Sleeping Bear Trails vs Explore Michigan
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sleeping Bear Trails
Explore a national park with detailed trail maps, descriptions, and photos for hiking, biking, skiing, and more. Get directions to trailheads and discover local insights for an enhanced outdoor experience.
- Detailed trail maps
- Trail descriptions
- Photos of trails
- Route to trailhead
- GPS trailhead locations
- Local star ratings and comments
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Hike, bike, snowshoe, cross-country ski, and even ride your horse on designated trails through the dunes and woods of this National Park in northern lower Michigan. Find your way with this unique guide which includes detailed descriptions and maps of each trail, routing from your current location to the trailhead, GPS locations of trailheads, and photos. A good reference for walkers, hikers, cross-country skiers, families, seniors, and people needing easy access information to this park, this app will be used regularly by the frequent visitor, and is unrivaled for first-timers. Get the most out of your visit to the Lakeshore recently named “The Most Beautiful Place in America” by viewers of Good Morning America. Up-to-date information includes details about the New Bike Trail, which you won’t find anywhere else. This app was developed by knowledgable locals and includes Aunt Jane’s personal star rating and comments about each trail.
Explore Michigan
Discover Michigan's natural beauty, from freshwater shores to sweeping dunes and northern forests. Find parks, lighthouses, and day trip destinations with detailed information, photos, and navigation options.
- Browse parks and lighthouses
- Explore destinations on map
- Search by place, city, or county
- Filter by location type
- View destination photos and info
- Get directions via Apple Maps
- Access guides and reservation links
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Go where only Michigan can take you. Freshwater shores. Sweeping dunes. Northern forests. A lighthouse at the end of the road. Discover the places that make Michigan worth exploring, and find your next stop with Explore Michigan. FOLLOW YOUR CURIOSITY Browse parks and lighthouses across both peninsulas. Explore destinations on the map, search by place, city or county, and filter by location type to find the places that speak to you. SEE WHAT'S WAITING Take a closer look with destination photos and available information about activities, visitor resources and more. Photos and details vary by location. TURN A DISCOVERY INTO A DAY OUT Open a destination's website, share a place with someone, or get directions through Apple Maps. Find useful maps, guides and reservation links where available. MORE MICHIGAN IN VIEW Explore on iPhone and iPad. Browse the location list alongside the map on iPad and the open iPhone Duo display, then take a closer look at a place that catches your eye. A little Michigan. Wherever you go.
Screenshots
Verdict
Sleeping Bear Trails and Explore Michigan both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Sleeping Bear Trails's written reviews are positive against 75% of Explore Michigan's. Sleeping Bear Trails also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). Explore Michigan's advantage is ratings volume (228 vs 8). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Sleeping Bear Trails holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Explore Michigan has 228 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Sleeping Bear Trails's written reviews are positive against 75% of Explore Michigan's.
Sleeping Bear Trails ships an update every 4 months, Explore Michigan every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sleeping Bear Trails | Explore Michigan |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (8 ratings) — better | 4.7 (228 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 75.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 8 | 228 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jonathan Reid | Code-Bits |
Customer experience
Sleeping Bear Trails
Explore Michigan
In-app purchases
Sleeping Bear Trails
No in-app purchases
Explore Michigan
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Sleeping Bear Trails free?
Is Explore Michigan free?
Which has better reviews, Sleeping Bear Trails or Explore Michigan?
Do Sleeping Bear Trails or Explore Michigan have ads?
Which is updated more often, Sleeping Bear Trails or Explore Michigan?
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