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SIDNAW
POINTS
OF
INTEREST
Sturgeon River Gorge & Sturgeon Falls. View Michigan's deepest, wildest gorge from rim overlooks or a steep trail 3/4 mile down to Sturgeon River Falls, sheared sandstone walls, and crushed trees. Spectacular fall color. Prime trout fishing by campground south of the gorge. Silver Mountain offers a long forest panorama. ...
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North Country Trail Hike. This 4-mile hike on the NCT is a cornucopia of natural delights ...
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Silver Mountain. One of the finer vistas just south of the Keweenaw Bay awaits those who climb this steep mountain. ...
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Region: Keweenaw Peninsula
SIDNAW
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 | | Little remains of Sidnaw's 1940s German prisoner-of-war camp, a riveting aspect of U.P. lore. Most striking is this tall, rather complex-looking guard tower, the last to survive. A sawmill is still active on the site just west of town. |
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Sidnaw (pronounced "Sid NAH"), 20 miles southwest of L'Anse as the crow flies, boomed from logging in the 1890s.
Later, Sidnaw became Henry Ford's first Upper Peninsula project. His agent, Edward G. Kingsford, was already beginning to purchase the first of Ford's approximately 400,000 acres of timberland. In 1920 Ford built a lumber camp "the likes of which no sober lumberjack had ever dreamed," wrote Ford Bryan in Beyond the Model T: The Other Ventures of Henry Ford. Lumberjacks slept in bunkhouses with steam heat and electric lights. Dirty clothes were laundered, the cost of which was deducted from their pay of $5 a day. Locals called Ford's Sidnaw lumberjacks "lumber ladies." Ford was so proud of his Sidnaw camp that he showed it off to his good friends the Edison and the Firestones in 1924.
 | | Sidnaw has long been a logging center. This logyard west of town sometimes has 5,000-cord stacks. | In the 1930s Sidnaw had a Civilian Conservation Corps camp that became a work camp for German prisoners of war during World War II.
Today Sidnaw has become mostly a retirement town. Sidnaw is well known among snowmobilers on the Upper Peninsula's main east-west snowmobile trail because it has a restaurant, a bar, and a gas station/mini-mart - services not to be taken for granted in this area, and busy- and noisy - with sledders in winter. Their numbers swell when snow is skimpy in Wisconsin and northern Michigan.
Mom's Kitchen (906-355-2777) offers many kinds of pies. Her breakfast skillets and hot beef sandwiches are also favorites.
Back to Keweenaw Peninsula
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SIDNAW
RESTAURANTS,
LODGINGS
& CAMPGROUNDS
These are our choices, not ads.
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SIDNAW
RESTAURANTS
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SIDNAW
LODGINGS
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SIDNAW
CAMPGROUNDS
See also: L'Anse, Baraga, Michigamme. The Ottawa National Forest has temporarily closed its Teepee Lake Campground.
Sturgeon River Campground
(906) 852-3501
This is the only developed campground near the Sturgeon River Wilderness Area on the way to the Sturgeon River Gorge. It's part of the Ottawa National Forest; www.fs.fed.us/r9/ottawa . Most of the nine rustic, nonreservable campsites have excellent locations, flat and private, along the Sturgeon River in an area of young trees. The campground may fill on July 4 and on nice summer weekends, but otherwise it should have space. Trailers over 14' aren't recommended here because of difficulties caused by the curving access road.
6 miles north from M-28 on FH 2200. Open from mid May thru Nov. $6/night. Wheelchair access: call. Dogs permitted on leash.
Norway Lake Campground
(906) 352-3501. TTY: (906) 852-3618
Travelers heading to or from the Porkies on M-28 might find this pleasant, 28-site rustic campground (no showers, vault toilets) handy. It's part of the Ottawa National Forest; www.fs.fed.us/r9/ottawa . Space is usually available, though it fills on July 4 and occasional nice summer weekends. Norway Lake is a very small lake with a beach and boat launch. It is a destination family campground far away from the sounds of civilization. The Deer Marsh Interpretive Trail makes a three-mile loop from the campground, explaining about wildlife and wetlands along the way. Some of it is boardwalk. Wheelchairs can use it with some assistance if it's not too soft and wet. The pavilion with fireplace is used for family reunions. The shady campground can handle larger RVs. Not reservable.
8 miles south of Sidnaw. On a map, it's where Houghton, Baraga, and Iron counties come together. Go 6 miles on Sidnaw South Rd., turn east on Norway Lake Rd. $10/night. Open from mid May thru Nov. Wheelchair access: call. Dogs permitted on leash.
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