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Trap Hills – Gogebic Ridge

Location Bergland, MI
Distance ~14 miles
Total Elevation Gain 2800 ft
Topographic Map

The Trap Hills are a hidden gem of the upper peninsula. The views are on par with the porkies but there are no permits, no designated campsites, and few people. In my brief two days there, I saw a total of three other people.

The area is super hilly, so make sure you budget enough time for that. The views are expansive, so be sure to take time to enjoy them! I went a bit past peak fall colors and still found it spectacular. If you can time your visit just right with the leaves I bet it’d be breathtaking.

I went with a group of folks, so I had the ability to set up a shuttle. If you don’t have a shuttle, I recommend going up the Gogebic trail and looping back around on the railroad tracks. I don’t know how often those old tracks are used, but when I saw them they were rusty and had plants growing out from between the ties. So, I don’t think you’ll be fighting trains for the tracks.


  • Water is pretty abundant, at least at the time of year I went. However, I recommend noting down on your printed map the seasonal sources that are listed in the maps provided by the North Country Trail Association. Have fun with the god-awful format of their website! There is a lot of really good information in there, but it can be a pain to comb through.
  • The blazes are very easy to follow on the NCT, but aren’t quite so cared for on the Gogebic. The trail goes slightly MIA by Weidman Lake. Be sure to bring a compass along or you might end up doing a lot of backtracking.
  • Google/the GPS seems to think that the forest service road 630 is some sort of loop or something? However, I never found that southern connection between FS 630 and FS 400, though it was dark so I may have missed it. I just ended up going to the northern connection and then cutting south again.

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