UP Intel (2 Viewers)

[WreckDiver1321]

Hello all!

I'm a Cruiserhead from Montana and I'll be heading out your direction next month. My cousin is getting married in the Twin Cities at the end of the month and I've always wanted to get out and explore the UP, so this is as good an excuse as any.

From 9/15 to 9/20 I'll be in the Upper Peninsula area, exploring what there is to see. I do have some hard points blocked out, close to where I'd like to stay for a given day. I want to do some wheeling while I'm there as well as general exploring, so I'd love any and all recommendations you guys have on trails, scenic drives, dirt roads, places to see, campsites, lighthouses, beaches, good places to take a dump, anything and everything.

I will be traversing pretty much the entirety of the UP, coming in from the Apostle Islands area, heading towards the Porkies, then up along the Keweenaw to Copper Harbor. From there I'll head towards Marquette, then have a hotel stay booked in Munising, then I'll rock over Whitefish Point area. Next will be south to the Mackinac Island area before turning back west along the south side of the peninsula. I'll follow that to basically Green Bay, then head to Minnesota.

I have a stock-ish 200 Series with good tires and a good amount of off road experience here in the west (lots of rock, water crossings, etc). Willing to try anything pretty much so long as I don't tear the truck up.

I'd also love to hang with some other Cruiserheads in the area if it fits your schedule, just bear in mind I've got my 3 and 5 year old boys in tow.

Thanks all!

 

[whitec13]

@VSPro9
^This is your guy

 

[VSPro9]

Hello all!

I'm a Cruiserhead from Montana and I'll be heading out your direction next month. My cousin is getting married in the Twin Cities at the end of the month and I've always wanted to get out and explore the UP, so this is as good an excuse as any.

From 9/15 to 9/20 I'll be in the Upper Peninsula area, exploring what there is to see. I do have some hard points blocked out, close to where I'd like to stay for a given day. I want to do some wheeling while I'm there as well as general exploring, so I'd love any and all recommendations you guys have on trails, scenic drives, dirt roads, places to see, campsites, lighthouses, beaches, good places to take a dump, anything and everything.

I will be traversing pretty much the entirety of the UP, coming in from the Apostle Islands area, heading towards the Porkies, then up along the Keweenaw to Copper Harbor. From there I'll head towards Marquette, then have a hotel stay booked in Munising, then I'll rock over Whitefish Point area. Next will be south to the Mackinac Island area before turning back west along the south side of the peninsula. I'll follow that to basically Green Bay, then head to Minnesota.

I have a stock-ish 200 Series with good tires and a good amount of off road experience here in the west (lots of rock, water crossings, etc). Willing to try anything pretty much so long as I don't tear the truck up.

I'd also love to hang with some other Cruiserheads in the area if it fits your schedule, just bear in mind I've got my 3 and 5 year old boys in tow.

Thanks all!

Find me on insta @vspro09 Facebook group “mitten state tours” or shoot me an email, mittenstatetours@gmail.com

I have fantastic dispersed campsites and routes in the east, and connect you with the right people for the west side.

Also look into Drummond island.

 

[TCEd]

Hello all!

I'm a Cruiserhead from Montana and I'll be heading out your direction next month. My cousin is getting married in the Twin Cities at the end of the month and I've always wanted to get out and explore the UP, so this is as good an excuse as any.

From 9/15 to 9/20 I'll be in the Upper Peninsula area, exploring what there is to see. I do have some hard points blocked out, close to where I'd like to stay for a given day. I want to do some wheeling while I'm there as well as general exploring, so I'd love any and all recommendations you guys have on trails, scenic drives, dirt roads, places to see, campsites, lighthouses, beaches, good places to take a dump, anything and everything.

I will be traversing pretty much the entirety of the UP, coming in from the Apostle Islands area, heading towards the Porkies, then up along the Keweenaw to Copper Harbor. From there I'll head towards Marquette, then have a hotel stay booked in Munising, then I'll rock over Whitefish Point area. Next will be south to the Mackinac Island area before turning back west along the south side of the peninsula. I'll follow that to basically Green Bay, then head to Minnesota.

I have a stock-ish 200 Series with good tires and a good amount of off road experience here in the west (lots of rock, water crossings, etc). Willing to try anything pretty much so long as I don't tear the truck up.

