About us
Solar Outdoors is a Southeast Michigan based club with more than 400 members. Founded in 1975, Solar Outdoors remains dedicated to helping its members enjoy nature and outdoor activities.
Membership in the club is required to participate in our activities and workshops posted on our Meetup site. Annual dues are $15 for individuals. Please read further if you are interested in becoming a club member. Questions about membership can be directed to [solarmembership@solaroutdoors.org](mailto:solarmembership@solaroutdoors.org). Or select this link to become a member https://form.jotform.com/251014794107149
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Solar Outdoors members themselves organize workshops and events in which other members can participate. Whether you are a beginner or experienced wilderness enthusiast, you will find workshops, activities, and trips for all skill levels and many different interests including--but certainly not limited to!--backpacking, day hiking, bicycling, cross-country skiing, paddling, orienteering, wildflower and tree identification, whitewater rafting, and geocaching. Solar Outdoors members can also borrow gear from our store of packs, sleeping bags and pads, stoves, and other outdoor equipment for an annual member fee of $35.
To learn more about Solar Outdoors and its activities we encourage you to visit our website, www.solaroutdoors.org. There you will find a calendar of upcoming workshops and events. These sources give more information about who we are, what we do, and how we do it. We also welcome anyone interested in the club to attend our monthly meetings, held at St. Paul's Presbyterian Church, 27475 Five Mile Road, just west of Inkster Road, in Livonia on the last Tuesday of every month (except December) at 7 pm. SOLAR is not affiliated with St. Paul's or any other religious institution. Directions are available here: [http://solaroutdoors.com/solarmeetings.html](http://solaroutdoors.org/About/Meetings.aspx). The business meeting is followed by a program on a topic of general interest to our members.
Solar Outdoors uses Meetup as a tool of convenience for our members to quickly get information about upcoming classes and activities and to sign up and pay for these events online. That's why our Meetup group is restricted to paid members of the club and non-members have very limited access.
Once you have checked us out online and, we hope, in person by attending one of our monthly meetings, you can decide if becoming a member is right for you. If so, you can join the club by downloading the membership form (http://solaroutdoors.com/downloads/S.O.L.A....), filling it out, and either submitting it with a check for the dues payment at one of the meetings or mailing both to the address listed on the bottom of the membership form. Once you are a club member you will have access to this Meetup group.
Thank you for your interest in Solar Outdoors. We hope to meet you soon.
Upcoming events
6
- $40.00
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Backpacking Trip(thru-hike)
Grand Sable Visitor Center, E21090 County Rd H-58, Seney, MI, USPictured Rocks National Lakeshore Backpacking Trip Aug. 29 to Sept. 4, 2026
Enjoy the beauty of the lakeshore with its vast forest, beautiful water views, sandy beaches and rock formations. This trip is for backpackers who have backpacking experience and need to be screened by Laura Miller to participate in the trip.
Trip Organizer: Laura Miller
Phone Number: 734.748.2687
Email: lauramiller2481@gmail.com
Dates: Backpacking trip August 29, 2026 to Sept. 4, 2026
Total Mileage: 42.5 milesMax. of 10 tents or hammocks; the max. number of participants is dependent on if anyone is sharing a tent.
Payment required to reserve your spot! $30 if you pay directly to Laura using cash, check or Zelle. If you register on Meetup, the fee is $40 which covers the Meetup/Paypal fees assessed.
If you pay Laura directly, you will need to contact Laura Miller (lauramiller2481@gmail.com) directly to save your spot and arrange payment.***Parking pass for 7 day pass or annual national park pass or a senior annual or lifetime pass to park in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore while we are backpacking.***
Trip details:
Drive yourself on Saturday, August 29, 2026 to Seney and plan to shuttle cars that evening.
I am staying at Fox River Motel, 1588 M-28, Seney, MI 49883, (906) 499-3332 on Saturday, August 29th. I plan to stage some cars at Munising Falls Visitor Center Parking lot on the evening of August 29th, so we can get on the trail in the morning of Sunday, August 30 at the Grand Sable Visitors Center in Grand Marais.Backpacking Trip Details:
August 30, Sunday: Distance: 7.1 miles. Starting at Grand Sable Visitor Center trailhead, hiking to AuSable East Group Site.
Water: During hike, water source at Grand Sable Lake. Sites to view along the trail: Grand Sable Lake, Log Slide, AuSable Lighthouse.August 31, Monday: Distance: 7.3 miles. Hike from AuSable East Group Site to Sevenmile Creek Group Site. Water: During hike, water sources at AuSable Lighthouse from faucet, water access to filter water at Benchmark and Twelvemile Beach. Water access is available at Sevenmile Creek Group campsite. Sites to view along the trail: Shipwrecks near AuSable Point; Twelvemile Beach.
September 1: Tuesday: Distance: 8.8 miles. Hike from Sevenmile Creek Group Site to Coves Group Site. Water: During hike, water access sources at Pine Bluff and Beaver Creek. Water access is available at Sevenmile Creek Group campsite. Sites: Eagles, Loons and other birds of the North Woods, Cliffs of Pictured Rocks.
