Hunts' Guide to The Upper Peninsula
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Portage Waterway

Southern Entry
DonHunt
A long pier ends at a navigational light and foghorn at the Waterway's southern entry. Freighters seeking refuge from storms can tie up at the dock beyond the pier.

The unusual 21-mile waterway that separates the northern Keweenaw from below is the result of an ancient geological fault, an enormous east-west fracture perpendicular to the peninsula's lofty spine of hard rock.

Thus, as one reaches the Quincy Mine above Hancock when driving south on U.S. 41, the highway suddenly plunges, the road winding to lessen the angle of descent. The bottom of the fault, of course, is the waterway itself, with a single bridge connecting the two sides and separating Houghton from Hancock.

Southern Entry 2
Don Hunt
The southern entry viewed from the west.

The Waterway consists of 3 segments: From its eastern entry is 14-mile-long "Portage Lake." The next 5 miles west is called "Portage River." The final 2 miles was solid land until a shipping canal was dug (at great expense) and completed in 1873, shortening shipping routes by 100 miles and permitting vessels to avoid the potentially perilous route around the northern tip of the Keweenaw during stormy weather.

Liftbridge
Don Hunt
Steep hillsides on both sides of the Waterway's liftbridge mean motorists must make sharp turns to get onto the bridge. With such short lead-ups a drawbridge wasn't feasible.

Very few freighters use the Waterway today, a blessing to motorists who face lengthy waits as the maddeningly slow lift bridge rises, remains up there for the vessel to pass, and again slowly lowers.

Such lift bridges are themselves uncommon. The one here is used because there isn't enough straight road distance from one side to the other to permit the more common drawbridge.

Northern Entry
Don Hunt
The Waterway's northern entry is actually a 2-mile canal. Before 1873 this was dry land and boats had to make the long, often perilous journey around Keweenaw's northern tip.

The most common boat big enough to regularly require the infrequent bridge raising is the U.S. Park Service's Ranger III, which leaves its Houghton dock Tuesdays & Fridays at 9 a.m. and returns Wednesday and Saturdays. Tall sailboats passing through also trigger the loud horn familiar to Houghton-Hancock residents, signaling another traffic backup is about to occur.

Another oddity of the Portage Waterway is the narrow arm of water that juts north from the Waterway's Torch Bay. This 4-mile stretch past Dreamland's old dock opens into Torch Lake. Lake Linden and Hubbell owe their existence to Torch Lake, for it provided a convenient waterway for shipping copper to Lake Superior and beyond. The enormous facilities that processed the copper-bearing rock railroaded from the mines above have now mostly disappeared. But drivers along M-26 between Ripley and Lake Linden can still see many odd-looking vestiges of these plants.

Return to Hancock

HANCOCK
POINTS OF INTEREST
Quincy Mine. The U.P.'s best all-around mine tour combines geology, a gee-whiz tram ride, social history, monumental engineering technology, and an optional underground experience at one of Copper Country's two richest mines. ... more

Distant Drum. A delightful custom clothing shop inspired by trips abroad, her Ramsay roots, and annual trips to the Southwest ... more

M-26 Hancock to Lake Linden. A fascinating drive through the old copper processing region ... more

McLain State Park. Two miles of beautiful Lake Superior beach, a lighthouse pier, and 443 diverse acres provide wonderful beach and woodland walks, good birding, and stunning sunset views for campers and day visitors alike. ... more

North on US-41 Hancock to Copper Harbor. Past historic copper mining villages and ruins, majestic rock bluffs, a shady tunnel trees, this is one of Michigan's best known scenic drives ... more

Portage Waterway. The 21-mile stretch of water results from an ancient fracture of Keweenaw's spine of hard rock ... more

Temple Jacob. A jewell-like temple is perched prettily on a Hancock hillside, still in good shape decades after most of its congregation has moved elsewhere ... more

Downtown Hancock. Unlike many downtowns, Hancock's remains a one-stop business center with many useful shops, a department store, resale stores, arty specialty stores and galleries, a toy store, gun shop, home-owned bank, and bookstore with specialties in regional, the environment, and Scandinavia. ... more

Finlandia University/Finnish-American Heritage Center. Finlandia University (the U.P.'s only private college) and the associated Finnish-American Heritage Center form the U.S. epicenter of Finnish culture. They offer exhibits and lectures. ... more

Finlandia University Portage Campus. Hancock's big old hospital is now a hub of college activityk, including yoga, fitess, meditation studios and a cafe with a nice view of the waterway. ... more

Deja vu & Daily Brew Antiques and Collectibles. An imposing, fanciful Victorian house features Depression-era and cut glass as well as a coffee shop with wi-fi ... more

Keweenaw Co-op Natural Foods & Groceries. A great place to stop for picnic and camping provisions, with a tasty deli section, gourmet and international fare, unusual sauces and bulk foods, and an impressive selection of wines ... more

See our U.P. interactive maps that locate the best experiences the U.P. has to offer—from camping & hiking to good eating & vistas! We also have created useful maps to major U.P. TOWNS.
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