I'd also love to hang with some other Cruiserheads in the area if it fits your schedule, just bear in mind I've got my 3 and 5 year old boys in tow.

Thanks all!

I'll suggest the ride/route from the Apostle Island along the north shore of the U.P. is far more scenic and things to do versus the return route along US-2. The Keweenaw, Marquette, Pictured Rock and Whitefish Point are all special. On the return if you have time check out Fayette State Park. Mackinaw Island is cool but also a bit of a tourist trap.

 

[dogfishlake]

*The return along US-2 from the Mackinac bridge to at least M-77 is pretty epic though.
*X2 on Drummond Island if you can make the time. It is the extreme eastern point of Michigan.
*You gotta go over the Mackinac bridge. Call it an excuse for lunch in Mackinaw City. $4 each way is a bargain admission.
*Tahquamenon falls is pretty sweet while in the Whitefish point area.
*Marquette is an awesome town, Munising as well. I'll be in Marquette the weekend of 9-9 and back (to get married) 9-23
*Trails are everywhere, so are waterfalls. Hiking the Porcupine Mts would be sweet.
*Kitch-Iti-Kipi (Big Spring) is a good one the kids will like too. 8 miles north of US-2 by Manistique

 

[Evergreenist]

Hey man, welcome to da U.P.! I've lived in MI my whole life, but in the lower peninsula. The U.P. may as well be a whole different state, only 3% of Michigan's residents live up there anyways. It's pretty spread out with low population density. I've recreated much of my adult life over the bridge and can answer almost any question you might have.

Others in this thread have hit on some of the high points already so far, but I'll list some more stuff for your consideration:

The Keweenaw is the crown Jewel of the U.P. in my opinion:
DO:
- You'll find that there's a lot of mountain biking the Keweenaw/Western U.P., if you're interested you can find bikes and gear to rent, although might not be 3/5 yo friendly.
- Something great for kids is Hunter's Point Park is a half a mile from town, walk that (couple miles out and back) to see the town of CH and the mountains behind it. Great place for picking cool rocks with copper, iron and other goodies in them.
- Estivant Pines is a nature preserve featuring old growth, virgin forest, for an easy hike. Very close to Copper Harbor.
- A few companies offer underground mine tours showcasing the Keweenaw's copper mining history. Tours vary in length, experience offered, look into each if you're interested. If interested, search up Delaware Mine tour, Quincy Mine tour, Adventure Mine tour.
- Ski lift ride at Mount Bohemia ("The best skiing in the Midwest"). They also have yurts, hot tubs, food there.

DRIVE:
- Top of your list should be Brockway Mountain drive. It's a paved, bumpy road near Copper Harbor that offers incredible views. Fall color tends to peak end of Sept/First week of October, so you'll likely be seeing the beginnings of that.
- Drive Mandan Road. Challenging by Michigan standards (which isn't much, I've done it in a stock Outback), this starts at 'The Beginning of US Highway 41' (google maps marker) On it, you can go to Horseshoe Harbor, which has some huge climbable rock formations, Keweenaw Rocket Range (yes - NASA used to launch rockets from here, once upon a time!), and High Rock Bay, which is the very eastern tip. This was once a "locals only" serene place, but the word is starting to get out. I'd camp there.
- Take Cliff Drive, and DYOR to find some trails that go back in the wood through there. Some epic overlook views to be had up there
- Drive M26 through Eagle Harbor and Eagle River. Taking US-41 once to CH on the way in is fine, but there's lots to see when you drive near the lakeshore, too.
- Check out a waterfalls guide. The U.P. is loaded with waterfalls, and all them worth seeing (with the one exception of Taquamenon) are west of Marquette. Many of them are in the Keweenaw and are easy to find/drive to

SHOP:
- Touristy stuff can be found at Copper World in Calumet, Michigan Made store in Houghton
- Prospector's Paradise for all sorts of rocks, minerals, etc. Cool place to browse even if you aren't into rocks.
- Keweenaw Gem & Gift in Houghton, stop in and see jewelry made from the chlorastrolite, aka the Isle Royale greenstone, Michigan's state gemstone, which is found on Isle Royal/northern Keweenaw and no where else in the world.

