Tired of crowded trails, full parking lots, and impossible-to-book reservations? Then do we have a treat for you. Introducing Expedition Detroit's new #ParksUnknown series, starting with highlighting the 5 least-visited parks near Detroit!
"I can't believe that I've lived my whole life here and have never been here."
If only we could monetize that sentence... To this day I have yet to lead an Expedition Detroit guided hike and not hear some iteration of awe, surprise, or disbelief regarding the extent of world-class outdoor destinations that are, apparently, hiding in plain sight throughout our region. For both first-time visitors and lifelong residents alike, the vast majority of our parks and trails remain completely unknown.
The paradox behind that phenomena though is that the Detroit region, as a whole, is no stranger to visiting outdoor recreation destinations. According to recent reports provided directly to Expedition Detroit by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Belle Isle State Park experienced the largest amount of visitors of any Michigan state park in 2023 - approximately 5,587,381 visitors. Of the top 10 most visited Michigan State Parks and Recreation Areas, which collectively accounted for 47% of all state park visitations in 2023, 4 are located within Metro Detroit (Belle Isle, Island Lake Recreation Area, William C. Sterling State Park, and Waterloo Recreation Area). Yet even our guided trips to those uber-popular parks typically comprise of first-time visitors.
EXPLORE BELLE ISLE STATE PARK WITH EXPEDITION DETROIT
Since the genesis of our enterprise, we have actively sought out the Detroit region's outdoor destinations and experiences that the mainstream outdoor rec community have blatantly, and even offensively, disregarded. We didn't adopt the name "Expedition" Detroit to be ironic or cute, as many early deniers of our platform suggested. Several of our region's parks and trails that were established in the mid-20th century have fallen into a state of neglect and disrepair. Often times, it truly requires an expedition-worthy degree of planning, knowledge, endurance, and skill to recreate in our region's wildest places.
With #ParksUnknown, our goal is to shine a spotlight on the Detroit region's destinations that have fallen into a state of obscurity. This series will outfit you with the requisite knowledge for visiting those parks, trails, and waterways that have escaped the attention of the larger outdoor world.
If we owned a crystal ball, we'd be willing to bet that the popularity of these "unknown destinations" will rise in stride with the expansion of Michigan's outdoor recreation industry. Stated differently, if you're aching to avoid mainstream crowds like the plague throughout 2025, then the time is NOW to visit our #ParksUnknown destinations.
Without further delay, let's kick off this new series with these 5 least-visited state parks near Detroit.
5. BRIGHTON RECREATION AREA | Brighton, Michigan
2023 Visitation Estimate: 358,304 park visitors
Brighton Recreation Area was a surprising, yet predictable, inclusion on this #ParksUnknown list. Why? Simply because the stunningly beautiful park has the (mis)fortune of being located within a stone's throw of several other world-class outdoor destinations, including Island Lake Recreation Area and Huron Meadows Metropark.
A visit to Brighton Rec should never be complete without hiking, running, or cross-country skiing the park's hallmark trail: The Penosha Trail. Penosha has been described as a "quintessential Michigan trail" and is often cited as one of the best hiking trails in the entire state. Brighton Rec also boats a "black diamond" rated mountain biking trail system, rustic camping at the Appleton and Murray Lake Campgrounds, angling and paddling opportunities at Bishop Lake, and phenomenal equestrian trails.
Recommended Experience: Hiking the Penosha Trail
EXPLORE BRIGHTON'S FAMOUS PENOSHA TRAILÂ WITH EXPEDITION DETROIT
4.  HIGHLAND RECREATION AREA |  Highland, Michigan
2023 Visitation Estimate: 290,991 park visitors
We've said it once, twice, and will probably say it a thousand times more: Highland Recreation Area was protected for adventure. The ~6,000 acres comprising of the park feature the northern leg of the Chief Pontiac Trail, a backcountry climb to the 1,060 foot Mt. Kanzer, 10 inland lakes, boating sites, hunting land, and 44 miles of cross-country skiing, hiking, and equestrian. Oh, and also the most technical mountain biking, trail running, and hiking terrain in Michigan's lower peninsula: the infamous A-B-C-D Loops.
Highland also contains a historic jewel, which most likely represents why the park ranks higher on this list: the Haven Hill Natural Area. Once the "nerve retreat" of Edsel Ford and his family, this "park within a park" provides a wooded, lakeside sanctuary for wildlife viewing and birding activities. Visiting the ruins of Haven Hill is a bucket list-worthy experience in Detroit's outdoors.
