Midwest Vertical Journal

A lunch break done right. 🌲🌳

There are over 30 natural surface hiking trails in the Grand Rapids area and more than two dozen natural areas within a 10-minute drive from downtown.

Daytime highs over 60, nighttime temps hovering right around 40, and add in some spring rain. Time to take a hike and keep an eye out for morels. There is a lot of lore surrounding the search for the prized mushrooms (fun fact - they're technically a fungus). 🍄 Good luck getting anyone to share their morel secrets.

I went on the hunt last spring. Here's what I learned about a slow walk through the forest and the search for the elusive morel > https://midwestvertical.co/the-elusive-morel/

Had to take one more trip north for a final few spins on the orange chair. 🧡

As the year wraps up, a big thank-you to our contributors, readers, and supporters. Your stories, ideas, and reminders of why this work matters keep this little passion project going. Mostly, thank you for celebrating the Midwest outdoors with us. 🙌

This journal is for the people, places, and experiences that make this region worth exploring and worth talking about.

Wishing you a safe and happy New Year. Here’s to more time outside and more good stories ahead.

We’re filling the 2026 editorial calendar and would love your story submissions, photo collections, or ideas for the stories we should tell. Send us a message or head to https://midwestvertical.co/contribute/.

Check out the latest stories > https://midwestvertical.co/stories/
Subscribe for free > https://midwestvertical.co/subscribe/
Submit a story idea > https://midwestvertical.co/contribute/

Every story we share comes from the incredible folks who call the Midwest home. The best way to thank them? Share their work. We hope the Midwest Vertical Journal inspires you to get out, explore, and create your own stories of the Midwest outdoors.

Aspen Extreme convinced us we’d escape the Midwest on skis.
Instead, we’re still skiing on ice, riding rope tows, and calling it character.
Wouldn’t change a thing. ⛷🏂❄

Check out the latest stories > https://midwestvertical.co/stories/
Subscribe for free > https://midwestvertical.co/subscribe/
Submit a story idea > https://midwestvertical.co/contribute/

Every story we share comes from the incredible folks who call the Midwest home. The best way to thank them? Share their work. We hope the Midwest Vertical Journal inspires you to get out, explore, and create your own stories of the Midwest outdoors.

We’re looking for stories including written pieces and photo essays.

If you’ve got an adventure to tell, a local spot more people should know about, or a slice of Midwest outdoor culture that deserves some daylight, we want to hear it. Big trips, quiet moments, personal reflections, trail lore, lake life… all of it helps build what we’re creating together.

And remember: you don’t have to be a professional photographer or writer to contribute. If you’ve got words or photos you’re proud of, that’s enough.

Midwest Vertical Journal is a community-curated publication celebrating the people, places, and experiences that define the Midwest outdoors. We believe the best way to honor this region is by sharing stories from those who live, work, and explore here.

Check out the latest stories > https://midwestvertical.co/stories/
Subscribe for free > https://midwestvertical.co/subscribe/
Submit a story idea > https://midwestvertical.co/contribute/

Every story we share comes from the incredible folks who call the Midwest home. The best way to thank them? Share their work. We hope the Midwest Vertical Journal inspires you to get out, explore, and create your own stories of the Midwest outdoors.

The liminal space between the last warmth of autumn and the deep freeze of winter belongs to the lake surfers. They live for the big winds that roll in the biggest waves before the shoreline turns to ice. And while some of us are dreaming of ski days ahead, Great Lakes surfers are out there chasing their moment.

Check out Giles’ piece from Great Lakes Surf Club on the surf towns of the Midwest > https://midwestvertical.co/great-lakes-surf-towns/

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Check out the latest stories > https://midwestvertical.co/stories/
Subscribe for free > https://midwestvertical.co/subscribe/
Submit a story idea > https://midwestvertical.co/contribute/

Every story we share comes from the incredible folks who call the Midwest home. The best way to thank them? Share their work. We hope the Midwest Vertical Journal inspires you to get out, explore, and create your own stories of the Midwest outdoors.

It’s Small Business Saturday, a good reminder to show some love to your local gear shops today and every day.

They’re the ones who keep you going outside. They help shape the culture and the adventure of the Midwest outdoors. They’ll talk trails, swap stories, and point you toward the right gear because they’re out there loving it just as much as you are.

Support the places that support your next adventure. Shop local.

Check out the latest stories > https://midwestvertical.co/stories/
Subscribe for free > https://midwestvertical.co/subscribe/
Submit a story idea > https://midwestvertical.co/contribute/

Every story we share comes from the incredible folks who call the Midwest home. The best way to thank them? Share their work. We hope the Midwest Vertical Journal inspires you to get out, explore, and create your own stories of the Midwest outdoors.

First Snow! ❄️

📍A fuzz North of Grand Rapids, MI

Seventy-degree days in October are trying to fool us, but we know better. Winter’s waiting just around the corner.

Last February, snowboarder Shane Higgins packed up his “Pow Hunter” van and drove nine hours from Michigan’s Lower Peninsula to Mount Bohemia in the Keweenaw. What did he find? Maybe the best powder in the Midwest, dare we say, the world (Our friends on the North Shore might have something to say about this😁).

Read Worth the Drive: Chasing the Best Powder in the Midwest > https://midwestvertical.co/worththedrive/

Check out the latest stories > https://midwestvertical.co/stories/
Subscribe for free > https://midwestvertical.co/subscribe/
Submit a story idea > https://midwestvertical.co/contribute/

Every story we share comes from the incredible folks who call the Midwest home. The best way to thank them? Share their work. We hope the Midwest Vertical Journal inspires you to get out, explore, and create your own stories of the Midwest outdoors.

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