Exploring Michigan's Upper Peninsula (Part 5) - Journey to the Village of Lake Linden Campground, Keweenaw Peninsula

“I would rather own a little and see the world than own the world and see a little of it.”

-Alexander Sattler 

July 20, 2024

We couldn't check into our next campground on the Keweenaw Peninsula until 2:00, and because it would only take us a couple of hours to drive to there, we decided to start our morning with a visit to the nearby Bay Furnace Campground & Historic Site in Hiawatha National Forest. 

We parked in the picnic area and enjoyed a quick walk on the beach before taking the short trail to the historic Bay Furnace. The furnace is all that remains of the once thriving settlement of Onota. The blast furnace was built in 1870 and was used to make pig iron until the town burned down in 1877.

The beach at Bay Furnace A view from Bay Furnace

The beach at Bay Furnace Ruins of Bay Furnace

After viewing the ruins we headed back to our campground and finished packing up before heading out on the next leg of our journey. We were sad to leave Munising and Pictured Rocks because we had enjoyed it very much, but it was time to move on.

As we headed west we stopped along the Lake Superior shoreline at a scenic overlook, where we found the historical sign below.

Heading west toward Marquette, we stopped at the Lakenenland Sculpture Park. We had passed by it earlier in the week when we visited Marquette, and decided to return to it on our way to the Keweenaw Peninsula.

The park is the creation of owner Tom Lakenenland, who spent the last 25 years creating more than 100 sculptures on his land near Marquette. The park is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and is free to the public, although donations are gladly accepted. We enjoyed roaming around the 37.5 acres and looking at all the sculptures dispersed throughout the park. There's also a picnic pavilion, band shell, a couple of ponds and a fire pit.

Below are a few photos from the park. You can see more by clicking here to see our YouTube Channel slide show.

After leaving the park we took Rt. 41 just south of Marquette, then continued heading west past Lake Michigamme until it turned north toward the Keweenaw Peninsula. We stopped for lunch at Canyon Falls Roadside Park and spent some time following the trail to the waterfalls. The 3.9 mile out-and-back trail leads along the Sturgeon River as it meanders along a series of rapids to the 15-foot falls, and then winds its way through a high rock gorge.

Trail to Canyon Falls Canyon Falls

Sturgeon River The Sturgeon River leading into a narrow canyon

After enjoying the falls we drove north to L'Anse Bay at the southeast edge of the Keweenaw Peninsula. We followed around the western shore of the beautful bay before heading further inland through Houghton and onwards toward Lake Linden until we arrived at the campground where we spent the next week.

* All photos and videos are the property of the owners unless otherwise noted. *

Exploring Michigan's Upper Peninsula (Part 4) - Marquette, Munising & Central U.P. Lighthouses

 

“Stuff your eyes with wonder, live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It’s more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories.”

– Ray Bradbury

In July 2024 we spent three weeks traveling throughout Michigan's Upper Peninsula (U.P.). During our first week we stayed at a campground near Munising, Michigan. This blog entry features our visits to Munising and Marquette, as well as some of the lighthouses we visited during the week.

Marquette & Presque Isle Park

During our entire 3 week stay in the U.P., we had only one rainy day. The weather for Wednesday, July 17 was expected to be cloudy with some rain showers in the forecast. We decided to drive west to the city of Marquette to explore what it had to offer.

It was very cloudy and windy as we arrived at the Welcome Center at the southern edge of the city. But we decided to tempt fate and ride our bicycles on the Iron Ore Heritage Trail from the Michigan Welcome Center to its juncture with the Marquette City Multi-Use Path, then follow that trail out to Presque Isle Park and back again; a distance of about 34 miles round trip. At least, that was the plan...

So we followed the trail along the lake for about 5 miles past the Carp River Furnace and several waterfront parks until unfortunately, a light rain started. Hoping things wouldn't get worse, we continued on the trail.

Carp River Furnace

Upon arrival in the waterfront district of Marquette, we stopped at the Lower Harbor Ore Dock to snap some quick photos. The dock was constructed in the late 1800s and was part of a network of docks used to transport iron ore from the mines in the U.P. to steel mills in the Great Lakes region. At one time, Marquette was one of the largest shipping ports for iron ore in the U.S.

Lower (Old) Harbor Ore Dock

After snapping our photos we headed onward around the lower harbor to the Marquette Maritime Museum. By the time we arrived, it had begun raining quite hard, so we parked our bikes and ducked inside the museum, hoping to wait out the rain.

Luckily for us (depending on how you look at it), we were just in time for a tour of the nearby Marquette Harbor Lighthouse. The down side of the situation was the fact that we had to walk about a quarter of a mile, in the pouring rain without an umbrella (left back in the truck), to the lighthouse. Oh well. We both got drenched but we enjoyed the guided tour of the lighthouse very much.

