Depends on who you ask. After a few bad winters (up here bad winters involve little snow), and increased competition, the original owners defaulted on loans and the bank took over. From there, it’s changed hands the last two decades with false promises to revitalize and restore to once infamous ski slope. Broken promises have come and gone and to this day The Loaf sits empty and alone. Left barren to the cold winter months with no skiers to warm her slopes. No families to create lasting memories. No jobs to revitalize the area during the long winters.

It's too good not to re-open. It means too much to the area and the locals. It was once the county’s biggest employer and winter attraction. Now, it’s an eye sore. An economic failure. A depressing reminder to locals of what they once had, but lost. A place for vandals to spray-paint and explore the ruins that remain (much of which were torn down in 2021).

Sugar Loaf had one of the best views in the State of Michigan. From the top of The Loaf, you could see far and wide. Miles of untouched Northern Michigan land: forests, inland lakes, Sleeping Bear Dunes, Lake Michigan and much more. What a feeling it must have been getting to the top for the first time after a long off-season. What a welcomed sight. The giddiness would set in before plunging down the rugged slopes to the bottom. Now, it’s off-limits to the community that it already took so much from.

If you find yourself sneaking onto the property to check it out (we don’t recommend it), don’t be surprised to see fresh ski tracks. To this day there’s still thrill-seekers who will climb to the peak just to feel the rush of Sugar Loaf one more time.