"We didn't want to wait five years to let people experience Sugar Loaf," Leelanau Conservancy Executive Director Tom Nelson told The Ticker a week before the October 9 opening.
The Conservancy's full plan spreads trails, picnic pavilions, viewing spots, a demonstration garden and a children's play area across about five years. What opened two weeks ago is smaller: one trail to the top and somewhere to park. That timing shapes the coming winter. For the first time since the resort closed in 2000, the old hill above Good Harbor Bay is open to the public in ski season. It has no lifts, no lodge and no confirmed grooming. A volunteer workday is on the calendar to clear the old runs before the snow.
They built the summit trail first, on purpose
Nelson told The Ticker the opening plan was built around what people wanted most, which was reaching the summit for the views. That meant a trail to the top and a safe place to park, ready on day one.
The Summit Trail runs about half a mile from the parking lot to the top, following the path the resort's Snowcat once used, according to the Glen Arbor Sun, which walked it with Conservancy staff on September 10. The summit sits 1,059 feet above sea level. From the top, the Sun's group could see Little Traverse Lake, Good Harbor Bay, Pyramid Point, the Manitou Islands and the Crib lighthouse.
Here are the practical details for getting there:
- Address: The Conservancy's opening-event page lists 4500 S Sugar Loaf Mountain Rd, Cedar.
- Parking: The Ticker reported a main lot of roughly 90 spaces on Sugar Loaf Mountain Road, where the main lodge used to stand, and a smaller lot to the south on East Mountain Road. The Summit Trail starts at the main lot. In its earlier preview, the Sun described the two gravel lots together as holding more than 120 cars.
- Hours: 9&10 News reported that the property would be open around the clock after the opening event.
- Ground rules: The Conservancy's Sugar Loaf page asks visitors to stay on designated trails while staff and contractors keep working. Its general Know Before You Go guidance calls for leashed pets and designated parking. It also prohibits motor vehicles, fires, and overnight camping or parking.
Demand outran the small opening. The Conservancy asked people to RSVP for the October 9 open house, and about 600 had done so a week ahead, natural areas director Becky Hill told The Ticker. By the day before, WCMU reported registrations above 1,000. The Ticker noted it could be the best-attended event in the Conservancy's 38-year history.
The old runs are still open
Opening early works for skiing because the hill was largely ready already. After the Ball Foundation bought the property in 2020, it tore down the derelict lodge and removed the lifts. It then gave the land to the Conservancy, on the condition that the Conservancy raise $8 million for the site plan and the infrastructure. Hill told The Ticker the cleanup left the Conservancy "almost a blank slate."
Those cleared slopes include the steep run once called "Awful Awful" and its twin, "The Wall." Infrastructure manager Chad Jordan built the first snowboard park at Sugar Loaf, and he told the Sun the legacy runs need little work:
"A lot of the legacy ski runs are pretty open still, so there's not a lot of work that we need to get those in shape. This winter these will all be available and open to folks to ski. It's similar to what you would find at an alpine resort. You can poke around and see what looks fun that day."
Chairlifts and rope tows are not coming back, so any skiing or snowboarding at Sugar Loaf has to be human-powered. Conservancy staff have worked with the Michigan Backcountry Alliance on what that could look like this winter. The Sun lists splitboarding, alpine touring, telemark and glade skiing.
Some of this is confirmed and some is still a plan:
| Winter activity | Status as of mid-October 2026 | Who says so |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-country skiing | Confirmed for this winter | Conservancy FAQ |
| Backcountry skiing and splitboarding on legacy runs | Expected this winter, per staff | Chad Jordan in the Glen Arbor Sun |
| Groomed parallel cross-country tracks | A hope, not a commitment | Glen Arbor Sun |
| Lifts or rope tows | Not returning | Glen Arbor Sun |
| Mountain biking | Not open; planned for 2027 | Conservancy FAQ |
The Conservancy's illustrated site plan dates from July 2025 and is labeled as proposed.
