Hoist Lakes Foot Travel Area

We hiked 7.8 miles around Byron Lake and had a wonderful time. the trail was well marked and we never lost the trail. we were prepared for ticks but only saw one thankfully! the Byron Lake camping site was clean and the beach/water looked nice. The only people we saw on the hike were some fishermen at the lake.

did a two day 1 night hike here, started from the east trailhead, hiked the 9 mile path to Byron lake one the first day and the 6 mile path back to the trailhead on the second day.

there were parts of the trail that required a bit of bushwacking and about 15 trees down over the trail but nothing that was a real problem. the trail is very well marked and the map is well done.

the campsites at Byron lake were quite nice and very pretty. We only walked past the north hoist lake sites but they looked nice as well.

surprisingly fewer mosquitoes than I expected for a rainy weekend in July but we did get quite a few ticks. long pants are a must for this one.

$5/ day self service parking fee at the lot cash or check.

all in all a good trail, it's not listed correctly on this app. it is a 16 mile loop if you take the long way, but you can shortcut it if you want to.

Took a two day backpacking trip on this trail. It was a really nice trail and was very well maintained with a parking lot on both the east and west sides of the footpath. The campsites near the southeast lake are well placed with gorgeous views. Got a bit cold while we were there but the weather was to be expected for this time of year.

really nice to for hiking or backpacking. the trials are clearly marked and well taken care of. I like the fact you can take moderate or hard paths. this is a trail I would recommend to anyone who wants to challenge themselves. the only thing I wish they had was more water refill locations.

Great 3 day weekend, 15 mile loop, saw wildlife, caught fish and enjoyed a clean less traveled trail.

5 out of 5 stars if not for the tick infestation. We were vigilant with tick checks and removing them from our legs, but I still had to pry one out of my foot. Pretty good fishing, caught several smaller bluegill in north hoist for dinner. Caught a nice size rainbow trout in south hoist as well. The campsites were excellent minus the previous camper's trash that I had to gather and burn. I especially enjoyed the seclusion. You have to hike 2 miles to get to the sites and lakes, with no vehicle access or bicycles allowed.

Pretty decent backpacking loop for a weekend. Stretch it into a Saturday afternoon/Sunday night in September. Good time of year to go, as it sounds like the ticks are a nightmare. Overall the location is pretty remote and quite the drive for me (Kalamazoo area) took around 3 1/2 to 4 hours. I enjoyed the remoteness of Hoist Lakes. I began at the eastern trailhead accessible from MI-65/72. Parking is $5.00 per day which is deposited in a self-service tube. I began the large trail loop south and made my way past north and south hoist lakes. These lakes were more or less ponds, but they were nice to look at. After making my way up a couple hills I made my way down to Bryan lake. During the duration of the hike I may have seen a handful of day hikers, however when getting to the Bryan lake their were plenty of hikers who appeared to have snagged the best spots. I found a nice site on the east side of the lake overlooking the largest lake in the hoist lakes area. After a pretty chilly night, I made my way north completing the trail in a couple hours. After completion I had a couple thoughts, the north side was more difficult, in which I would recommend on day 1. There wasn't too many sights on the north side however. The lakes were just okay, nothing spectacular. The trails are marked very well! The numbered poles with maps and nails showing your location made the hike enjoyable. Additionally marking the difficulty per post was helpful to gauge how hard each section would be.

I would try this trail in another year or so.

Beautiful hiking area. Been here several times with my dog. Check for ticks after hiking, but other than that, no complaints. 

The place beautiful.
The ticks are ridiculous, had to de-tick our dog and ourselves constantly. Even with 30% deep.
Get rid of ticks and I would give this place 5 stars all day long.

Had this trip in mind for a couple weeks, just waiting for the perfect timing for fall colors. Went up mid week and was not disappointed. Beautiful colors and had the trails and campsites all to myself. Junction 5 was poorly marked and ended up going back to junction 11 when I wanted to go to 4, but oh well. I'll know for next time.

Had a great time. Beautiful hike. Moderate to easy hike. Took 5 kids with me ages 4-14. All had a great time and experience. Had good luck fishing at Byron lake lots of bass. Ticks are there tho.. So check often.. Has turned into a yearly adventure, third year in a row taking my daughters. Really a great time. We will go back again

Hoist is the perfect for a day, overnight or weekend backpacking trip. One of my favorite places to clear my head with a quick over night. Hoist offers a many different lakes for floating or fishing. Trail are very groomed and marked with blue blazers. There are a ton of different campsite around all of the lakes so you will definitely get the peace and quite your looking for.

Beautiful hike. My boyfriend, 10 month puppy and I hiked a little over 10 miles the first day around the back to South Hoist lake where we decided to pitch our tent for the night. The lake is calm and relaxing, saw a couple of our neighbors test the water but we weren't as brave. Before you go to bed CHECK FOR TICKS. The trails are well marked and besides the few fallen trees are very clean and taken care of. There are quite a few rolling hills through the big loop but still a nice moderate trail. We will definitely be back here again :)