Hiking Sugarloaf Mountain: Marquette's Best Hike (2023)
Hiking up Sugarloaf Mountain in Marquette only takes about 15 minutes but is worth every step.
(TLDR) Hiking Marquette’s Sugarloaf Mountain Quick Facts:
- Sugarloaf Mountain is a 1.4-mile round-trip hike
- The elevation of Marquette’s Sugarloaf Mountain is about 470 feet above Lake Superior
- There are 304 steps going up Sugarloaf
- Sugarloaf is the perfect family hike and is accessible all year round
- Distance from town to the trailhead is about 15 minutes
Directions to Marquette's Sugarloaf Mountain
Getting to Sugarloaf from Marquette is incredibly easy. Follow highway 550 out of town for about 10 minutes to get to Sugarloaf’s parking lot.
The easiest and most direct route is to head north towards Presque Isle and make a left onto Big Bay Rd. Once you have hit Big Bay road (550) you will follow that for a few miles and find the parking lot on the right side of the main road.
2023 UPDATE: There are now 2 parking lots that service Sugarloaf!
The first parking lot leads directly to the easy route, whereas the second (original) parking lot, lets hikers choose between the easy/difficult route.
Sugarloaf Mountain Trailhead
The Sugarloaf Mountain Trailhead is adjacent to the parking lot. When you begin the hike there are two routes to choose from. Easy and Difficult.
These routes will connect to a main fork in the trail halfway up the mountain
- Easy Route – Easy with stairs leading to a fork with more stairs
- Hard Route – Easy but no stairs until the main fork in the trail
Hiking Sugarloaf Mountain in Marquette
The beginning of the trail is the most scenic besides the summit. The difficult trail provides a nice canopy of trees and a steep ascent that eventually becomes a mild and gradual climb.
The easy trail leads you up an elevated set of stairs that eventually connects with the hard trail.
Coming from the difficult route, the second part of the hike is when you hit the trail fork. You will see a trail split (including signage) after a bit of a flat section.
When you see this, go LEFT and follow the stairs up the mountain. You will continue on these stairs and then a few other sections of stairs until you have arrived at the summit.
Reaching the summit usually takes most people around 15-20 minutes.
The summit has three different platforms that provide you with some unbelievable views of Marquette and Lake Superior.
Sugarloaf Mountain Hiking Recap
- Hike Time: The Hike up Sugarloaf is about 15-20 minutes and roughly 10 down.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Scenery: INCREDIBLE from the summit
- Seasonality: Open Year Round
- Access: VERY accessible
- Parking: Plenty but can get crowded on weekends
- Crowds: BUSY on weekends
Sugarloaf Mountain Hike FAQ
Can you drive up Sugarloaf mountain?
You cannot drive up Sugarloaf mtn in Marquette! The only way up is by hiking up one of the trails!
Do people hike Marquette's Sugarloaf mountain at night?
People hike this mountain at all times of the day and night! This is an incredible place to view the northern lights in Marquette
Do people hike Marquette's Sugarloaf mountain in the winter?
Sugarloaf is one of Marquette’s best winter hikes that you must add to your bucket list. The hike is arguably better when there’s snow to enjoy from the summit
More Upper Peninsula Hikes to NOT Miss
If you want to know about more amazing hikes in the area, read my Best Hikes in Marquette piece to get yourself up to speed.
The Best part about them is that they are very close to one another and can be done in one weekend!
Don’t forget to check out other things in the UP area! About 30 minutes outside of town, visitors can hike to Laughing Whitefish Falls for an unbeatable waterfall experience!
Best Things to Do in Marquette, MI
Waterfalls in Marquette are some of the biggest attractions to the area, so make sure you save some time to visit a few of them!
You surely will work up an appetite after all your activities. Here are some restaurants that you should check when coming to Marquette.
Need to find the best cup of coffee in town? Here are some of Marquette’s Best Cafes.
For all those visitors who need more, contact me here directly if you would like a 1/2 day tour or a one-hour photo session. I look forward to seeing you in Marquette or somewhere else in the world.