Comparison

Sleeping Bear Trails vs Explore Michigan

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Detailed trail maps
  • Trail descriptions
  • Photos of trails
  • Route to trailhead
  • GPS trailhead locations
  • Local star ratings and comments
Features
Read full description

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.

About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

Sleeping Bear Trails4 screens
Explore Michigan4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Sleeping Bear Trails versus Explore Michigan: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSleeping Bear TrailsExplore Michigan
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (8 ratings) — better4.7 (228 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better75.0% of reviews
Number of ratings8228 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJonathan ReidCode-Bits

Customer experience

Sleeping Bear Trails

All ratings8 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Explore Michigan

All ratings228 ratings
Positive94.7%
Neutral1.3%
Negative3.9%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

In-app purchases

None

Sleeping Bear Trails

No in-app purchases

None

Explore Michigan

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Sleeping Bear Trails free?
Sleeping Bear Trails is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Explore Michigan free?
Explore Michigan is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Sleeping Bear Trails or Explore Michigan?
Sleeping Bear Trails is rated higher. Sleeping Bear Trails averages 4.9 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Explore Michigan averages 4.7 from 228 ratings.
Do Sleeping Bear Trails or Explore Michigan have ads?
Neither Sleeping Bear Trails nor Explore Michigan shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sleeping Bear Trails or Explore Michigan?
Sleeping Bear Trails ships an update every 4 months, and Explore Michigan every 2 months. Most recently, Sleeping Bear Trails was updated on November 1, 2026 and Explore Michigan on November 6, 2026.

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