Hogback Mountain Trail Head — Attraction in Marquette Township

I can only speak to the hiking trail...I'm a novice "hiker"...AKA, I'm an overweight 43 year old local housewife with the time to kill myself doing things well above my skill level. But I also have ADHD and zero fear so I take risks no matter what. If you hike a lot, this will be a challenging course. It took me just under 2 hours to scale this. If you are simply looking for something to do while visiting Marquette, go to Sugarloaf - while Sugarloaf has lots of stairs, Sugarloaf has...stairs, that's a big perk. They also have bathrooms, trashcans, and benches. Hogback, not Hogsback, is primitive. No camping. It's 1.9 miles to the top through incredibly steep and, at times, treacherous territory (see photos). But...if you're young or fit or just simply have the desire to kill yourself or at the very least, meet God at the top, I step aside and welcome you up. The "kill yourself" is of course in jest but also, true. Fall of 2021 a local man passed away on his hike up Hogback. So please be sure you want to do this hike. This is NOT a family event with small children. It's just not - go to Sugarloaf. It's gorgeous up here and filled with lots of bilberries and thimbleberries when in season. Because of its difficulty, it is not often hiked by many. You will leave hot, sweaty, tired, rubber legged and so incredibly proud of yourself. The views reach to Big Bay to the north (and on very clear days the Keweenaw Penninsula can be seen - bring some binoculars) and virtually all of Marquette City to the south. Areas west are quite visible as well. Is it worth it? Yes. Resounding YES! It is the quintessential representation of...

Extraordinary views with a beautiful hike to the summit. There is a parking lot at this location as well as across the street (the latter of which was far more crowded). The trail is well marked with blue paint. There is a bit of a rock scramble towards the top and you would probably have great difficulty if you have knee problems.

Notably, do NOT go immediately after a rain in the summer. Rain was just ceasing as we began our ascent and the hike was absolutely grueling. There was no wind until the summit and the most mosquitoes I've ever encountered - I could easily see about 30 swarming my wife's legs at any given moment while large flies circled our heads.

We got to the summit, sat for about 30 mins, then began our descent. The descent was practically an entirely different experience - good wind flow, limited mosquitoes and a very...

This is the trailhead for the southern and (allegedly) easier approach to Hogback mountain. Follow white blazes until the trail temporarily runs with the North Country Trail, and blazes become blue with a white inset. Keep to right /north on the white blazes as some branch south and to I don't know where. When the trail parys from NCT you'll once again be following white blazes. No dogs per trailhead signage, but the unleashed hound of a North Face-warrior couple charged me so beware. Bring water, but there's a creek and a brook along the way that look to be serviceable in case...