EAT:
- Healthy groceries at the co op in Hancock.
- You must try a pasty when you're in the U.P., and Tony's in Laurium is the best. Others will have differing opinions though, try several places and see
- Thimbleberry jam is a local delicacy not found in most of the country, but I believe you guys have them in Montana? Anyway, it's a bit of a touristy thing, you can buy some at the Wood'n Spoon in Mohawk or The Jam Lady in Eagle River.
- Ambassador in Houghton for excellent almost-crunchy-cracker like thin crust pizza. Their nacho topping is famous but I really recommend the lobster style.

Some non-yet-mentioned, non-Keweenaw items to look into:
- Canyon Gorge ("Michigan's Grand Canyon"),
- Mt Arvon, MI's tallest mountain but you can drive to the top
- Sugarloaf Mountain, famous easy hike near Marquette for beginners with great views
- Crisp Point Lighthouse, bumpy trail that your 200 can handle np
- Point Abbaye, rough trail (might have been improved in recent years tho) to a secluded rocky beach

There's so much more to mention, and that's just the Keweenaw. I can go on with more about Keweenaw or the rest of the U.P., but I'd recommend checking out what Dogfishlake said. Most of what I said, unless noted, you won't find challenging in the slightest offroad wise. If you want that you gotta go to Drummond.Happy to explain more, just reply or message me.

 

[RivMan]

If you're interested, look in to the Keweenaw Overland Adventure Retreat. We'll be up there that weekend and will be leading some runs up into the Cliff mine area.

Thanks
-Rob

 

[Sandroad]

It will take all of your 5 days just to get to the places in your first email! It’s a big peninsula. Thinking about the kids, and wondering about your forum handle, you might enjoy both the Pictured Rocks boat tour and the Glass Bottom boat tours of shipwrecks out of Munising. The Shipwreck museum at Whitefish Point is interesting and the point will give you the flavor of the eastern UP Lake Superior shore while keeping you on schedule. The old Coast Guard station in Marquette has good Great Lakes history of all sorts.

 

[WreckDiver1321]

HUGE thanks to everyone who contributed to this and apologies for not commenting on here. The last several weeks have been really hectic.

@VSPro9 thank you so much for your insight and the tracks you provided. That info is already in Gaia and will be of great benefit. I cannot thank you enough.

@dogfishlake thanks for all that! Unfortunately I can't make it all the way to Drummond. I'm already a little concerned about being overbooked and some stuff may be missed. We'll see how it goes.
DEFINITELY going over the bridge since we'll be in that area.
Have some waterfalls marked on Gaia, should be some time to check those out.
I got the lowdown on Marquette and Munising from a former local. I actually have an AirBnB booked in Munising so we can all sleep in a bed and take a shower for the night. Then I have the shipwreck tour scheduled for the next morning.
CONGRATS on the upcoming wedding! Exciting times! Too bad we'll miss each other by a week but good for you picking the weekend it isn't going to rain.

@Evergreenist THANK YOU for taking the time to compile all of that, that is all GREAT info, exactly what I was hoping for. A lot of what you wrote out got added to my Gaia map, and I am also keeping a list of places to check out. I definitely added all the routes you suggested, not only on the Keweenaw but also elsewhere. I'm going to try and maximize my time on the Keweenaw since it really seemed like the hotspot, but I do want to poke around elsewhere. All of this is fairly fluid and subject to change, so we'll see where I end up. Again, thank you so much for all of that.

@Sandroad Hopefully I'm not super overbooked. If I have to cut some things out and make some stuff up on the fly, I will definitely do so. I definitely got tickets for the boat tour at Grand Island, the kids will love that. Thank you!

To all who dropped in and gave me ideas, thank you so much! I really appreciate all of you. If any of you happen to be in the area while I'm around, hit me up!

Also, if anyone is making their way to Montana, please reach out to me. I am happy to reciprocate and give you guys all kinds of ideas.

 

[VSPro9]

HUGE thanks to everyone who contributed to this and apologies for not commenting on here. The last several weeks have been really hectic.

@VSPro9 thank you so much for your insight and the tracks you provided. That info is already in Gaia and will be of great benefit. I cannot thank you enough.

