MI UP road trip

[timberland]

going to do a 4-5 day tour of the UP, Porcupine Mountains, Lake of the Clouds, etc. We want to do some hiking, but are is there other sight seeing recommendations you want to give? We don't have an agenda or schedule yet. so ope to lots of options for neat places and good food.

 

[Ddog]

If you like waterfalls, the entire Lake Superior shoreline east of Munising has places to park and hike to them. Pretty cool stuff, we did about 20 different ones over a weekend this summer, plus a few other things. Beautiful country up there.


Can't recall the name of the "trail/tour" ,but there are maps available and the pass to do the whole thing was $25.

 

[Nwihunter]

I highly recommend you bring a fishing pole and hike down to Lake Of The Clouds and fish for smallmouth. It’s probably been 20+ years since I’ve done it, but that lake is loaded with them.

 

[Yooper]

Are you pretty much staying in the western UP or traveling the entire peninsula. I have a little experience with the place

 

[timberland]

Open to travel, driving from NW WI, I think

Are you pretty much staying in the western UP or traveling the entire peninsula. I have a little experience with the place

Lake of the Clouds is 3.5 hs from my house in NW WI. we plan on doing 4-5 day trip so an extra 3-4 hs isn's a big deal if its worth it

 

[Yooper]

Open to travel, driving from NW WI, I think

Lake of the Clouds is 3.5 hs from my house in NW WI. we plan on doing 4-5 day trip so an extra 3-4 hs isn's a big deal if its worth it

Well shit, that's not bad at all.

Lake of the Clouds is worth the stop. While in that area you've got a lot of options:

-Silver City if you want to take a swim. Superior is unusually warm this year.
-Black River Harbor has a ton of hiking trails around a lot of falls. Water levels are a bit low this year but still worth the hike(s)
-Copper Peak ski jump is a good stop for some awesome views from up top of the jump. Some pretty cool videos out on the web if you want to get an idea of its size.
-As already mentioned there's a ton of waterfalls in that area. Presque Isle River is a good source but not limited to just that one.
-Rent an UTV in Bergland and hit the endless miles of trails in the area.
-Adventure Mine over in Greenland is pretty cool. You can buy a pile of ore and look for your own copper.
-Speaking of copper...head over to the Copper Country (Keweenaw Peninsula) and you've got a lot of options!


-Copper Harbor is worth the drive. While in that area you can check out:
-Brockway Mountain overlook
-Estivant Pines old growth forest/hiking trails
-Drive to the end of US 41 and take the two track out to the tip of the peninsula. Honest to god the best sunset you might ever see if you can get out there.
-Get a thimbleberry donut at Jamsen's in Copper Harbor
-Check out Fort Wilkins
-Eagle Harbor and the Jampot monk bakery is a good stop. Check their hours.
-Stop for a pizza or sandwich at the Ambassador in Houghton and walk around the downtown area and lift bridge.
-Hike the High Bluff trail over by Lac La Belle
-Hike into Montreal River Falls (might be a bit low on water)


-Bring a few fishing poles and get a 10-day non-resident license. Rig one up for bass (spinners, tube jigs, etc) and one for brook trout. Stop and hit any of the countless lakes and streams you can find.


Got any specific questions hit me up either here or PM. There's DAYS worth of stuff above there but happy to add more.

 

[Windigo]

Well shit, that's not bad at all.

Lake of the Clouds is worth the stop. While in that area you've got a lot of options:

-Silver City if you want to take a swim. Superior is unusually warm this year.
-Black River Harbor has a ton of hiking trails around a lot of falls. Water levels are a bit low this year but still worth the hike(s)
-Copper Peak ski jump is a good stop for some awesome views from up top of the jump. Some pretty cool videos out on the web if you want to get an idea of its size.
-As already mentioned there's a ton of waterfalls in that area. Presque Isle River is a good source but not limited to just that one.
-Rent an UTV in Bergland and hit the endless miles of trails in the area.
-Adventure Mine over in Greenland is pretty cool. You can buy a pile of ore and look for your own copper.
-Speaking of copper...head over to the Copper Country (Keweenaw Peninsula) and you've got a lot of options!


-Copper Harbor is worth the drive. While in that area you can check out:
-Brockway Mountain overlook
-Estivant Pines old growth forest/hiking trails
-Drive to the end of US 41 and take the two track out to the tip of the peninsula. Honest to god the best sunset you might ever see if you can get out there.
-Get a thimbleberry donut at Jamsen's in Copper Harbor
-Check out Fort Wilkins
-Eagle Harbor and the Jampot monk bakery is a good stop. Check their hours.
-Stop for a pizza or sandwich at the Ambassador in Houghton and walk around the downtown area and lift bridge.
-Hike the High Bluff trail over by Lac La Belle
-Hike into Montreal River Falls (might be a bit low on water)


-Bring a few fishing poles and get a 10-day non-resident license. Rig one up for bass (spinners, tube jigs, etc) and one for brook trout. Stop and hit any of the countless lakes and streams you can find.


