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Writer's pictureDan Cooke

Celebrate the Dark: Top 5 Experiences for Enjoying the Winter Solstice near Detroit

The grand, festive finale of our #EmbraceTheDark Series, we invite you to join us in celebrating the shortest solar day of the year through one, two, or all of these top 5 experiences for making the most of the 2024 Winter Solstice in Detroit's outdoors.

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Let's start this article with good news: TOMORROW, December 21st, is one of the best days of the year to get outside.


In all respects, it will be a weird day. A very, very short and cold day. The perfect day to carpe diem, because if you blink, well, you just might miss it.


Tomorrow is December 21st, 2024, a.k.a. the "Winter Solstice." It marks not only the official first day of winter in the northern hemisphere, but also the shortest solar day of the year. The sun will rise at 8:04 a.m. and set at 5:04 p.m., providing us with exactly 9 hours, 4 minutes, and 6 seconds of daylight.


The perfect timeframe to make every moment count in Detroit's outdoors.


Before diving into our "Top Five Experiences," let's acknowledge one glaring contradiction: this #EmbraceTheDark article is not about the dark. If anything, it's about the fear of the dark - five ways to maximize the fleeting amount of daylight that greatly expands our ability to recreate uninhibited in the outdoors.


So yes, we're breaking from the status quo a bit here - but given the natural human aversion to setting out for nocturnal expeditions, we figured most readers would appreciate ending this series on a brighter, sunnier note.


Here are the top five experiences for experiencing the Winter Solstice in Detroit's Outdoors.

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1. Watch the Sunrise from "The Tip" at Point Pelee National Park

The single best way to kick off the shortest solar day of the year is by venturing to the single location where you are most likely to witness its genesis. We tested this theory back in 2022 and can confirm its veracity. A quick glance at our Destinations map will further prove our point: "The Tip" at Point Pelee National Park in Ontario, Canada wins out as the most dramatic location to experience a sunrise in the entire Detroit region.


Hiking out to Point Pelee is just the tip of the ice burg (pun intended) for experiencing the national park. We've referenced Point Pelee numerous times throughout our articles - including a full #TrailTuesday feature - but Canada's second-smallest national park packs a massive recreational punch for outdoor enthusiasts of all genres. We're talking extensive marsh kayaking, beach hiking, pristine cycling, and world-class bird watching. Absolutely worth a full-day visit over the holidays if you're unable to make it out tomorrow morning for sunrise.

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2. Support Michigan Wildlife Conservation from the Stand

Did you know that we're only just past the halfway point of Southeast Michigan's deer season...? That's right - deer season in the Detroit region continues all the way until the very end of January. In fact, Detroit region hunters have the most expansive and inclusive hunting opportunities in the entire state.


This Winter Solstice, Southeast Michigan hunters can add purpose to their recreation by participating in this year's "anterless deer season." Between now and January 12th, 2025, Michigan hunters may hunt antlerless deer on both private and public lands open to regular firearm hunting. Be sure to continue wearing hunter orange in the field for this time period!


Why is this season so important? As we've highlighted several times this season, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has specifically called on lower peninsula hunters to focus primarily on harvesting a doe. Increased doe harvests provide several long-term ecological and economic benefits, including reduced cases of disease transmission, vehicle accidents involving deer, deer population balancing, and destruction of farmland.


GEAR UP FOR HUNTING SEASON WITH EXPEDITION DETROIT!

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3. Hike a New Trail for your Mid-Day Exercise

Unable to get that morning run in? Eh, hike it off - but figuratively and physically.


Tomorrow's "mid-day" point will hit at exactly 12:30 p.m., right in the dead center of a typical lunch hour. We strongly encourage you to seize this rapidly diminishing moment of daylight to zip up your jacket, lace up yhttps://www.expeditiondetroit.com/hiking-and-backpackingour boots, and ground yourself in at least 30 minutes of hiking on a "new-to-you" trail.


Similar to a morning run, scientific studies have proven that recreating in the outdoors during both the weekends and the workday - even if such recreation comprises solely of a walk around a park near your office - immensely boosts productivity cognitive functions while decreasing hormones inducing stress, anxiety, and depression. These mental health benefits are further amplified when exploring new environments vs. familiar routes that you could probably sleepwalk.


For your own sake, we challenge you to find a new trail in your immediate vicinity that you can spend a "mental health hike" exploring today. Who knows, it may become your next go-to park for a mid-day walk...until next year's Winter Solstice prompts the discovery of another.

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4. Watch the Sunset from a Chairlift

Elevation be damned, there is one undeniable aspect of Detroit's "Big Four" ski resorts that our local hills absolutely crush: night skiing.


I don't care how many times you've skied or snowboarded at the Big Four, there's a childlike instinct that comes out when the giant lamps start to glow around sunset. Your legs could be shaking a bit after carving up the slopes all day, but when those lights start to illuminate the hill, a surge of new life springs from the illuminated snow.


As we mentioned earlier, tomorrow's sunset is scheduled for 5:04 p.m. Fortunately for our resident night riders, each of the Big Four have special, discounted tickets that run from 3 p.m. until the resorts close. In other words, you should be on the slopes with plenty of time to maximize the Solstice's remaining daylight, caught a multi-colored #PureMichigan sunset, and burn the late-night oil churning turns under the lamps.


Name a better way to catch the final rays of the shortest day of the year - we'll wait.

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5. Explore Your State Parks AT NIGHT with Expedition Detroit

Contrary to popular belief, your adventure in Detroit's outdoors doesn't have to end once the sun goes down. Especially now that we're in the heart of the "dark days," treat yourself to a nocturnal expedition by saving your spot on one of our fan-favorite "Night Hiking Safaris" this winter!


While our classic "Maybury Night Hiking Safari" remains Expedition Detroit's top-rated experience, we've decided to expand our night hiking adventures to Proud Lake State Recreation Area's "Expedition Loop" and Highland State Recreation Area's "Haven Hill Loop" for this winter season!


On the Winter Solstice, we will be leading a special celebratory night hike to explore the rolling landscapes, wetlands, heights, and ruins of Haven Hill. The hike will take place from 6PM to 8PM, so don't forget your headlamp!


EXPLORE HIGHLAND'S HAVEN HILL WITH EXPEDITION DETROIT

 

We're celebrating the Winter Solstice spent in the outdoors because this day encapsulates the values of Detroit's growing outdoor community. Making the most of every opportunity accessible to us. Not allowing any obstacles, whether those are man-made, environment-induced, or literally celestial like sunlight quantity, to affect your capacity for embracing and thriving in an outdoor lifestyle. Forcing us to face the reality that not all days are created equal, but that fact should motivate rather than discourage us from lacing up the running shoes, strapping on the helmet, or adding an extra layer before getting after it.


There's definitely a formal definition for the word "Expedition," but we're not going to Google it for this article. This Winter Solstice, let's each invent our own definition, starting with "the maximization of every outdoor experience presented to you today."


That's our expedition for this Winter Solstice - and we can't wait to see you on the trail.

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