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Hunts' Guide to Michigan's UPPER PENINSULA
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JUST OUT!
A new edition of Hunts' Mapguide to Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
Over 300 entries, all conveniently located on maps and chosen because we think they are the coolest things to do in the U.P. (No ad tie-ins!) Great choices for restaurants, hikes, shops, adventures, museums, boat trips, waterfalls, vistas, road trips, and much more!
To learn more click UP MAP GUIDE
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IRON RIVER
POINTS
OF
INTEREST
Iron County Museum. Multifaceted museum includes satisfying exhibits on the area's geology, musical and ethnic heritage, life in mines (great video), plus 24 outdoor buildings (10 old log barns, houses, outbuildings). Of special note: vast folk art logging camp, life in mines (great video), gallery of noted wildlife paintings, inventive décor in artist's home, intact Caspian Mine headframe (powerful!). ...
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Downtown Iron River. A trim, pleasant shopping district with an art supply/gift shop/book shop, a combination of shops in an big old department store, a mild-long trail along the Iron River ...
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Angeli's Central Market/Plaza Cinema. A terrific supermarket with quality, fresh produce, something hard to find in the U.P., as well as a good wine selection, meats, ethnic baked goods. ...
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Ski Brule winter and summer. In a scenic hilly setting is a resort with miles of cross-country skiing trails, two snowboard parks, Alpine skiing, and in summer mountain bike trails, horseback riding, canoeing and tubing ...
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Lake Ottawa Park/Ge Chi Ski Trail. This pleasant Ottawa National Forest park is on crystal-clear, 551-acre Lake Ottawa. It has hiking trails, a swimming beach, fishing pier, and a handsome CCC-era pavilion/bathhouse with fireplaces. ...
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Hiking path to "Treaty Tree" & Mile Post Zero. A short, secluded hike leads to the head of Brule River and the much-contested border between Michigan and Wisconsin ...
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George Young Recreational Complex. Open to the general public, this plush golf course and indoor swimming pool is sited on a 3,300-acre complex bordering 3 lakes. Foxes, deer, and eagles are not unusual sights for golfers here ...
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Wolf Track Nature Trail. A scenic 1.5-mile woodland nature trail with wonderful paintings and text to illuminate one's experience ...
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Pentoga Park. pened in 1922, this is one of Michigan's very first county parks, located at an Ojibwa burial ground. Take an old 3-mile Indian Lake to the Brule River, fish the deep, 1,100-acre Chicaugon Lake for walleye and muskie, or use the swimming beach and picnic area ...
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First Roadside Table. Michigan was a pioneer in providing pleasant rest stops for motorists, and this 1918 picnic spot may well be the very first ever ...
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George Young Recreational Complex
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This plush golf course and indoor swimming pool, opened in 1993, looks for all the world like a chic golf and ski resort in Colorado or on northwestern Michigan's gold coast. Yet it's affordable by the general public. It is yet another Iron County anomaly. The 3,300-acre complex, mostly undeveloped, borders three lakes. Golfers can see deer and eagles on the course. Foxes have been known to come up to golf carts.
Iron River native George Young struck it rich in Chicago as the owner of the Chicago Fire Brick Company. (He married the boss's daughter.) Young summered here and started this 18-hole championship golf course by adding a hole each year. Each hole is modeled after his personal favorite holes from around the U.S. When he died, he left a large bequest to build the non-profit recreation center for members and day-use visitors. A board composed mostly of Chicago people directed the center's construction and oversees operations. The George Young Complex has just bought the adjacent The Landing restaurant. No plans for it have been announced.
Inside, soaring log-beamed ceilings give a luxurious sense of space. Stylish takes on traditional lodge architecture are everywhere. There are trendily contemporary Native American motifs, Art Deco-inspired leather chairs, the requisite massive fieldstone fireplace, and elaborate antler chandeliers. The glass-walled lunchtime restaurant (open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.) and its terrace look out across the golf course into the woods. The adjoining bar is open 'til 9 p.m. Richly patterned tile walls enliven the downstairs swimming pool room. In winter, the center's expansive luxury seems the ultimate cure for cabin fever.
o Golf green fees are currently $38/person/day including cart for 18 holes. The slope of the 3,357-yard Professional Course is 130, with a 74.3 rating. That of the 5,338-yard Standard Course is 118 with a 69.8 rating. Tee times for individuals are taken 10 days in advance. The course is open from May into mid-October, weekdays from 8 a.m. Central Time, Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m.
o For mountain biking there are 7 1/2 miles of trails laid out over hilly terrain, with a $5 fee for day-long use..
o Hikers can use the beautiful 1 1 /2-mile Wolf Track nature trail (see separate point of interest).
o The swimming pool, sauna, and whirlpool are open from 10 to 9 daily Central Time (closed Mon & Tues in winter). Three wide lanes are about 49 feet long; a separate wading area slopes gently. Daily fee is $5, $3 for kids 12 and under.
o Cross-country skiing is on 10k of trails laid out for all abilities. Trails wind through woods and go to Wagner Lake. Grooming is for both diagonal stride and ski-skating. Trails are open from 10 to 4:30 Wednesday through Sunday Central Time. Ski rentals are $10 for adults, $5 for children. After skiing, the lounge stays open 'til 9 p.m. with beverage service.
For vacationing visitors, the daily fees seem modest, though many thrifty locals feel they're too high. Stay at the Chicaugon Inn a mile down the road, and you'll feel like you're at a fabulous resort in a wilderness area not overrun with rampant consumer development.
On CR 424 at the southwest end of Chicaugon Lake between Iron River and Crystal Falls. 424 is reached by going east from M-189 at Caspian, by going southwest from U.S. 2 via CR 639 just west of Bewabic State Park, or by going west from U.S. 2/U.S. 141 south of Crystal Falls. For hours, see various activities above. (906) 265-3401.
Return to Iron River
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