I’m visiting each of Michigan’s 83 counties
We arrived at McLain late at night on September 4, after kayaking Lac La Belle. It was dark; we’d tried to chase the sunset in, due to some gorgeous colors we could catch from the car, but didn’t quite make it. Despite not making the sunset, we got a beautiful starry night on Lake Superior.
So, we didn’t go to Isle Royale. That is a destination that deserves its own multi-day excursion. However, we did absolutely spend some time up in the Keweenaw Peninsula on our trip, on a lovely lake called Lac La Belle.
Canyon Falls are gorgeous, and I never would have stopped there had it not been for this article.
My first trip to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore was almost ruined by some nasty weather, but a hilarious and confused park ranger named Cheryl at the Visitor Center instilled courage in us to trek on and make the most of it: I’m very grateful for Cheryl and her strange optimism, because I experienced some gorgeous moments.
The last time I was in Marquette, I was 16 years old and competing for a presidential scholarship at Northern Michigan University, which was my first-choice college at the time. Obviously, things didn’t pan out as I’d hoped, and life played out differently (all good things, looking back). However, I was still happy to be back in the U.P.’s prettiest city.
I’ve visited Tahquamenon a few times in my life; most of those visits I was very young and I don’t remember. The last time I was there was in December 2017, and it was a gorgeous sight in the winter. Literally breath taking in every way. While the summer views didn’t impress me quite as much, it was a bit more…comfortable.
Whitefish Point was the first of many stops on a 10 day trip along Lake Superior’s coast in the Upper Peninsula and Lake Michigan’s coast in Wisconsin. On Friday morning, after a very tetris-like game of packing up my little Subaru with ten days of camping, backpacking, and traveling necessities (including a folding expedition kayak), we hit the road.
I’ve been to Rosy Mound too many times to count. The dunes, the trails, the beach, the lake…everything is a bit magical there. I’ve been visiting this park since my sophomore year of college; somehow four summers of being cradled in the perfectly soft sand on this particular Lake Michigan beach have passed.
I grew up right by Oakland County, and had been to Cranbrook previously to check out the art museum on the campus. Cranbrook is a sprawling school, art museum, science institute, garden, and educational community; this was my first time exploring the gardens, and I took my parents along.
I spent my time at Muskegon State Park on the beach, as it was a hot and sunny afternoon. My favorite part of any Lake Michigan beach is a gorgeous dune, so naturally that’s where I gravitated.
On a very sunny July afternoon, I hopped in my car, reusable grocery totes in hand, and headed north to Oceana County. I hadn’t been before, and the promise of a lavender farm and cherry turnovers was enticing.
Horserace Rapids was one of the most tranquil and beautiful spots I had the pleasure to experience on this trip throughout the U.P. There wasn’t another soul in sight the entire time I was exploring, and it was quiet and tucked away from busy tourist spots.
We went to Copper Peak, not realizing that by “adventure ride” they meant a ski lift taking you up the mountain. The adventure ride closes at 4 pm, and we arrived at about 4:15 pm. It was a sad time, driving out there and not getting to go to the top of the mountain.
This was both of our first times at the Porkies, and we were stoked. Driving into the park, we started at the visitor center to pick up some maps and souvenirs, and got our bearings for what we were going to embark on that day. We chose to start at Lake of the Clouds and hike the Escarpment trail, which Chloe kept pronouncing Encarpment (which I continued to correct until she finally said it right, as is what happens when we’re together).
Pine Mountain was a lovely spot for a break from driving. While I didn’t explore the resort or find this location in the fall with gorgeous foliage, I did climb the 500 steps to the top of the jump, and enjoyed it.
J.W. Wells State Park has tons of lakefront campsites and lovely staff. When I arrived at the park, I learned that it was an original Civilian Conservation Corps camp for workers during The New Deal. Some of the original structures from the worker’s camp are still there being used for the State Park.
