Estivant Pines Wilderness Nature Sanctuary

Great little hike! The old growth trees are spectacular. What a blessing that someone thought to save this area. Combined with a couple other short hikes to make a spectacular day.

This is a beautiful spot near Copper Harbor. It has about 2.5 miles of hiking trail. Some of that is groomed gravel suitable for most people but the rest of it is more technical hiking trail.

Well worth the drive and the 3-mile hike around the property. These giant white pines are 500 years old and it’s amazing they escaped the lumbermen of a hundred years ago who supplied the lumber to build Chicago and other places.

Visiting makes it easier to imagine what all of Michigan looked like BEFORE the lumber rush of the 1800s.
The right loop is easy. The left loop has slightly more challenging walking.

A truly restful walk in the woods!

Estivant Pines is another MI UP hidden gem. This 500 acre old-growth forest lies within a wilderness that's thick and peaceful. This amazing growth is filled with Eastern White Pines of great age that have had very little disturbance. Well worth your time to experience a piece of unique nature that still exists.

Plan on 1.5 - 3 miles depending on what you want to take on and bring some bug spray.

* For the more adventurous... Explore/navigate to the Fallen Giant - you'll have to trek about another mile through swamp, river, and thick woods, so plan accordingly and be prepared!

I highly recommend venturing out to see these amazing white pines and old growth hardwoods. They're just beautiful!

The drive out itself is quite a blast.

We didn't have a chance to make the hike around both loops but we'll be back.

Estivant Pines Nature Sanctuary is located in Keweenaw County, has 570 acres, and preserves one of the last old-growth white pine forests in Michigan. An easy to hike trail of two loops, 2.5 miles, passes under toweing 125 foot white pines that germinated in the year 1695. Excellent birdwatching with more than 85 bird species sighted. This boreal climate forest floor is blanketed with ferns, asters, violets, blue bead lilys and other wildflowers. Stunning forest!

Great place to go, excellent history behind the nature preserve. It's a nice distance hike around, but the kids loved it. Just be sure to realize that you are still out in nature, not a park. We surprised an adolescent black bear who was trying to climb a tree right off the trail, and it startled both us and the bear.

Kind of goofy to get there, but easy if you have a truck. Beautiful trees. Difficult hike for some. Quiet. I'd like to come back to do the Fallen Giant Trail.

Take an enjoyable walk through the woods at Estivant Pines! Here, you will find two trails, each about 1.5 miles in length. Hiking boots recommended.

See our full review of Copper Harbor at YouTube: Mancl Adventures: Best things to do in Copper Harbor MI.

Great hiking experience. Nice well kept clean trails. Definitely feel at home in nature.

Nice hike/walk, the trees are amazing

300+ year old pines....peaceful relaxing forest walk! Great experience.

Absolutely stunning and beautiful nature trails, enormous pine trees!!! Great place for a small hike or leisurely stroll!!

A nice trail system with massive trees and a wide variety of trail types. In the warm months I highly recommend going off the beaten path and visiting the Fallen Giants trail. It will take you to a marsh with hundreds of fallen trees. There is no easy way to pass without climbing them.

The trails are reopened from construction! The gravel road leading up to it was also graded recently, so most cars can drive through it no problem.

Absolutely beautiful place. Massive white pines, paper birches, and red oaks spread throughout the grove. The trails are well maintained and clearly marked, and the roundtrip distance isn’t that high, only around 2-2.5 miles or so. If you’re like me, it’ll take you a few hours to get through it since there’s so many good trees to stop and hug.

Sadly, there is lots of graffiti here as well. Many names, initials, hearts, phalluses, etc. that selfish wastes-of-air have carved into trees over time. If you’re one of those people who vandalized nature with a crude heart and the first letters of your and your partner’s names, I hope you have a horrendous breakup.

Such a beautiful area and hike through these marvelous trees. A must see location if you're in the Copper Harbor area.

This is a don't miss in Copper Harbor! Oldest stand of white pines in Michigan. A few different loops so you can tailor your route to your ability. A few steep spots, but overall fairly easy trail hiking. (No bikes allowed)

This was a little bit harder to find, but that's part of the beauty of it. The entire experience is so serene. I am so glad that there was such a fight to keep this land basically untouched. It is incredible to see these trees that have made it through so much.

Nice, though slightly rugged hike through the last stand of Virgin White Pine in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Photos don't do it justice.