At the end of the last Ice Age, the glacier that covered the current state of Michigan scraped across the landscape, leaving behind a very flat piece of land. The few hills and mountains that do dot the landscape (mostly in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula or U.P. for short) are mere pimples compared to even the wise old Appalachian Mountains.
That doesn’t mean the few mountains Michigan does have are unimpressive. They’re just smaller than what most people think of as mountains.
The mineral rich land known as the U.P. is filled with National Forests, National Lake Shores, State Parks, and wilderness. There’s tons of opportunity to see wild animals (that deer population was a lot bigger this year than what I remember as a kid), take long hikes, see beautiful waterfalls (and maybe climb around or go down one or two - if it’s safe enough), and enjoy jumping into Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, or Lake Superior. That last one might be a bit cold.
It took me eight years, but I finally got up to the land of Yoopers (the name given to U.P. locals) a couple of weeks ago.
My mom bought a tent for us to go camping and made reservations in the Porcupine Mountains for a site. Camping is a popular pastime in Michigan and has only increased in popularity since the 2020 pandemic began. If you’d like to camp anywhere in Michigan, you may need to make reservations 6 months to a year in advance.
Our campsite was in the western most area of the large state park (also known affectionately known as the Porkies) with some great waterfall trails near the site. There was also a beautiful, rocky beach to watch the sunset over Lake Superior. The camp didn’t have cell service, which was fine. However, there was some confusion when we did get a signal and our phones switched from Eastern Time to Central. There was also no running water in the camp (unless you counted the water pumps - which I don’t).
We had my mom’s two fluffy huskies with us and they took to the great out doors like a duck to water (though we always kept them on a leash). Dog hair and muddy paw prints might have decorated everything by the end of the trip, but it was great having them.
Highlights from this stop included the waterfall trail near the camp, the rocky beach, a history trail of an old copper mine, and (most importantly) The Lake In the Clouds. The Lake in the Clouds is 133 acres of 12 feet (or about 4 meter) water high up between two ridges in the Porcupines. It’s very pretty.
Mom really wanted to go to the Stormy Kromer factory in Ironwood. Most famous for its hats, Stormy Kromer was established in 1903 and remains an American made brand committed to their life time warranty. Naturally, they have a pet section and somehow mom and I got the huskies to wear their really cute pet hats (with varying degrees of success).
And because we were in Ironwood, we also took a quick side trip to Hurley, WI. I only wanted to so I could finally cross Wisconsin off my states-I-have-visited list and mom wanted to show me where her college friends used to go for beer runs (Wisconsin’s drinking age was still 18 when my mom was in college - Michigan’s was not). Hurley might not be the best the state has to offer (so many bars), but at least I’ve been there.
My favorite part of the trip was a tour of a Copper Mine about 12 miles from Ontonagon. This mine I was actually able to go into…and they allowed us to take the dogs with us. There are several tours available (including one 6 hour tour that includes a hot pastie (rhymes with nasty) lunch and some repelling and rock climbing. It was really cool and started with a rollercoaster like ride in Swiss Army 3-axel Trucks. A (very) low budget fantasy movie, The Dwarves of Dragon Mountain, had been filmed in the mines with old props on display along with old relics from the minting days and junk from teenage parties.
Today, the copper mine is only assessable by the taking a tour with the Underground Mine Tours - Adventure Mining Company - so named because that was the name of the first mining company to occupy the area. We had a very good guide and everyone loved having the dogs with us (though I’m not sure how happy the dogs were to be underground). If you go, be sure to were closed toe shoes and bring a jacket or sweatshirt - the caves are around 48F or 9C year round. Some of the kids on the tour had open toed shoes and were very cold (and wet as rain water filters into the area like natural caverns). We all wore hard hats with lights - something the miners back in the day didn’t have (they worked by candle light in the 1800s, which was terrifying when demonstrated).
Copper and other minerals are still abundant in the U.P. with copper being some of the best up there. Most recently a Sulfur mine was opened about a decade ago near Big Bay, Michigan. However, it’s unlikely that copper mining will ever really start back up again in the area like it had in the mid 1800s to the early 1900s (there’s a variety of reasons for this, none of which I feel like getting into).
By the way, if you are ever in a situation without any source of light, sit down. Without a light source, your brain starts to go a little crazy and you will experience vertigo-like symptoms. If you aren’t already sitting down, you will fall. This is a disturbing “fun fact” from the tour.
The last leg of our trip was in Big Bay Michigan - where the (critically acclaimed) film Anatomy of a Murder was filmed. We actually stayed at the same park where the murder took place (the book and movie are based off real events). I spent many summers in Big Bay. We would rent a cabin right on the banks of Lake Independence (a much warmer, though tinier lake compared to neighboring Lake Superior), visit the beaches of Lake Superior (possibly go in depending on the temperature), hike to waterfalls (and either go fishing off of or slide down said waterfalls), and go for Fish Fry Fridays at the historic Thunder Bay Inn (also in the movie). Mom and I also took one quick trip to Marquette, but we weren’t there very long.
There are plenty of adventures to do in the U.P. This is just what I did this trip. In years past we’ve gone to Tahquamenon Falls, St. Ignace, Sue Saint Marie, White Fish Point (and saw the bell of the Edmund Fitzgerald), and Pictured Rocks (which have become a popular place for Instagram influences - don’t be like those people). Though I don’t think it counts as part of the U.P., Mackinac Island is also a fun side trip that I’ve made a few times.
If you like adventure and don’t mind the bugs (beware July with her mosquitos and black flies), Michigan’s Upper Peninsula may be the perfect trip for you.
But be sure to be wary of bears…and wolves.
Also coyotes.
Deer can also be a nuisance.
Oh and moose. They aren’t an animal you want to meet in the wild.
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Until next week.
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