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Hunts' Guide to Michigan's UPPER PENINSULA

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ISHPEMING
POINTS
OF INTEREST

Downtown Ishpeming. Unusual historic buildings house a large antiques store, a longstanding outdoors store, a classic Italian grocery, a specialty homebuilders' store with an upstairs gallery of art and home accessories, and a vintage Carnegie library ... more

Cliffs Shaft Mining Museum. See where miners dressed, walked through tunnel to cages to be lowered down in mine. Retired miners tell tales of work life, cave-ins, tragic accidents. Engaging mine model, artifacts, mineral specimens from Ishpeming Rock & Mineral Club. ... more

Lake Bancroft Park. In dramatic surroundings, you can picnic while enjoying good views of Ishpeming and its monumental mining headframes ... more

Jasper Knob, Cliffs Cottage and vicinity. Climb a huge outcrop of deep-red Michigan jasper (“the world's largest gemstone”) and get a nice view of Ishpeming's southeast side ... more

U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame & Museum. In a ski jump-shaped building, the story is told of how U.S. skiing developed from a minor sport brought by Scandinavians, enhanced by Hollywood, Sun Valley, and the illustrious WWII ski assault team ... more

Artisans Gallery & Clay Studio. A working pottery studio and quality crafts gallery showing U. P. pottery, painting, weaving, wood, and glass works. ... more

Da Yoopers Tourist Trap & Museum. The roadside attraction from a popular satirical U.P. comedy group combines free outdoor exhibits like the world's largest chain saw and deer playing cards at deer camp with Yooper novelties, books, and a good rock shop ... more

Al Quaal Recreation Area. This woodsy 300-acre city park offers a 1,200-foot iced toboggan run and swimming on Teal Lake ... more

Tilden Mine Tour. Tour the vast open-pit iron mine and taconite processing plant and see industry on an awesome scale ... more

ISHPEMING

Al Quaal Recreation Area

This wild and natural 300-acre Ishpeming city park is on the north edge of town, overlooking Teal Lake. It hearkens back to the earlier, folksier, hardier style of winter sports brought by Scandinavians. Hot dogs and hot drinks are served weekends in the warming shelter. The 1,200-foot iced toboggan run is great fun when it's open. The hourly fee includes a rental toboggan. In the winter of 2005 the run was closed, however, due to budget cutbacks. The parks department hopes it can be open next year. The adjacent downhill ski runs and a slalom run with rope tows are lighted. Cost: around $3. In 2005 it was open Wed & Thurs 6 p.m.-9 p.m., weekends 1-4. The 4k cross-country ski loop is wonderfully scenic and lighted at night. Some sections are easy, some intermediate, some challenging enough for the NMU cross-country team. Part of it has been made with an adjacent snowshoe trail. The lighted outdoor ice rink was closed last winter.

From U.S. 41, turn north onto Second opposite the Ski Hall of Fame, continue north 4-5 blocks. Take a right at the T. Park entrance is by a playground in 3 blocks. 486-6181.

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