Marquette Harbor Lighthouse

The two-story brick lighthouse with attached 40-foot square tower was built in 1866. The Marquette Maritime Museum leases the lighthouse and about 2-1/2 acres of land from the U.S. Coast Guard. The light in the tower is an active aid to navigation. Only the first floor is open to visitors and we weren't allowed to climb the tower, but we were given access to walk out to the end of the point on which the lighthouse stands so we could get better photos. It was windy and spitting rain, but we managed to get a few good shots.

After finishing our tour of the lighthouse we returned to the musuem and spent some time looking around inside. We found exhibits about shipwrecks, the 2nd order Fresnel lens from Stannard Rock Lighthouse, and a 40 foot working WW2 submarine periscope, among other interesting things.

Stannard Rock Fresnel Lens

Before leaving the museum we checked the weather radar, and we decided it would be best to ride our bikes back to the truck before more rain arrived. We almost made it. We left the bikes sit out in the rain while we ate our lunch inside the truck, and then headed into the Welcome Center where we picked up a lot of information on the Keweenaw Peninsula, our destination the following week.

Then we decided to drive out to Presque Isle Park instead of riding our bikes there. On our way we stopped for some photos of a ship loading ore at the Upper Harbor Ore Dock before turning onto Presque Isle.

Upper Harbor Ore Dock

Presque Isle is a 323-acre tree-covered peninsula which juts out into Lake Superior at the northern tip of Marquette. We stopped for some photos of the Marquette Breakwater light and the Harbor lighthouse from across the water, and then continued on 2-mile long Peter White Drive, the main road meandering through the park.

Marquette Breakwater Light

The wind was really kicking up the waves along the shore as we came upon a beach with surfers riding the waves into shore. It was amazing to see the size of the waves and surfers on a lake - an activity we didn't know was possible!

If you want to view the video of our bike ride, click on the link below to our YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@RViewFromHere

Munising

After visting some area waterfalls on July 19, we decided to explore the town of Munising with our first stop being the Pictured Rocks Interpretive Center. The center is located in a historic building on the main drag through Munising, and features a 13 minute video about Pictured Rocks in a small theater at the rear of the gift shop.

The town of Munising celebrates its art culture with a lot of outdoor displays. After leaving the Interpretive Center we walked around town taking in some of the murals and exploring the town's Art Alley.

Grand Marais Range Lights

One day, after spending the morning and early afternoon exploring the eastern-most reaches of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, we drove to Grand Marais, to visit the Grand Marais Inner and Outer Range Lights. The Grand Marais Historical Society has a very nice museum inside the restored keeper's dwelling which we enjoyed visiting before heading outside to take photos of the 55-foot tall inner light, built in 1898. We also walked out to the opposite end of the pier to see the 34-foot tall skeletal Outer Range light.

Grand Marais Rear Range Light Grand Marais Rear Range Light

View from the keeper's house View from the breakwater of the lighthouse & keeper's dwelling/Museum

Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse

After visiting Kitch-iti-kipi on July 15, we drove into Manistique to see the East Breakwater Lighthouse. The lighthouse is a 35-foot tall square-pyramidal tower and was built in 1895. It sits at the mouth of the Manistique River at the end of a long pier. We walked the long pier out to it and took some photos.

Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse

Seul Choix Pointe Lighthouse

We also visited the Seul Choix Pointe Lighthouse (pronounced either sis-shwa or sell-shwa) on July 15. It's located at the end of a 4-mile gravel road near Gulliver, Michigan. Built in 1895, the 75-foot tall conical brick tower is attached to a 2-story keeper's dwelling. The lighthouse and grounds are owned by the state of Michigan, but are operated by the non-profit Gulliver Historical Society. The light in the tower is the only operational light on the northern shore of Lake Michigan. A fully restored house, fog signal museum, boathouse museum, mini oil house museum, gift shop, and 30 seat theater are all part of the complex along with a research/genealogy library located in the assistant keeper's house.

Seul Choix Pointe Light Station

The lighthouse has had many unusual incidents occur there and is reportedly haunted. After climbing the tower we joined a group listening to the stories told by one of the docents about the paranormal experiences she had while working within the lighthouse, as well as sharing stories of others who witnessed strange events while there.

Munising Range Lights

After heading back to Munising, we stopped to photograph the Munising Front Range Light, a 58-foot tall tower that was established in 1907. It sits right on the main street in Munising. This active aid to navigation was a familiar sight to us as we drove past it frequently on our way to and from Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

Munising Front Range Lighthouse

The unusual looking Munising Rear Range Light  sits on a hillside high above the front range light. The 33-foot tall light was established in 1907.  

