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Hunts' Guide to Michigan's UPPER PENINSULA

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PORCUPINE MOUNTAINS STATE PARK
POINTS
OF INTEREST

Park Visitor Center and nature center. Reccommended first stop at the Porkies in season for tips from helpful staff, audio-visual and pamphlet background on natural and human history, detailed hiking and topo maps, guided nature hikes ... more

Lake of the Clouds Overlook. One of Michigan's most famous views looks down from a dramatic Porcupine Mountain ridge onto the lake and Big Carp Valley. Glorious fall color. Now accessible to all. ... more

Union Bay. The most popular and easily reached Lake Superior beach in the Porkies, it's accessible by car and even has a concession stand by the large modern campground. ... more

Summit Peak Observation Tower. It feels like you're floating above an undulating sea of green here at the park's highest spot ... more

Presque Isle River Waterfalls. Swinging footbridge leads across the river to Lake Superior river mouth known for steelhead run. Warm wading at the beach. Waterfall aficianados consider the three falls here among the most U.P.'s most beautiful for the water patterns and the old-growth forest setting. ... more

Overlooked and Greenstone Falls. Two fine waterfalls, reached by fairly short hikes through old-growth hemlocks and past a gorge, are well worth the walk ... more

Explorers Falls. For those up to a long hike into the Porkies, the reward is experiencing the finest waterfall on the park's Carp River. ... more

Hike to Trap Falls. A 3 to 4 hour hike though hemlocks, hardwoods and big pines to a remote and picturesque waterfall ... more

Along the North Country Trail. Not the Porkies' most scenic trail, but its most remote. Connects to Black River waterfalls, Trap Hills, and Sturgeon River Gorge Wilderness Area beyond the state park. ... more

Long trek deep into the Porkies. A recommended 3- to 4-day backpacking hike deep into the Porkies, through old-growth forest, past waterfalls, along the Little Carp River. ... more

Abinodja Falls, Ogimawke Falls & Ogima Falls. Just south of the state park, a marvelous series of waterfalls for those willing to take the trouble to find them ... more

PORCUPINE MOUNTAINS STATE PARK

Park Visitor Center and nature center

The Visitor Center should be a visitor's first stop when it's open. That's from the May weekend before Memorial Day through October, normally from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time. The center offers informative free handouts, detailed hiking and topo maps for sale, and interesting background exhibits.

Unfortunately, the book- and gift store is now operated by a concessionaire instead of by the Fort Wilkins Natural History Association. The book selection is no longer cherry-picked by a knowledgeable naturalist and historian. Sometimes it's hard to appreciate the wisdom of DNR policies!

The short interpretive nature trail at the Visitor Center is a good introduction to area plants and animals. Helpful park rangers here can give information about trails, backpacking, canoeing, fishing (for steelhead, salmon, and trout), and more.

Inside the center, a big, detailed relief map of the huge park helps orient visitors. An excellent 15-minute multi-image program, shown upon request, informs visitors about the area's history, wildlife and natural features, and recreational possibilities. Evening programs are held Monday through Thursday in July and August. (Usually they're at 7:30 p.m.; call for details.) Regular topics are black bears, wildflowers, peregrine falcons, wolves, owls, and bats. The daytime activity schedule includes interesting nature hikes on many topics. These hikes explore old mine sites and bear habitat. (Michigan's record white pine, a long-time favorite hiking attraction, has now fallen.) Stargazing at Lake of the Clouds overlook is a real highlight for all ages. Hikes and nature programs are held from mid June into early October. Call about winter activities. The visitor center is wheelchair-accessible.

Two of the park's naturalists are treasures in their own right. Each has spent over two decades studying the area's history and ecology in the off-season, and picking up more perspective from some visitors in season. Former naturalist Robert Sprague has been taken out of front-line commission with his promotion to park manager — a position that draws on his depth of experience in an administrative way. Take advantage of this opportunity to learn from people who are connected to a place in a way that has become rare in the United States today.

Off M-107 at the park's eastern end. (906) 885-5277.

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