The 5 Summits: Conquering the Most Iconic Hilltops near Detroit
- Dan Cooke
- Apr 10
- 8 min read
Updated: Apr 11
No ropes, no worries. Live your next adventure in Metro Detroit exploring each of the "5 Summits" - Expedition Detroit's favorite destinations for hiking the most iconic hilltops near Detroit!
There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering. All the rest are merely games.
Those aren't my words, although I appreciate the hot take.
No; those were spoken (likely after a Papa Doble or two) by Ernest Hemingway, the renown American author whose appetite for adventure rivaled that of Theodore Roosevelt.
What's the commonality among these three true "sports"? According to Outdoor Research, simply because they can kill you. However, according to Hemingway scholars, these three endeavors mandate that one achieves the best performance that they personally can for success - or else face potentially fatal consequences.
For us at Expedition Detroit, the beauty of mountaineering - or reaching any summit or high point - lies in the pursuit's binary definition of success. You summit, or you do not. Your body and willpower lead you to a place of prominence, or they do not.
And, once such a feat has been accomplished, it can never be taken from you. You will have earned the ability to share your experience, guide others, or reflect back on a special moment in your life's grand journey. Simply because you did it.
Will you experience breath-taking, snowcapped mountaintop sunrises within the Detroit region? No - we unfortunately are not blessed with such topography. However, the Detroit region is not nearly as flat as most residents and non-residents alike tend to think. I trained entirely for my Kilimanjaro summit along the rolling trails listed within this article, as well as several other rigorous trails like Pontiac Lake's MTB Trail and Highland's A-B-C-D Trail System. The net result? In part, the credibility to write this article.
Summits and high points - no matter the altitude - are worthy of exploring and celebrating. From their geographic significance to remoteness to prominence along a favorite trail, reaching a summit should always warrant a brief moment to pause, take in your surroundings, take a sip of water (or trail beer), and smile. Because that adventurous moment, lived and experienced here in Metro Detroit, will forever be yours.
Let's start the adventure. Here are Expedition Detroit's 5 Summits: the most iconic hilltops near Detroit.
1. Wayne Hill | Maybury State Park | Northville, Michigan
Elevation: 990 feet
Why Iconic: Highest point in Wayne County Summit Location: Red marker on top of moraine ridge
Recommended Route: Wayne Hill Peak Loop Trail
Imagine standing at "Sunset Point" on Belle Isle Park's western tip, right at the point where you can reach down and feel the crisp water of the Detroit River. At that exact point, you are standing at Wayne County's lowest elevation of 571 feet. From Belle Isle, if you were to cross the MacArthur Bridge, continue west along the Detroit Riverfront Trail and Southwest Greenway until reaching Michigan Avenue, continue towards Dearborn until finding the Hines Park Trail, and then keep climbing through Downtown Northville until reaching Maybury State Park, you will have traversed the entirety of Wayne County. Both geographically and topographically.
Nestled deep within the rolling forest of Maybury State Park - just south of the Oakland-Wayne County border - stands Wayne County's highest point, "Wayne Hill." Although the lowest elevation on this list, Wayne Hill actually provides one of the best vistas out of the 5 Summits due to a deep ravine and sprawling wetlands located directly below its summit. While there is a short (yet steep) access trail that leads directly to the summit, its unceremonious red marker can be easy to miss.
That is, of course, until we work with our friends at Maybury to install a prominent, permanent marker. Stay tuned.
EXPLORE MAYBURY STATE PARK WITH EXPEDITION DETROIT
2. Prospect Hill | Waterloo State Recreation Area | Chelsea, Michigan
Elevation: 1,150 feet
Why Iconic: Highest point on the celebrated Waterloo-Pinckney Trail Summit Location: Stone/concrete marker at summit
Recommended Route: Waterloo Pinckney Trail (Pines Campground to Green Lake segment)
Every major climb, anywhere on earth, has one shared feature: switchbacks. Yes, the consistent zig-zagging can absolutely evolve into logistical annoyance once the summit comes into view. That being said, anyone who's attempted a straight-shot approach to the top can attest to how much these extra turns bless your quads. With enough summits, they become a welcomed sight for experienced eyes.
