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Hunts' Guide to Michigan's UPPER PENINSULA

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!). ... more

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 ... more

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. ... more

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 ... more

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. ... more

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 ... more

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 ... more

Wolf Track Nature Trail. A scenic 1.5-mile woodland nature trail with wonderful paintings and text to illuminate one's experience ... more

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 ... more

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 ... more

IRON RIVER

Lake Ottawa Park/Ge Chi Ski Trail

A handsome enclosed pavilion built by the Civilian Conservation Corps is the focal point for this pretty park with mown lawns on 551-acre Lake Ottawa. It's part of the Ottawa National Forest.

The lodge is completely wheelchair-accessible. It's enclosed, with operable windows. It has two fireplaces for grilling, and a changing house for swimmers. (See "campgrounds" for camping.)

The extremely clear lake is surrounded by mature maples and pines with no cottage development. At the picnic area a lawn leads down to the lake with an artificial sand beach and a wheelchair-accessible fishing pier. Walleye, bass, bike, and perch are caught here. This lake is oligotrophic (having few natural nutrients), so food fish have to be introduced, and fishing varies, depending on pressure and management success. Call for current fishing info.

Off a separate drive down to a boat launch, a wigwam covered in birchbark calls attention to the place's long history as a gathering place for native people. In 500 A.D. families spent summers fishing here. In the 1800s Ojibwa had sugar camps nearby.

The 10-mile Ge-Che Trail is a hiking trail that's also groomed for cross-country skiing by the nearby Covenant Point Bible Camp. No fee, but donations are welcome. The trail begins at the boat launch parking lot and passes through wooded and semi-open areas, connecting Lake Ottawa with Hagerman Lake across the road. The ski trail here has several loops of various difficulty levels. At one point novices should take off their skis and walk to get across to the other lake. Trail maps should be available at the trailhead by the boat launch, or stop at the National Forest office in Iron River.

About 6 miles west of Iron River. Take U.S. 2 west. In less than 2 miles turn at M-73. In about 1 mile, look for Forest Hwy. 101 and signs to park. (906) 265-5139. TTY: (906) 265-9259. Currently no fee. May be required. Open from about May 15 to September 15. Wheelchair-accessible: fishing pier, day use building, pit toilets.

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