Ottawa National Forest

Covering nearly one million acres in Michigan's western Upper Peninsula, Ottawa National Forest features the 18,327-acre Sylvania Wilderness, one of the finest old-growth forest remnants in the Great Lakes region, with towering virgin hemlock, pine, and hardwood stands surrounding crystal-clear glacial lakes that have never been logged. The forest boasts over 500 named lakes, more than 2,000 miles of rivers and streams, and some of the most spectacular waterfalls in the Midwest, including Bond Falls, Agate Falls, and the Sturgeon River Gorge falls.\n\nThe forest's northern hardwood and boreal forest ecosystems support black bears, gray wolves, moose, fishers, pine martens, and bald eagles, while its cold, clean streams harbor native brook trout and provide critical habitat for lake sturgeon. Ottawa's extensive waterways make it a premier paddling destination, with the Ontonagon, Presque Isle, and Sturgeon Rivers offering everything from gentle flatwater to challenging whitewater. Winter transforms the forest into a snowmobiler's and cross-country skier's paradise, with hundreds of miles of groomed trails winding through snow-blanketed forests that receive over 200 inches of annual snowfall, some of the heaviest in the eastern United States.