September 2, Wednesday: Distance 7.2 miles. Hike from Coves Group Site to Mosquito River Group Site. Water: During hike, water sources access at Spray Falls and Chapel Beach. Water access is available at Mosquito River Group campsite. Sites to view along the trail: Spray Falls; Views of Pictured Rocks; Chapel Rock, Chapel Beach, Chapel Falls, and Mosquito River.
September 3, Thursday: Distance 5.6 miles. Hike from Mosquito River Group Site to Cliffs Group Site. Water: During hike, water available at Miners Castle which is .6 of a mile before the Cliffs Groups campsite. We can either eat dinner for lunch and have a cold meal at the end of the day or hike back for water. Sites to view along the trail: Views of Pictures Rocks and Miners Castle.
September 4, Friday: Distance 6.4 miles. Hike from Cliffs Group Site to Munising Falls Visitor Center. There are not any water sources after we leave Cliffs until we get to Munising Falls Visitor center. Drive to get other cars at the Grand Sable Visitor Center trailhead and drive home.
7 attendees - $90.00
Basic Land Navigation workshop
St Paul's Presbyterian Church, 27475 Five Mile Rd, Livonia, MI, USPLEASE TAKE NOTE: THIS IS A MULTI-DAY EVENT
ALL the dates listed are required to complete the workshop.Thursdays, September 17, September 24, and October 1 - 6:30pm - 9:00pm, St. Paul's Presbyterian Church, 27475 Five Mile Rd, Livonia, MI 48154.
AND
Saturday, October 10 (9 AM - 6 PM) - Sunday, October 11 (9 AM - 3 PM) Burns Cabin #1, Waterloo State Recreation Area, Chelsea, MI
YOU ARE EXPECTED TO ATTEND ALL THE DATES LISTED. This is an extensive, hands-on map & compass workshop.Basic Land Navigation provides a thorough introduction to map & compass navigation. You will learn:
- Map reading
- Terrain visualization
- How compasses work & how to use them
- Taking & plotting compass bearings
- Finding your location using triangulation
- The "three norths"
- Declination & how to account for it in order to navigate accurately
- Navigation strategies
- Route planning basics
The best thing about this workshop: the volunteers. You will get individual attention from an outstanding team of 4-6 experienced workshop leaders. They can do more than navigate, these people can teach. Jeff McWilliams and Tim Davis have been leading this workshop since 2010. Participant size is limited to 12 in order to ensure a maximum student: volunteer leader ratio of 4:1.
The other best thing about this workshop: practice, practice and more practice. To help participants master and retain the material, we spread the workshop out over several days and build in extensive and varied practice exercises, both indoors and in the field. Highlights include a 1.5-hour hike focusing on topographic map/terrain recognition skills and a 3-hour team orienteering-type exercise.
GPS navigation is NOT covered.
Cost: $85 for Solar Outdoors members when paying directly via Cash, Check (payable to Solar Outdoors, or Venmo (@jjmcwill2003), or $90 when paying via Meetup. This pays for a book, room rental, binder with additional maps, handout materials and exercises, and the use of the Burns Cabin as a center of operations and a place to sleep if desired.
The workshop fee does not include your state parks motor vehicle permit or meals.
Prerequisites: None, other than decent physical condition. In this workshop you will gain hands-on experience navigating in a wilderness environment, culminating with a ~3-hour cross-country route-finding exercise; consider your physical condition before signing up.
Due to the cumulative nature of the material covered, no "excused absences" are possible.
Questions: Jeff McWilliams, email (preferred): jeff.mcwilliams@gmail.com or (248) 321-1987.
Club membership is required to participate in our activities and workshops posted on our Meetup site. Annual dues are $15 for individuals. Select this link to become a member https://square.link/u/YpuCsZIT
5 attendees 
Archery Activity for all experience levels
Rising Phoenix Archery, 3863 Rochester Rd, Troy, MI, USJoin us for an afternoon of fun at Rising Phoenix Archery in Troy. All experience levels welcome!!
Location: Rising Phoenix Archery, 3863 Rochester Road, Troy. Parking is behind the building.
Please arrive 10-15 mins early so we can get checked in. We will begin promptly at 1:00.
Payment information: Please sign up here, but your spot is NOT reserved until payment is received. Please text Activities
Chairperson, Krisanne @ 248-761-2297 and link for payment will be provided.Cost: $30 per person for 2 hours (1:00-3:00) of fun, which includes 1.5 hours of reserved range time plus 30 mins of equipment & social time and our private group room. Equipment is included: Arrows, Targets, Genesis bows or recurve bows fit to your pull weight.
Novices and experienced archers are welcome.
The targets’ distance is 10 yards. An RPA Coach & Range Master is provided throughout our event.
Event host: Glenn Schultz (Glenn earned his USA Archery Level 1 certification in 2016 and have been a range master for 35 years.)
Contact information -please text or call me at 734-751-3769.
You must be a current Solar Outdoors' member to participate in this activity. If you are not a member, membership is $15/year. You may use the following link(s) to pay become a member or renew your membership:
New members - https://form.jotform.com/251014794107149
Renewals - https://checkout.square.site/merchant/MLXYKHX1BD6H9/checkout/ENOVMJ5GPZARUKVDZQ5WDBY37 attendees
Past events
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