The idea is simple and kind of magical: a children’s picture book spread along the trail so kids read a page at every stop while they walk
Picture this. You take the kids for a walk at a Marquette Township park, and along the trail, one page at a time, an entire children’s picture book unfolds in front of them.
That is the idea behind a storybook trail, and it could be coming to Schwemwood Park.
Here is how it works. A storybook trail takes a children’s picture book and breaks it apart page by page, mounting each page on a weather-resistant kiosk along a walking path. Kids read the story as they go, one stop at a time, until they reach the last page and the end of the trail.
These trails have been popping up around the country as a free, screen-free way to get little ones excited about reading. Most are self-guided, so families can show up whenever they want and start at page one. No tickets, no sign-ups, just a walk and a story.
Teachers and librarians love them because they sneak a little learning into a day at the park, and parents love that they are free and get everyone moving.
The woman behind the proposal thinks Schwemwood Park is the perfect spot for one.
“I have always loved Schwemwood Park, and I thought there was something missing from it,” said Storybook Trail advocate Sarah Sikorsky.
She and her husband were out walking the trail about a year ago when the idea clicked.
“I told my husband, ‘this would be a perfect location for that,’” Sikorsky said.
She pitched the township on everything the park already has going for it: a beautiful trailhead, a big parking lot, and a trail system that connects out to the Iron Ore Heritage Trail. Plenty of people already use it, she told the board.
The Marquette Township Board did not take a vote this week. But members liked the idea and said they would be on board if the funding can be found.
And Yoopers will not have to wait long to see one in action. A similar storybook trail is set to open in nearby Negaunee Township later this month.
It fits a U.P. summer that is full of ways to get kids outside and curious, from free airplane rides over Tahquamenon Falls to a wander through America’s largest bear ranch up north of Newberry. A book you can walk through would fit right in.
For now, the Marquette Township version is an idea with a lot of goodwill behind it and a funding gap to close.
Because some of the best stories are the ones you get to walk right through.
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Topics: Marquette Township, Marquette County, Schwemwood Park, storybook trail, literacy, kids, families, Iron Ore Heritage Trail, Upper Peninsula
Sources: WLUC TV6 / Upper Michigan’s Source (“Storybook Trail proposed in Marquette Township,” June 3, 2026, by Jerry Tudor).
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