The Lower Peninsula in Michigan was beautiful but nothing really compares to the Upper Peninsula. We stayed in Newberry, a town which was about middle to all the places we wanted to go.
One of the places we were able to visit multiple times was Tahquamenon Falls. These falls are located on the Tahquamenon River. There are multiple falls they refer to as the upper and about four miles downriver, the lower falls. The upper falls are sometimes called the ‘Root Beer’ falls because of their brown color which comes from the tannins leached from the cedar swamps that drain into the river. We were able to hike both by the upper falls and the lower falls. We also took a tour which consisted of a tram ride through forest area, followed by a boat ride down the river to the falls, and then a hike to the side of the falls. Should you consider visiting here, highly recommend bug spray in the summer – the mosquitos can be deadly! We also dined at a restaurant in the State Park where the upper falls are located – the whitefish is awesome and highly recommended.
We took an afternoon and visited Oswalt’s Bear Ranch. Oswalt’s houses bears, bears and more bears. They rescue bears from all around the country. The bears are separated in large fenced in areas by mature females, mature males, teenagers, and youngsters. You can purchase some apple pieces and feed them to the bears as you stroll around. Below are a few pictures of some of their antics and a video of a youngster.
The Soo Locks connect Lake Superior and Lake Huron. They are located by on the St Mary’s River between Sault St Marie Michigan and Sault St Marie Ontario. They bypass the rapids where the water falls 21 feet. The locks were opened in 1855 and close for a few months during the winter when the lakes ice over for maintenance. We were able to take a boat tour which goes through the locks on both the US side as well as the Canadian side. The Canadian side is used mainly for small craft and pleasure boats today.
The following are from the US side.
The following are from the Canadian locks.
A couple pictures of the rapids between the locks.
We took a couple of trips to Munising to take a boat ride to look at Pictured Rocks, rode a glass bottom boat to view a few shipwrecks, hiked to Miner’s Castle and falls, and hiked to the Munising Falls. This was an area where there was a lot to see and do. The town is on the southern edge of Munising Bay across from Grand Island. We did not go out to the Island but on our various boat rides we were able to see much of it from the water. I highly recommend this area if you visit the UP.
Pictured Rocks are weather sculpted cliffs painted by streaks of mineral stains. This occurs because ground water seeps through cracks and trickles down the rock face displaying an array of colors. Iron (red and orange), copper (blue and green), manganese (brown and black), and limonite (white) are among the most common minerals. Pictures do not do justice to this beautiful landscape.
There are many shipwrecks in Lake Superior and so we decided to visit a few via a glass bottom boat ride in Munising. The boat ride takes you to a couple of wrecks. One of them is a fully intact wooden sailing ship built before the civil war. The boat also cruises by Grand Island and even makes a stop inside a cave.
One of the formations we saw while riding around Pictured Rocks was called Miner’s Castle. We could see folks on platforms up above and decided one day to take a ride and see what it looked like from above. Here are a couple from the Bay.
A few from above.
And finally a few from the falls which needed to be hiked to.
Heading back to Munising, we stopped for a short hike to the Munising Falls. Not much to see but still a nice walk.
The Great Lakes Ship Wreck Museum is located at the Whitefish Point Light Station on Lake Superior. It helps people learn about the perils of maritime travel on the Great Lakes and is home to the famous bell from the Edmund Fitzgerald.
We did some lighthouse exploration while in the UP. Besides Whitefish Point, we explored Crisp Point Lighthouse and Au Sable Lighthouse. Each of these had their own unique challenges in getting to them. Crisp Point appeared to not be too far from where we were camping. Little did we know it would be miles down twisty turny dirt roads where we simply followed little lighthouse signs for directions. Au Sable was a whole different story. For that one you had to hike past a campground and then through woods until you reached the lighthouse. The hike was not bad, but the sworms of flies, which no bug spray helped with were terrible. At one point, the entire side leg of my pants was covered in the darn things. Long sleeves and long pants would have been good attire along with a hat and netting for your face.
Crisp Point Lighthouse started operations in 1904. It was decommissioned in 1993. It sits between Grand Island and Whitefish Point along the ‘Ship Wreck Coast.’
Au Sable Lighthouse is located on Au Sable Point. Au Sable Point is a shallow sandstone ridge which is only 6 feet deep in some places. The lighthouse was built in 1874 and became automated in 1958. Today it is equipped with a solar powered light. There are a couple of ship wrecks located along the shore and so we chose that way to return. I had mentioned the sworms of flies, on the trip back along the waters edge Jeff told me that he was not having fun – it really was challenging with the flies.
Our final stop in the UP is another must see, Mackinac Island. The island is located on Lake Huron and does not allow motor vehicle traffic. Horse and buggy, foot, and bike are the ways to get around. We took a ferry from St. Ignace to the island. Once there we caught a buggy ride around the island which highlighted many of the sites to see. Mackinac Island was originally a Native American sacred place. Jean Nicolet is believed to have seen the island in his 1634 explorations and Jesuit priest Claude Dablon founded a mission in 1670 for the Native Americans. The British took control of the island in 1780 and built Fort Mackinac. The US acquired the island in the Treaty of Paris in 1783 and it became Michigan’s first State Park in 1895. The day we toured the island was a day after a sailboat race had occurred.
Next up Madison Wisconsin!