Last weekend, on my way to attend the ICWSM conference in Buffalo, I spent two days hanging out with my good friend Serena and exploring some of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The UP is dramatically different from the Lower Peninsula, with almost 1/3 of Michigan’s land area but only 3% of the state population. We had a grand time seeing the sights at the Straits of Mackinac, camping at Tahquamenon Falls, and backpacking in the Pictured Rocks Lakeshore.
The Mackinac Bridge at sunset from McGulpin Point, on the Lower Peninsula.
Day 1: After an unpleasantly early flight from Seattle to Detroit, I met Serena in Flint and we drove up to Mackinaw and strolled around the cute town before heading over to McGulpin Point to enjoy the sunset with lovely views of the Mackinac Suspension Bridge. Afterwards, we hung out in town for a bit longer before driving to our campsite at Tahquamenon Falls and getting to sleep pretty late.
The Lower Falls on the Tahguamenon River.
Day 2: While Serena slumbered, I got up unpleasantly early and drove back to the mouth of the Tahquamenon River to watch the sunrise over Lake Huron, which was pleasant but not too photographically productive. I probably would have been better off staying at the falls, which I returned to after not too long. Serena was still asleep so I explored the Lower Falls on my own, enjoying the boardwalk out to an island in the middle of the river, which is brown with tannins, earning the place the nickname “Root Beer Falls.” Back at camp, Serena was still asleep, so I pulled out my laptop and worked on my talk, hiding in the car from the heinous mosquitoes. After Serena got up, we went back and repeated my stroll around the Lower Falls.
Munising Falls.
We headed up to the Upper Falls, a larger cascade, and enjoyed the view there before heading to the town of Munising, an hour and a half away, and stopping at a few more waterfalls as the weather gradually became overcast. In town, we got lunch and grabbed some groceries for our backpacking trip in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Pictured Rocks is an especially stunning part of the southern shoreline of Lake Superior, with many miles of 100-300 foot tall sandstone cliffs that drop straight into the lake, punctuated by occasional beaches, coves, and natural arches. Much of the lakeshore is accessible only by foot or boat, giving it more of a wilderness feel, and there are stunning trails that run along the the top of the cliffs with great views.
Serena in the pleasant (but Mosquito infested) forest near the lakeshore.
We set out from the Miner’s Beach trailhead at around 17:00 and hiked to Mosquito Creek, enjoying waterfalls, pleasant forest (with more mosquitoes) and overlooks out above the lake. We found a campsite at Mosquito Creek and dropped our overnight gear, then headed out for a sunset loop to Chapel Lake, Falls, and Rock, coming back via the lakeshore trail and Grand Portal Point. The inland trail through the woods was quite muddy in places, but we had a great time checking out Chapel Falls, and soon enough we were back at the beach at Chapel Rock, a tower that used to be connected to the mainland by an arch which collapsed sometime in the past half century, leaving an improbably placed pine root as the only object to bridge the 20 foot gap between the rock and the rest of the seashore.
Chapel Rock above Lake Superior. The root at the right used to be supported by a natural rock arch, which collapsed some number of decades ago, leaving just the root.
The beach below Castle Rock has a lovely waterfall which spills out of the woods straight onto the beach, and we had dinner there before hurrying onwards as sunset was only 20 minutes away. Just as I hoped, the sun dropped out below the clouds and we were rewarded with beautiful light and even a brief rainbow as we climbed up to the clifftops at the west end of the beach and looked back.
Chapel Creek spilling out of the forest and straight into Lake Superior. Note Chapel Rock (and arch) at the upper left.
As we made our way along the lakeshore we had a magical time exploring hidden coves and stunning views from the clifftops of points and arches as the light faded from the clouds. Eventually we pulled out our headlamps and hiked back to camp to sleep.
Chapel Beach and distant cliffs below a brief rainbow at sunset.
A hidden cove near Chapel Beach
Serena and I with Grand Portal Point behind.
Grand Portal Point at dusk.
Day 3: Serena and I both got up as it started to get light, and walked over to the beach to enjoy the sunrise. It had cleared up almost completely overnight and was a beautiful sunny morning. We walked east along the beach before hiking up into the woods and following the trail along the clifftops to scamper out on to Lover’s Leap, a dramatic arch that juts into Lake Superior - very cool, even if backlit in the morning.
Morning light on the cliffs from Mosquito Beach.
Creeping Dogwood and Birch in the forest.
Lover’s Leap in the morning light.
We headed back to camp and packed up, then strolled back to the car, stopping to bushwhack the short distance over to Bridalveil Falls, which pours over slabby cliffs straight into the lake. Neat.
Bridalveil Falls. Spot the Gull!
Bridalveil Falls pouring straight into Lake Superior.
We got back to the car around 9:30 and drove over to Miner's Castle, where we noticed that a fogbank had slid over the lake and was blanketing the shore where we had just been. We retraced our steps to the beach and had fun exploring the beach in the fog.
Miner’s Beach and waterfall in the fog.
After we’d had our fill, we went back to the car and drove east, stopping for lunch, then headed into Grand Marais, where we had fun walking along the breakwater and climbing on the lighthouse. A brief stop at the Pickle Barrel House finished up our trip, and we headed back over the Mackinac Bridge to the Lower Peninsula. I said goodbye to Serena in Flint, and headed across the border into Ontario for a brief stop at Niagara Falls before continuing to Buffalo for ICWSM.
Serena at the lighthouse at Grand Marais.