That's why I let out a joyful shout ring out when the Prospect Hill switchbacks came into view along my 2023 traverse of the Waterloo-Pinckney Trail. For the uninitiated, the WPT is the Detroit region preeminent backpacking trail, encompassing over 30 miles of rugged moraine backpacking. There are several high points along the WPT, including the famous Sackrider Hill (1,125'), although the highest point is the lesser-publicized Prospect Hill.
Why did the switchbacks elicit joy? Two main reasons: (1) switchbacks signal that a truly, and relatively arduous, "summit" is within grasp and (2) the Waterloo-Pinckney Trail shares common elements with every major, celebrated thru-hiking trail on the planet.
That's worth a celebratory trail beer atop the hill's summit monument.
3. Pontiac Lake Peak | Pontiac Lake State Recreation Area | White Lake, Michigan
Elevation: 1,154 feet
Why Iconic: Remote high point of Pontiac Lake State Recreation Area
Summit Location: Unmarked along ridge just south of Equestrian Trail
Recommended Route: Pontiac Lake Peak Trail via Hiking Trail
Some summits you need to work extra hard for, and not just in terms of effort.
For Team Expedition Detroit, reaching the highest point of Pontiac Lake State Recreation Area - which we have taken the creative liberty of naming "Pontiac Lake Peak" - began several months ago. Due to its relatively remote and disputed location, we cross-referenced data from peakbagger.com and similar online forums to determine how to best discover and access PLRA's highest point in line with "Leave No Trace" principles. Our research uncovered that the park has two peaks that are located within a quarter mile of each other. One off-trail, the other directly on.
We had no choice but to investigate. Which I literally just did.
As I type these words, I am just a few short hours removed from standing atop of each of the "peaks" (yet another testament to the accessibility of adventure within the Detroit region). I hiked in for the sole purpose of pressing my Garmin watch, with its built-in altimeter, against the snow-covered hilltops to determine exactly which summit was the "true summit."
Friends, we can confidently confirm that the true summit, Pontiac Lake Peak, is located along an isolated ridge just south of the park's Equestrian Trail. Unmarked (for now), near an oak tree, with 360º views during the offseason months.
Don't worry - we created a 4 mile hiking route along Pontiac Lake's Hiking and Equestrian Trails that guides you to the Equestrian Trail Summit and Pontiac Lake Peak, including a Leave No Trace-aligned route to the Peak.
EXPLORE PONTIAC LAKE RECREATION AREA WITH EXPEDITION DETROIT
Mount Kanzer | Highland State Recreation Area | Highland, Michigan
Elevation: 1,160 feet
Why Iconic: Highest point of Highland State Recreation Area
Summit Location: Concrete marker along tree just south of trail
Recommended Route: Mount Kanzer via Milford Connector Trail
Highland Recreation Area truly lives up to its name. Within the park's ~6,000 acres, there are several iconic moraine hilltops that could've easily made this list. Exploring Haven Hill (1,060') - the historic family home of Edsel Ford - is a quintessential Detroit region outdoor experience. Teeple Hill and its adjacent Peak 1083 both reach elevations of 1,083 feet. Last but certainly not least, Mt. Omich (1,139') constitutes the high point of the Chief Pontiac Trail's northern segment.
Shockingly, the least famous of the aforementioned high points of Highland is its highest: Mount Kanzer. Rising clandestinely within the park's least-visited southwestern area, Mt. Kanzer reaches its apex at 1,160 feet (according to peakbagger.com and Strava).
In the warmer months, Mount Kanzer is relatively popular with hikers, trail runners, and mountain bikers - anyone looking for a cardio challenge in charging up its steep eastern slope. When the snow is falling, we strongly recommend Mt. Kanzer for snowshoeing or even backcountry skiing adventures.