And yes, we make sure to trek up to the ruins on a hidden backcountry route on each of our Haven Hill guided hikes.
Recommended Experience: Hiking the Haven Hill Loop Trail
EXPLORE HIGHLAND'S HISTORIC HAVEN HILL LOOP TRAIL WITH EXPEDITION DETROIT
3.  ALGONAC STATE PARK |  Marine City, Michigan
2023 Visitation Estimate: 273,785 park visitors
The DNR's data appears to show a trend that the least-visited Michigan State Parks tend to be located on the outer edges of the Detroit region. Algonac State Park - located on the northeastern tip of Lake St. Clair and a stone's throw away from Ontario, Canada - fits squarely into that trend.
While Algonac State Park is best known for its views of freighters traveling along the St. Clair River, the 1,550-acre park also boasts a half-mile of riverfront, campgrounds, trails and a 1,200+ acre natural area. The park features rare habitats, including lake plain prairies and oak savannas that are home to 22 threatened, endangered or special-concern species of plants, birds and butterflies.
Algonac also maintains a combined 6.6 miles of hiking trails, which we took the liberty of combining into a new, singular "Algonac Expedition Route" on AllTrails. Enjoy.
Recommended Experience: Hiking the Algonac Expedition Route (full trail system)
2.  PROUD LAKE RECREATION AREA |  Commerce Township, Michigan
2023 Visitation Estimate: 233,096 park visitors
Proud Lake Recreation Area's standing as the second-least visited Detroit region state park is, without a doubt, the most shocking. Maybe that's due to our keen familiarity with the Milford area, from which Proud Lake is just a short paddle up the Huron River. Or the crowds of Memorial Day and Fourth of July picnickers that we've weaved through at the Proud Lake Dam on holidays past.
Regardless, if the DNR's data is true, then Proud Lake represents the most accessible, recreation-filled, and under-utilized outdoor destination in Metro Detroit. Scratch that, the entire state.
We've highlighted hiking Proud Lake's "Expedition Loop Trail" as our top recommended experience. That's not only because it's a trail that we carefully plotted on AllTrails; it's actually because of why we plotted the route as so. The Expedition Loop showcases the best of Proud Lake within a convenient 5K distance, including panoramic views of the Huron River, wildlife-teeming boardwalks, a stop at the Proud Lake Dam, a circumnavigation of the beautiful Proud Lake Marsh, and all the while shrouded by towering pines, oaks, and maples.
Other can't-miss experiences at the park include backpacking the Chief Pontiac Trail to Kensington Metropark, mountain biking or horseback riding through its rugged western section, seasonal hunting in its easternmost section, and paddling down the Huron.
Recommended Experience: Hiking the Expedition Loop Trail
EXPLORE PROUD LAKE'S NEW EXPEDITION LOOP TRAILÂ WITH EXPEDITION DETROIT
1.  ORTONVILLE RECREATION AREA |  Ortonville, Michigan
2023 Visitation Estimate: 136,676 park visitors
Located on the northern fringe of the Detroit region resides the least-visited - and consequentially, one of the most adventurous - Michigan State Park in Metro Detroit: Ortonville Recreation Area. The park's 5,400 acres contain several lakes, an equestrian campground, a shooting range, and trails open to hiking, horseback riding, cross-country skiing and mountain biking. The day-use area at Big Fish Lake offers ample parking, restroom facilities, a picnic area, two picnic shelters, a playground, horseshoe pits and a designated swim area.
Team Expedition Detroit recently visited Ortonville Rec to hike one its most scenic and rigorous trails: the Kerr Hill and Four Lakes Loop Trail (spoiler alert on an inbound #TrailTuesday article...). We selected this route for several reasons, chief of which being that Kerr Hill's summit of 1,229 feet represents one of the highest points of the region-spanning Jackson Interlobate Range. What we didn't anticipate was how rugged this trail would prove to be...similar to our traverse of the Chief Pontiac Trail, several sections of the Kerr Hill and Four Lakes Loop Trail were either barely or completely unmarked. We relied on AllTrails more than once to navigate through the obscurity of snow and fallen leaves, often following deer tracks to affirm that the route was truly passable.
Hell yeah - we loved every second of it. If that experience doesn't qualify as an "expedition," then we honestly don't know what would.
Recommended Experience: Hiking the Kerr Hill and Four Lakes Loop Trail
Do you have a favorite outdoor destination near Detroit that you feel deserves a #ParksUnknown feature? Let us know in the comments, or email us directly at info@expeditiondetroit.com to provide more information!