Volunteers clear the runs on November 8
If you plan to ski the old glades this winter, you can help clear them first. The Conservancy's ski-run-clearing workbee runs Sunday, November 8, from 1 to 5 p.m. Crews will clear former glades and runs so the hill is a safe place for backcountry skiing.
The Conservancy says the work is hard, on steep and uneven ground. Volunteers need to register in advance, complete the Conservancy's questionnaire and sign a waiver. The event page suggests gloves, eye protection, water, sun protection, long pants and closed-toe shoes, and volunteers age 16 and up need a parent or guardian.
The same events calendar lists Sugar Loaf trail-building sessions this fall. The October 15 and October 20 sessions will be over by the time you read this, but more workdays will likely follow. The Conservancy generally posts events about a month ahead, so the winter schedule may not be up yet.
The rest of the plan unfolds over five years
The parts of Sugar Loaf that still need building will arrive in phases. Here's what the Conservancy and the Sun have described so far.
Mountain bike trails, planned for 2027. Jordan estimates 9.5 miles of switchback trail will open in spring 2027. Average grades run 7 to 10 percent, which counts as beginner level, over a 449-foot climb from the parking lot to the summit. The trails also return to the hill's history. In the late 1980s, Sugar Loaf hosted the National Off Road Bicycle Association's national championships.
The red lift chairs, as rest spots. The Conservancy saved about 20 of the resort's red lift chairs. Once they are powder coated, they will go around the property as benches. Some will sit at prominent viewpoints and others in quieter, tucked-away spots, and Jordan said some won't appear on the map at all.
A summit pavilion and family areas. The first five-year plan includes a covered pavilion and community gathering space at the summit, plus a picnic area and kids' play area near the parking lot. The Conservancy's FAQ also mentions a sledding hill, universal access features and restoration work to improve water quality in the Good Harbor Bay Watershed.
Planting at the trailhead. The Sun reported that 138 native trees and shrubs will go in late this autumn as a buffer between the parking area and the Sugar Loaf townhouses. The lot edges will later be seeded with native plants and wildflowers for pollinators.
The airstrip and the golf course next to the property are not part of the project.
The rest of the calendar before snow
Until there's enough snow to ski, Sugar Loaf is one of several fall plans for Glen Arbor households. The Conservancy runs most of the outdoor events below. The rest come from the Glen Lake Chamber, the Glen Arbor Arts Center and the Glen Lake Community Library.
- October 23: The Conservancy holds a tree planting at Kehl Lake and "Explore the Living Dead of the Forest."
- October 24: A Fall Morning Hike at Ingraham Preserve, and nature sketching at the library at 10 a.m.
- October 25: Glen Arbor's daytime trick-or-treat runs noon to 3 p.m., followed that afternoon by The Mill's Third Annual Hog Roast. The Conservancy's Sleuthing at Stites Natural Area is the same day.
- October 27: Tech Tuesday at the library at 2 p.m. covers Apple devices.
- November 8: The Sugar Loaf ski-run-clearing workbee, 1 to 5 p.m.
- November 9: Receipts are due for the chamber's October Shop Small, Eat Local promotion. Spending $350 at participating businesses earns a drawing entry.
- November 19: The Glen Arbor Arts Center's monthly Creative Wellness gathering.
- November 21: "Kehl Lake is for Lovers (of Nature)" with the Conservancy.
- November 27: The Glen Arbor Holiday Artisan Market, and the Conservancy's Tryptophan Trek at Ingraham Preserve.
- December 5: A Glen Arbor Arts Center class on making needle-felted winter-creature ornaments.
The Arts Center's free outdoor exhibit, "Northern Vignettes," stays up through April 22, 2027. You can see it on any winter drive through the village.
The resort ran from 1947 to 2000 and for much of that time was Leelanau County's largest employer, The Ticker reported. This winter, people can ski it again, but they'll have to climb up under their own power.
If you live near Glen Arbor and want to know how places like Sugar Loaf are changing the year-round calendar on this side of the county, Jennifer Gaston is glad to talk it through. And if you're wondering what your home is worth with a new public summit up the road, you can request a free home valuation.