@dogfishlake thanks for all that! Unfortunately I can't make it all the way to Drummond. I'm already a little concerned about being overbooked and some stuff may be missed. We'll see how it goes.
DEFINITELY going over the bridge since we'll be in that area.
Have some waterfalls marked on Gaia, should be some time to check those out.
I got the lowdown on Marquette and Munising from a former local. I actually have an AirBnB booked in Munising so we can all sleep in a bed and take a shower for the night. Then I have the shipwreck tour scheduled for the next morning.
CONGRATS on the upcoming wedding! Exciting times! Too bad we'll miss each other by a week but good for you picking the weekend it isn't going to rain.

@Evergreenist THANK YOU for taking the time to compile all of that, that is all GREAT info, exactly what I was hoping for. A lot of what you wrote out got added to my Gaia map, and I am also keeping a list of places to check out. I definitely added all the routes you suggested, not only on the Keweenaw but also elsewhere. I'm going to try and maximize my time on the Keweenaw since it really seemed like the hotspot, but I do want to poke around elsewhere. All of this is fairly fluid and subject to change, so we'll see where I end up. Again, thank you so much for all of that.

@Sandroad Hopefully I'm not super overbooked. If I have to cut some things out and make some stuff up on the fly, I will definitely do so. I definitely got tickets for the boat tour at Grand Island, the kids will love that. Thank you!

To all who dropped in and gave me ideas, thank you so much! I really appreciate all of you. If any of you happen to be in the area while I'm around, hit me up!

Also, if anyone is making their way to Montana, please reach out to me. I am happy to reciprocate and give you guys all kinds of ideas.

Just sent you some more gpx for the keweenaw from our Labor Day trip. Just stay out of the puddles in the stamp sands at gay. We totaled a truck in them.

 

[Sandroad]

Just sent you some more gpx for the keweenaw from our Labor Day trip. Just stay out of the puddles in the stamp sands at gay. We totaled a truck in them.

We’ll need that story.

 

[VSPro9]

The puddles are shallow, until they aren’t.


I lead half the group to our spot by whitefish, the other half joe led to keweenaw. I wasn’t there but apparently they had checked a bit of this with a stick, but missed this hole.

 

[Evergreenist]

HUGE thanks to everyone who contributed to this and apologies for not commenting on here. The last several weeks have been really hectic.

@VSPro9 thank you so much for your insight and the tracks you provided. That info is already in Gaia and will be of great benefit. I cannot thank you enough.

@dogfishlake thanks for all that! Unfortunately I can't make it all the way to Drummond. I'm already a little concerned about being overbooked and some stuff may be missed. We'll see how it goes.
DEFINITELY going over the bridge since we'll be in that area.
Have some waterfalls marked on Gaia, should be some time to check those out.
I got the lowdown on Marquette and Munising from a former local. I actually have an AirBnB booked in Munising so we can all sleep in a bed and take a shower for the night. Then I have the shipwreck tour scheduled for the next morning.
CONGRATS on the upcoming wedding! Exciting times! Too bad we'll miss each other by a week but good for you picking the weekend it isn't going to rain.

@Evergreenist THANK YOU for taking the time to compile all of that, that is all GREAT info, exactly what I was hoping for. A lot of what you wrote out got added to my Gaia map, and I am also keeping a list of places to check out. I definitely added all the routes you suggested, not only on the Keweenaw but also elsewhere. I'm going to try and maximize my time on the Keweenaw since it really seemed like the hotspot, but I do want to poke around elsewhere. All of this is fairly fluid and subject to change, so we'll see where I end up. Again, thank you so much for all of that.

@Sandroad Hopefully I'm not super overbooked. If I have to cut some things out and make some stuff up on the fly, I will definitely do so. I definitely got tickets for the boat tour at Grand Island, the kids will love that. Thank you!

To all who dropped in and gave me ideas, thank you so much! I really appreciate all of you. If any of you happen to be in the area while I'm around, hit me up!

Also, if anyone is making their way to Montana, please reach out to me. I am happy to reciprocate and give you guys all kinds of ideas.

How did it go?

 

[VSPro9]

How did it go?

Hopefully he’s not stuck somewhere deep in the keweenaw lol