Got any specific questions hit me up either here or PM. There's DAYS worth of stuff above there but happy to add more.

The Ambassador's worth it for the pre-Prohibition artwork; there's a lot of cool history in that building. The local custom is to have 6-8 beers at the Keeweenaw Brewing Company next door, and have the pizza delivered to the brewery. In the winter, it's a great apres-ski.

If you end up hitting Marquette, the Portside is an old favorite that I may or may not have used to work at. And obviously you can do the brewery tour, Ore Dock, Blackrocks, etc. Superior Outfitters is a neat used gear/fly shop, and if you do any fly fishing, they should be able to point you in the right direction.


Feel free to PM me too, wouldn't mind a trip down memory lane, and I don't fish any of those spots anymore.

 

[timberland]

Well shit, that's not bad at all.

Lake of the Clouds is worth the stop. While in that area you've got a lot of options:

-Silver City if you want to take a swim. Superior is unusually warm this year.
-Black River Harbor has a ton of hiking trails around a lot of falls. Water levels are a bit low this year but still worth the hike(s)
-Copper Peak ski jump is a good stop for some awesome views from up top of the jump. Some pretty cool videos out on the web if you want to get an idea of its size.
-As already mentioned there's a ton of waterfalls in that area. Presque Isle River is a good source but not limited to just that one.
-Rent an UTV in Bergland and hit the endless miles of trails in the area.
-Adventure Mine over in Greenland is pretty cool. You can buy a pile of ore and look for your own copper.
-Speaking of copper...head over to the Copper Country (Keweenaw Peninsula) and you've got a lot of options!


-Copper Harbor is worth the drive. While in that area you can check out:
-Brockway Mountain overlook
-Estivant Pines old growth forest/hiking trails
-Drive to the end of US 41 and take the two track out to the tip of the peninsula. Honest to god the best sunset you might ever see if you can get out there.
-Get a thimbleberry donut at Jamsen's in Copper Harbor
-Check out Fort Wilkins
-Eagle Harbor and the Jampot monk bakery is a good stop. Check their hours.
-Stop for a pizza or sandwich at the Ambassador in Houghton and walk around the downtown area and lift bridge.
-Hike the High Bluff trail over by Lac La Belle
-Hike into Montreal River Falls (might be a bit low on water)


-Bring a few fishing poles and get a 10-day non-resident license. Rig one up for bass (spinners, tube jigs, etc) and one for brook trout. Stop and hit any of the countless lakes and streams you can find.


Got any specific questions hit me up either here or PM. There's DAYS worth of stuff above there but happy to add more.

thats an awesome list, exactly what I was looking for, thanks

 

[timberland]

The Ambassador's worth it for the pre-Prohibition artwork; there's a lot of cool history in that building. The local custom is to have 6-8 beers at the Keeweenaw Brewing Company next door, and have the pizza delivered to the brewery. In the winter, it's a great apres-ski.

If you end up hitting Marquette, the Portside is an old favorite that I may or may not have used to work at. And obviously you can do the brewery tour, Ore Dock, Blackrocks, etc. Superior Outfitters is a neat used gear/fly shop, and if you do any fly fishing, they should be able to point you in the right direction.


Feel free to PM me too, wouldn't mind a trip down memory lane, and I don't fish any of those spots anymore.

perfect thanks!!

 

[BoilerBowHunter]

I took my family, including two daughters 3 and 6, to the UP in July. We spent four days in the Munising area. There is some good hiking to the East of it as someone else has pointed out. We did the boat tour to see the Pictured Rocks - highly recommend it. You can't get the same views from land. They also offer the ability to kayak near them which we would have been all over if the kids were a bit older. The Pictured Rocks area is beautiful. I will say there were a few good restaurants in Munising, but in general there is not much going on in that area other than the outdoor recreational opportunities. By George Brewing and East Channel Brewery were both good as was the pizza place.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Tahquamenon Falls is pretty cool, and you can go up to Whitefish Point from there.

 

[Line535]

I spend a week in the UP once a year and I've done pretty much all of it.

Starting in the Porcupine Mountains area, do the Lake of the Clouds. There's plenty of various hiking trails within the Porcupine Mountain area.

From there head over to Houghton. This is an actual town with all the amenities. Work your way up to Eagle River and eat at Fitzgeralds. From here, work your way over to Copper Harbor, and take the Brockway Mountain Scenic Drive.