Oh, we almost forgot - we lead a weekly guided hike to its summit as well.
SUMMIT MT. KANZER WITH EXPEDITION DETROIT
Kerr Hill | Ortonville State Recreation Area | Metamora, Michigan
Elevation: 1,229 feet
Why Iconic: Highest point in the Detroit Region's State Park System
Summit Location: Unmarked; earth mound within forest near Fox Lake Rd. trailhead
Recommended Route: Kerr Hill and Four Lakes Loop Trail
Ladies and gentlemen, this is it. We've done our homework. Scoured the Internet. Joined a peak-bagging Reddit thread or two. And, of course, laced up our boots to confirm.
Kerr Hill: the highest point at 1,229 feet within the Detroit region's system of Michigan State Parks and Recreation Areas.
We're not crowning Kerr Hill the tallest point in the Detroit region. That title actually belongs to Mt. Brighton ski resort's prominent summit of 1,330 feet, and is followed by a handful of other privately-owned high points in Oakland and Lapeer Counties.
But that's also what makes Kerr Hill so special - especially since the hilltop is located within the Detroit region's least-visited Michigan State Park. Kerr Hill constitutes a publicly accessible, prominent, and adventure-worthy destination that few outdoor enthusiasts have ever heard of - let alone conquered.
As we highlighted in our recent #TrailTuesday, one should not find summiting Kerr Hill as a very arduous endeavor. At least not from the trailhead; the Fox Lake Rd. trailhead parking lot is approximately 0.1 miles from the forested area that contains the unmarked summit. However, we strongly encourage you to hike the entire Kerr Hill and Four Lakes Loop Trail to truly experience Kerr Hill in all of its prominence.
The final climb will get your heart pumping. We guarantee it.
SHORT HISTORY OF DETROIT'S TALLEST RANGE
If we were to time travel 16,000 years back, we would all be cold. Very, vey cold.
In fact, we would find ourselves conveniently buried under a mountain of ice titled the Laurentide Ice Sheet that extended from the Arctic Circle to southern Indiana and Ohio. Over a 3,000 year period, the Laurentide Ice Sheet gradually receded into ice masses called "lobes," with the two most prominent lobes over the Detroit region comprising of the western Saginaw and eastern Huron-Erie lobes.
Thankfully for our resident hiking, mountain biking, and downhill skiing enthusiasts, these lobes did not recede uniformly across the Detroit region. To the contrary, as the bulk of each of these lobes receded, any terrain caught in the "no man's land" between them found itself irrevocably transformed by the massive deposits of converged sand and gravel left in the wake of the receding glaciers.
While the diminishing lobes flattened most of the Detroit region, this narrow strip of terrain with steep ridges, extensive hills, and "kettle pools" left by abandoned glacial deposits, remained a striking contrast against its surrounding swamps and grasslands.
This rugged landscape was further defined by the chaotic manner in which the lobes handled their multi-millennia retreat. The melt-back of the lobes was neither a continuous nor a steady process, including several periods of resurgence followed by short retreats, more advances, and more retreats.
In the interlobate regions, where initial soil deposits from earlier retreats already presented obstacles for the path of any resurgent glaciers, these episodes meant that unfortunate deposits from intact glaciers were further piled on top of the growing hills in increasingly dramatic fashion.
Most of the stunning Michigan State Parks and Recreation Areas located within the Jackson Interlobate Range date back to 1943. Over the next 80 years, the rebranded Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the Huron-Clinton Metroparks Authority, and local municipalities collaborated to purchase and preserve hundreds of thousands of acres across this region. Thanks to such actions, recreationists crossing several generations have explored and appreciated the beauty of the JIR, and the region has continued to serve as the natural home for rare species and habitats.
Want to explore the Detroit region's highest peaks and best trails with a guide? Look no further! Expedition Detroit proudly leads guided trips across 11 Michigan state parks and recreation areas. Book your next adventure by CLICKING HERE!
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