Peek-A-Boo Trails Name Origin

You asked how Peek-A-Boo Trails got it’s name? The trail is named after the primary hill and high point of the trail system. At 742 feet high, Peek-A-Boo Hill is the second highest point in Mackinac County and is the same elevation as Castle Rock in St. Ignace.

Local legend has it that John Pollock, who was one of the first caretakers of the Les Cheneaux Club on Marquette Island, would use Peek-A-Boo Hill as a shortcut to tend to his caretaking duties.

Apparently Mr. Pollock would tell fellow homesteaders that he was going to walk from his farm, which adjoined the high hill just south of Pollock Lake, and “take a peek” at the Les Cheneaux Club to ensure everything was in shipshape.

Other homesteaders made fun of Mr. Pollock because he bragged that all he had to do was climb the hill two miles from the Les Cheneaux Club to satisfy his job requirements. They “Boo-ed” him in disdain.

Even so, many a homesteader could be found walking the high ridges from Hessel to Cedarville to see what they could see; they could literally see for miles — all the way to Mackinac Island and the Straits of Mackinac — as the large mature trees had all been cut down by loggers, with no under growth obstructing their views.

Nevertheless, the great views and a tad of jealousy led to the hill being associated with a “Peek” and a “Boo,” and that is how Peek-A-Boo Hill gained its moniker.

We invite you to come see for yourself what John Pollock and the old Les Cheneaux homesteaders held fast: the views from atop Peek-A-Boo Hill cannot be beat!