One day in the fall of 2023, Chad Jordan put on full camouflage and walked onto Sugar Loaf without telling anyone. According to the Glen Arbor Sun, he and three others on the Leelanau Conservancy's stewardship team were scouting the hill one by one, taking photographs while trying not to be seen. "It was deafening how loud the leaves were," he told the paper.
For nearly three years the staff and board who knew about the plan couldn't talk about it in public. Their internal code word was "French toast." The secret came out in July 2025, when the Conservancy announced it was close to raising $8 million for the 285-acre property. It reached that goal two months later with gifts from more than 1,000 people. The Sun reports that the land transfer was completed this past March, while WCMU's account places the handover of the land in 2025. On Friday, October 9, the gates at 4500 S Sugar Loaf Mountain Rd in Cedar opened for a public evening event, and WCMU reported the day before that more than 1,000 people had registered.
The Conservancy's plan for the hill reads much like a restoration of the ski area itself. Nearly everything planned for Sugar Loaf's first few years is built from something the resort left behind.
A preserve assembled from resort parts
The resort closed in 2000 and sat empty for 26 years. The derelict lodge was finally torn down five years ago. Starting fresh would have been easy. Instead, the Conservancy's plan, as described to the Glen Arbor Sun during a September 10 preview, follows the old resort's layout closely:
| What the resort left behind | What the Conservancy is doing with it |
|---|---|
| The Snowcat's path up the hill | The half-mile Summit Trail from the parking lot to the top |
| Legacy runs like "Awful Awful" and "The Wall" | Open terrain for human-powered skiing this winter |
| About 20 red lift chairs | Powder-coated rest spots placed around the property |
| The old tubing run | A gated section two-thirds of the way up the hiking trail |
| The 1980s national mountain bike championships | 9.5 miles of beginner-grade bike trail, expected spring 2027 |
A few things did go. Crews removed an artificial ski mound from the summit. They are pulling out invasive autumn olive and planting summer oats as a cover crop. Workers have also turned up snowmaking pipes and concrete bases from old lift towers. The plan treats those leftovers as part of the hill's story.
The people doing the work have their own history here. Jordan, the Conservancy's infrastructure manager, built Sugar Loaf's first snowboard park. Standing where the lodge used to be, he told the Sun, "I can still see the chairlifts and people yelling off the lifts when you hit your jumps!"
Walking the Snowcat route this fall
The Summit Trail is the main thing open right now, and it follows the route the Snowcat once drove to groom the slopes. The climb from the parking lot to the 1,059-foot summit gains 449 vertical feet.
From the top, looking northwest, the Sun's group could see Little Traverse Lake, Good Harbor Bay, Pyramid Point, the Manitou Islands and the Crib lighthouse. The view back toward the parking lot is farmland. Stewardship project manager Caleb Garone pointed out an old barn, cherry and apple orchards, wine grape trellises and open hay fields. "You get the entire agricultural piece," he said.
At the base you cross where the lodge, outdoor pool and tennis courts used to be. Looking north from there, past Awful Awful and The Wall, you can see Good Harbor Bay. The Wall still carries a scar from years of skiers coming down it. The staff also listed the wildlife they've seen since June, including raptors circling the peak, a resident turkey, and a red-tailed hawk that Garone says often turns up near the bottom of Awful Awful.
The lift chairs aren't all in place yet, since each one has to be powder-coated first. Some will be set where the views are best. Others will be tucked into the woods, and a few won't appear on any map. "If you find it, you find it," Jordan told the Sun.
Winter brings back the ski hill, without lifts
The reuse idea matters most once snow falls. Chairlifts and rope tows are gone for good. Skiing and snowboarding are allowed again as long as you get yourself up the hill. Conservancy staff have worked with the Michigan Backcountry Alliance on what this first winter could look like. Options include splitboarding, alpine touring, telemark and glade skiing.
The runs don't need much work to be skiable again. Jordan explained why to the Sun:
"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."
On the first snow day, he said, he plans to be on The Wall.
For anyone who doesn't ski backcountry, the Conservancy hopes to groom parallel tracks for cross-country skiing. That's a hope, not a promised schedule, and no date has been set for winter use to begin. WCMU's report also lists sledding and snowshoeing among the activities the Conservancy plans to allow. Either way, the runs are the same ones the resort cut. They just have no lift.
Mountain bikes in 2027
The bike trails come from the hill's history too. In the late 1980s, Sugar Loaf hosted the National Off Road Bicycle Association's national championships. Some of the riders later competed in the Olympics and were inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. "This is the very first place I ever rode a mountain bike," said Jordan, who also managed the development of 27 miles of trail at the Conservancy's Palmer Woods property.
The new system is built for a much wider range of riders than those championship courses were. The 9.5 miles of switchbacks have average grades between 7 and 10 percent, and a climbing trail reaches the summit while staying at a beginner grade. Jordan estimates the trails will open in spring 2027. Further out, the Conservancy's first five-year plan includes a covered pavilion and gathering space at the summit, plus a picnic area and kids' play area near the parking lot.
Before you drive up this fall
Sugar Loaf is now the Sugar Loaf Scenic Area, according to WCMU, and the address is 4500 S Sugar Loaf Mountain Rd, Cedar. The Conservancy hasn't posted regular daily hours yet. The FAQ on its Sugar Loaf page still says the property is "not yet open to the public," which appears to predate the opening. The September preview described two crushed-gravel parking areas at two trailheads, with room for more than 120 cars.
Dogs are welcome on a leash. The Conservancy's Know Before You Go guidance lists unleashed pets as prohibited and asks visitors to pick up after their dogs.
Sugar Loaf isn't on the Conservancy's 2026 list of lands open for permitted hunting. The Conservancy's hunting information still asks hikers to "use caution when hiking during hunting season and wear orange." The Michigan DNR's regular firearm deer season runs November 15–30 statewide.
The Conservancy is also asking for volunteers through the fall. These are the dates on its calendar:
- Thursday, October 15, 10 a.m. to noon. Trail building with hand tools. The Conservancy rates it difficult and requires registration, a volunteer questionnaire and a signed waiver.
- Tuesday, October 20, 10 a.m. to noon. Same trail-building work, same sign-up requirements.
- Sunday, November 8, 1 to 5 p.m. Clearing old glades and ski runs so they're safe for backcountry skiing. Volunteers 16 and older are welcome with a parent or guardian.
The November 8 session is the one that gets the runs ready for winter. Late this autumn, crews also plan to plant 138 native trees and shrubs between the parking area and the Sugar Loaf townhouses.
Sugar Loaf sat closed for more than a quarter century before this fall. At Schaub Team Premier Realty, we're glad to see the hill open again. If you own property in this part of the county and want to know what its value looks like this season, start with a free property valuation from people who live here too.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
