 | | Don Hunt | | Thin but long, Mclain offers visitors 2.5 miles of Lake Superior beachfront. | McLain State Park has some two miles of beautiful Lake Superior beach, culminating with the pier and lighthouse at the Upper Portage Entry, also called the Keweenaw Waterway. The beach - sand with some stones - is backed by low dunes and woods of big oaks and pines, with birch and maple as well. This is a large park, 443 acres, and soon to be even larger, with many kinds of habitat, including a pond and marsh.
The day-use areas with parking are along the shore to the left (south) as you enter the park; the campground loops along the shore are to the north. The most interesting part of the park, the breakwater area where the pier and beach are, is at the end of the long drive, almost a mile from the park office. The combined bathhouse/concession stand (also wheelchair accessible) and playground area perches above the sandy swimming beach along the Keweenaw Waterway. The swimming beach is protected by the pier and sea wall and thus warmer than Lake Superior. There's a level cement surface on much of the pier, so you can walk out on it. On the inland side of the drive, a large shelter, rentable for special occasions, has electricity, a cook stove, and water.
Sunsets over the big lake are spectacular. Benches with two seats flanking a small table make for a perfect spot for refreshments by the lake. The Upper Portage Entry lighthouse (also called the Keweenaw Waterway lighthouse) guides mainly pleasure boats into the Portage Canal and Keweenaw Waterway. Once a busy shipping channel, it now sees few larger vessels, mainly the National Park Service's Ranger III from Houghton bound for Isle Royale in season. In bad weather an occasional cargo vessel may come into the waterway seeking refuge from a storm.
A mile-long trail winds along the bluff by the mature woods, looking out at the lake. It's a lovely place for fall color. One end of the trail starts by the parking area near the concession and bathhouse. The linear trail goes northeast back to the main picnic pavilion and playground near the park entrance road. The pretty picnic gazebo is in a wooded area up on the bluff, reached by a handicap accessible cement walkway from pit toilets and the parking lot. From the second week of June into the second or third week of August, free summer Explorer Programs (nature programs for the whole family) are held at the main pavilion Monday through Friday in the afternoon or evening. Call the park for schedule.
Another part of the park is on the inland side of M-203, around shallow Bear Lake. The lake is a good place for children to catch small fish. The Bear Lake Trail starts by M-203 opposite the main park entrance drive and goes back from the road through an attractive wooded area to Bear Lake. Parking can be by M-203, but a park sticker is still required. This is a good place to see wildflowers in spring and early summer. The trail follows the Bear Lake shore for a bit before turning north across M-203 and heading toward the end of the campground loop. In winter these trails and connecting drives are groomed to form two easy cross-country ski loops, starting at headquarters and totaling four miles.
Local people put on snowshoes or skis and use the park year-round because it's close to town (8 miles from Hancock and Calumet) and affords dramatic views of the lake and ice in all weather conditions. Inspecting the lake ice at different stages of winter is a fun thing to do, and this is the most convenient place. In winter only the parking by the office is plowed. The groomed cross-country ski trails (great for beginners) converge there at the lot and follow hiking trails, except that the entry road is groomed instead of the lakeshore trail.
For online info, see www.michigan.gov/dnr and then click on the blue icon “Online campground and harbor reservations.� At this point, to get info about park, click on “state park & rec areas map & info� and click on Houghton County map.
On M-203 at the entrance to the Portage Ship Canal, 8 miles north of Hancock and 8 miles west of Calumet. In Hancock, M-203 is along the canal, intersecting with U.S. 41 by Gino's, where 41 turns and heads up Quincy Hill. In Calumet M-203 is Pine St., a major cross street toward the north end of Fifth and Sixth. (906) 482-0278. The park is open year-round. Flush toilets operate from May 15-Oct 15, weather depending. Otherwise, vault toilets are available. Wheelchair-accessible: restrooms, main picnic pavilion, gazebo, woods pavilion, concession stand and bathhouse. State park sticker required: $6/day residents, $8 for nonresidents, or $24 and $29 a year.
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