps agree on about 3 miles with roughly 340 feet of gain. The route is shaped like a lasso: an out-and-back stem leading to a loop that circles a kettle hole, with a side spur to a kettle bog partway along. One writer who hiked it describes a long descent after the first overlook and a climb to the rim of the final kettle before circling it.
Accessible Overlook
The first 1,000 feet, to an overlook of a kettle, are fully accessible on a compacted stone surface. That makes a short, level outing possible for wheelchair users and for anyone who wants a look without the hills. Past the overlook, the trail changes to compacted earth and drops into the moraine, where the Park Service rates it moderate hiking with significant slopes.
Kettles and the Bog
Kettles form when buried glacial ice melts and the ground above it collapses, leaving bowl-shaped hollows; some hold ponds or bogs. The trail runs through steep hills, valleys, ponds and bogs. A kettle becomes a bog when its standing water turns acidic from decaying plant matter. The bog edge overlook sits at about the 0.8-mile mark, and the area is noted for spring wildflowers.
Trailhead on Baatz Road
The trailhead lot is on West Baatz Road near South Fritz Road, west of County Road 669, at an address the Park Service gives as 2998-3252 W Baatz Rd, Empire. The trail was built by National Park Service crews with the Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes, youth conservation corps workers and volunteers. The Park Service lists no amenities beyond the trailhead itself, so arrive with water and a pass already in hand.
Dogs and Winter Rules
Leashed dogs are allowed on Kettles Trail from April through November. From December 1 to March 31 it is a ski trail and pets are banned. In winter the Park Service rates the slopes advanced for skiing; the accessible section is only usable when there is no snow. In late fall, wear bright clothing: the Park Service flags November 15 to 30 as deer rifle season and hunting is allowed in the lakeshore.
Hiking tips for Kettles Trail
- Turn around at the stone-surfaced overlook for an easy, accessible short walk.
- Take the side spur to the bog edge overlook around mile 0.8.
- Expect steep hills and valleys once the trail leaves the accessible section.
- No dogs from December 1 through March 31, while Kettles serves as a ski trail.
- Visit in spring for wildflowers in the kettle forest.
Nearby trails to explore
- Empire Bluff Trail
- Alligator Hill Trail
- Pyramid Point Trail
Hike this trail with TrailMates
Kettles Trail is a quiet walk through glacial hollows that most Sleeping Bear visitors skip. Use TrailMates to find Traverse City hikers heading to Kettles Trail. Download the TrailMates app to connect.