From there, work your way to Marquette. Another actual town. There's a ton of hiking trails around the area and plenty of good restaurants in town. Stop at Huron Mountain Bakery on your way out of town and stock up on some sandwiches.

Next head to Munising. Expect no restaurants here. You can do the hiking trails on Grand Island, or go on a boat tour of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Or head to Grand Marais, maybe 1 restaurant, and through the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore where there are a ton of pull-offs and short hikes to waterfalls and the shoreline.

From Grand Marais, head to Tahquamenon Falls State Park and do some hikes to see the falls. Just note there's not a direct route from Grand Marais to Tahquamenon Falls, and if your GPS says there is, expect dirt roads you can't go faster than 25 mph on.

Next, head to Sault St Marie, plenty of restaurants, and check out the big ships going through the Soo Locks. I usually eat at the Antlers. Not great, not bad, but serves it's purpose.

Then head to St Ignace, again plenty of food. Check out the Mackinac Bridge or take a ferry to Mackinac Island and wander for the day.

Then take US-2 back to Escanaba and enjoy the sights along the way. Stop at Upper Crust Cafe in Manistique.

 

[Watrdawg]

My family is from the UP. Mom's side is from Sault Ste Marie and Dad's is from Calumet. I was going to chime in but others have pretty much covered it all! One thing that was left out. Make sure that you try the Pasties. Basically a meat pie. Other than that it sounds like all the bases have been covered and yes make sure you walk a few streams and get some trout fishing in.

 

[BoilerBowHunter]

I was so confused when we went up there and starting see signs for “pasties” everywhere

 

[Watrdawg]

Pasties are traditionally made with ground pork and hamburger mixed together, potatoes, rutabaga's and onion. There are many variations though. They were a staple for the copper miners from the Keweenaw area. When you get closer to Sault Ste Marie you start seeing people put gravy on them. We never did in Calumet. As kids we used ketchup. They are easy to make and freeze very well. I'll make a bunch and freeze what we are not going to eat that night then bake them later on. I've eaten many a pastie for lunch in a deer stand.

 

[Yooper]

Pasties are traditionally made with ground pork and hamburger mixed together, potatoes, rutabaga's and onion. There are many variations though. They were a staple for the copper miners from the Keweenaw area. When you get closer to Sault Ste Marie you start seeing people put gravy on them. We never did in Calumet. As kids we used ketchup. They are easy to make and freeze very well. I'll make a bunch and freeze what we are not going to eat that night then bake them later on. I've eaten many a pastie for lunch in a deer stand.

There ain't no ground pork or hamburger in a pasty! It's ground sirloin steak. A thousand dead Finnlander grandmas just rolled over in their graves with that comment

 

[Watrdawg]

There ain't no ground pork or hamburger in a pasty! It's ground sirloin steak. A thousand dead Finnlander grandmas just rolled over in their graves with that comment

That was my Finnish Grandmothers recipe. Her last name was Pietila. So I'm sure she didn't roll over in her grave. Now her recipe may have been due to them being very poor. They didn't get an indoor bathroom until the mid 70's. Before that there was a toilet in the basement and baths were done in a large tin wash tub. No shower until the bathroom was put in. Also Pasties were originally a Cornish recipe. The Finns in the UP had their own variation which did include sirloin or ground sirloin. All of our family used burger and ground pork mixed together. Couldn't afford better cuts of beef.

 

[Yooper]

That was my Finnish Grandmothers recipe. Her last name was Pietila. So I'm sure she didn't roll over in her grave. Now her recipe may have been due to them being very poor. They didn't get an indoor bathroom until the mid 70's. Before that there was a toilet in the basement and baths were done in a large tin wash tub. No shower until the bathroom was put in. Also Pasties were originally a Cornish recipe. The Finns in the UP had their own variation which did include sirloin or ground sirloin. All of our family used burger and ground pork mixed together. Couldn't afford better cuts of beef.

I'm just giving you some shit, man. There's about a million different pasty recipes up here and everyone thinks theirs is the best. And they're all right. Ford vs Chevy kind of stuff. Cool to have connections to the area. There's no shortage of Pietila's up here that's for sure.

 

[timberland]

ya lost me at rutabaga, bleh! And the Rutabaga fest starts tomorrow in my town.

 

[Watrdawg]

I'm just giving you some shit, man. There's about a million different pasty recipes up here and everyone thinks theirs is the best. And they're all right. Ford vs Chevy kind of stuff. Cool to have connections to the area. There's no shortage of Pietila's up here that's for sure.

Your a Yooper so you can give me all the crap you want!! LOL. Now if the Trolls beneath the Bridge get in on it thats a different story. LOL