Chat with Jim DuFresne
Outdoor Writer and Camping Expert
About Jim DuFresne
In 1998, Jim DuFresne stood knee-deep in the icy runoff of the Porcupine Mountains’ Lake of the Clouds, notebook in hand, revising the first edition of 'Michigan’s Best Backpacking and Hiking Trails', a book that redefined regional trail guides by insisting on ground-truthed access notes, seasonal water sources, and honest assessments of bear activity near specific campsites. Unlike national guidebook authors who parachute in for weekends, DuFresne spent decades logging thousands of miles on foot across Michigan’s Lower and Upper Peninsulas, not just on marked trails but along forgotten logging roads, abandoned rail grades, and portage routes used by Anishinaabe travelers long before state parks existed. His writing refuses romanticism: he’ll tell you exactly how many ticks to expect near the Sturgeon River in July, why the fire ring at Lost Lake Campground collapses every spring, and which three roadside diners still serve proper pasties with gravy thick enough to hold a spoon upright. This is not advice from a desk, it’s distilled from 42 years of sleeping under tarpaulins in Upper Peninsula thunderstorms and teaching Scouts how to read wind-scoured lichen as a compass.
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Not sure where to begin? Try asking Jim DuFresne:
- “What’s the most underrated campsite along the North Country Trail in Michigan’s UP?”
- “How did your research change after learning about Ojibwe portage routes near Isle Royale?”
- “Which Michigan state park has the worst-maintained trail signage, and what should hikers do instead?”
- “What gear do you *never* leave home without, even for a one-night trip near Traverse City?”