Munising Rear Range Light

Grand Island Harbor Range Lighthouses

After dinner we decided to drive a very short distance down the road to take a look at the Grand Island Harbor Range lighthouses. The rather unattractive steel cylrindrical front range light is located at the very edge of Lake Superior. The 64-foot rear range light is located about 50 yards behind it across the highway, nearly hidden by tall trees. Both lights were built in 1868 and are no longer operational.

Grand Island Harbor Range Front Light

Grand Island Harbor Range Rear Light

* All photos and videos are the property of the owners unless otherwise noted. *

Exploring Michigan's Upper Peninsula (Part 3) - Kitch-iti-kipi & Central U.P. Waterfalls

"Mother Nature is the greatest artist and water is one of her favorite brushes."

- Rico Besserdich 

In July 2024 we spent three weeks traveling throughout Michigan's Upper Peninsula (U.P.). During our first week we stayed at a campground near Munising, Michigan. Although we spent a great deal of time exploring Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, we also went to see a bunch of waterfalls and a natural spring in the central region of the U.P. The lower peninsula of Michigan (the part known as the mitten) has only one waterfall! All of the rest (and there are many!) are in the U.P. This post covers the ones we found in the central region of the U.P.

Kitch-iti-kipi

About an hour south of Munising, Michigan lies the state's biggest natural spring.  Located near Manistique in Palms Book State Park, Big Spring is more popularly known as Kitch-iti-kipi.  Early Native Americans gave the spring its original name of "Mirror of Heaven." Water flows continuously into the 40-foot deep spring at a constant 45°F. Over 10,000 gallons a minute gush from fissues in the limestone and sand bottom.

We visited the park on July 15, 2024 and immediately upon arrival we headed out on the path to the spring. You can view the spring from the pathway, but it's way more fun to take a self-operated observation raft out over the water. Because this activity is popular with tourists, we recommend you get there as close to opening as possible in order to avoid long lines. There were only a few people there when we arrived, so we lucked out.

We had amazing views over the sides and under the raft of ancient tree trunks and fat trout swimming in the crystal clear water far below. It was fascinating seeing clouds of sand formed by the water gushing up from below. By the time we finished our ride on the raft a line of people had started forming at the launch. We had timed our visit almost perfectly - there were only about 6 of us on our ride over the spring.

The raft had a large opening in the center where your could view the water below. View of the large steering wheel on the raft

Notice the fish swinning in the center of the photo. View from the raft

The raft moving across the water

In addition to the photos above, we posted a video of Kitch-iti-kipi Spring on our YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/@RViewFromHere.

Alger Falls

On July 15, 2024 we also made a quick stop to see Alger Falls, a series of two-drops cascading down rock ledges for a total of 21feet. It's located next to the main highway into Munising. It's the only waterfall in the area that can be viewed without leaving your car.

Alger Falls

Scott Falls

We visited Scott Falls, located just outside of Au Train and a short distance from our campground, on July 17th. Although the falls only drop 10-11 feet, they fall into a little grotto quite close to the highway, making it easy to get to.

Scott Falls

Wagner Falls

On July 19, 2024, our last full day in the Munising area, we decided to do somewhat of a circle tour of waterfalls in the central region of the U.P. We started by heading east of Munising to Wagner Falls, located only about 1-1/2 miles away. The Wagner Falls Scenic Area is managed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The falls can be accessd by following a gravel trail from the parking lot to a wooden boardwalk and steps leading to a viewing platform at the end. The 28 foot tall falls are made up of multiple drops and are quite scenic when the water is flowing fully.

Wagner Falls

Au Train Falls

The Au Train Falls are located about 12 miles west of Munising on the Au Train River. The upper falls drop about 40 feet from a hydroelectric dam, however the view is partially obsured by pipes across the dam breast.

Upper Au Train Falls

The lower falls can be found by walking past a gate and down a dirt road to a wooden bridge from which there are great views of the 10 foot falls. During our visit the water level was low enough for visitors to walk on the rock ledges and play in the water.

Lower Au Train Falls

Laughing Whitefish Falls

Our next stop was to visit the relatively secluded Laughing Whitefish Falls State Park near Sundell, Michigan. The trail from the parking area follows a gravel path through the forest about a half mile to a platform at the top of the first 15 foot drop down into the gorge. From there you can take a large staircase down for further views at the bottom of the falls which drop a total of 95 feet, making it one of the tallest waterfalls in Michigan.

Falls from the top

Laughing Whitefish Falls

On our drive back to Munising, we stopped in Chatham at Mama Cow's Ice Cream Shop for a sweet treat. We loved this little spot with it's delicious ice cream and quaint outdoor seating area in a repurposed grain bin.

Check out those flavors!

* All photos and videos are the property of the owners unless otherwise noted. *