Worth the effort to get there if you want to see some real Michigan wilderness. The roads are very good all the way to the actual trailhead and there is decent parking. You can spend a lot of time here and so remember that there are no amenities here.

No snack bars or water, be prepared.

map

Go south out of Onaway or north out of Atlanta on M-33.  Go east on Tomahawk Lake Hwy. and north to Shoepac Lake.  The trailhead is to the right.

The Sinkholes at Onaway

sinkholesUp there in Presque Isle County Michigan is one of the most unusual parks in the entire state. The park is just east of Shoepac lake and consists of an extensive region of enormous sinkholes. This geological oddity is called a "karst region" being a 3 dimensional landscape formed by the dissolution of the underlying limestone.


That being said, the real attraction is the fantastic walk through a still forest and broad vistas of these huge sinkholes. Several of the holes are dry and you can climb down but remember you must also climb back up. These are deep and steep. This is very different park and is unimproved for the most part. Last time I was there the going was rough and the stairs were in poor repair with railings being quite wobbly.