91 - Helpful Area Information
For informational handouts for Seney, Blaney Park and Germfask, contact the Schoolcraft County Chamber of Commerce in Manistique at 1000 W. Lakeshore/U.S. 2 just west of the harbor next to the Burger King. (906) 341-5010; http//Xschoolcraftcountychamber.com Open year-round, Mon-Fri 9-5, in summer also Sat from 10 to 2. The Manistique Area Tourist Council mails visitor packets for Schoolcraft County. (800) 342-4282; visitmanistique.com. . . . For Curtis and the Manistique Lakes, contact or stop in at the Curtis Area Chamber of Commerce, (800) OKCURTIS or (906) 586-3700. Or visit http//Xcurtischamber.com and curtismi.com (tourism). Hours: Mon-Fri 10-4. The chamber office is in the little red building on the east side of town, East Main at H-33, by the gas station. The free Curtis Area Guide, published every other year, is packed with information and perspective….. Grand Marais has an extremely helpful web site. Visit http//Xgrandmaraismichigan.com, or call (906) 494-2447 for a call-back…..For Newberry and Luce County, the Newberry Area Chamber & Tourism Association has an office in a little log house on M-28 at M-123 south of town, next to Pickleman's Pantry. It's open weekdays 9 to 5 year-round, and Saturdays 9-1 in summer and snowmobile season. Call (906) 293-5562 or visit newberrychamber.net….For Paradise, contact the Paradise Chamber of Commerce, (906) 492-3219 or visit paradisemichigan.org. Its office, open summers, is on M-123 at the south entrance to town, just north of the school and library….For info about the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, there's the National Lakeshore's Grand Marais Visitor Center (906-494-2660), 2 miles west of Grand Marais on H-58. It's open 9-5 from mid-May thru Labor Day. The year-round Pictured Rocks/Hiawatha National Forest Visitor Center (906-387-3700) is in Munising.
PUBLIC LAND and CAMPING: Public lands are open to a wide variety of uses—often hunting and fishing, and also in specific places open to mountain biking, ORVs, snowmobiling, and many other activities. These info resources may be helpful. . . . Much of the area between Lake Superior and the Tahquamenon River is either state forest land or part of the 47,000-acre Tahquamenon Falls State Park (906-492-3415). See this guidebook, or search for the park at http://michigan.dnr.com/
parksandtrails). . . . The DNR Operations Service Center in Newberry has visitor information about its Tahquamenon/Superior state forest land, also about state forest land between Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and Seney. It is on the east side of M-123 north of M-28, by the Comfort Inn. Open weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (906) 293-3293. Visit http://michigan.gov/
dnr to explore the DNR's vast domain (wildlife-watching, hunting, fishing, camping, motorcycles, ATVs, forestry). . . . Get info on the variety of permitted uses (including hunting and fishing) at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (906-387-3700; see Munising section of this book and this chapter) and the Seney National Wildlife Refuge (906-586-9851) in this chapter. There's also a good deal of Hiawatha National Forest land from Seney to Curtis and Manistique. Visit http//Xfs.usda.gov /hiawatha. Call or stop by the Hiawatha National Forest Manistique office (906 341-5666) at 449 E. Lakeshore/U.S. 2 just east of downtown. Open Mon, Tues & Fri 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m…..More Hiawatha National Forest land is around Hulbert, administered by the Sault Ste. Marie office on I-75 Business Spur, not far from the I-75 exit. (906) 635-5398. Weekdays 8-4:30. . . . Each Hiawatha National Forest office and the Michigan Welcome Centers at St. Ignace and Sault Ste. Marie carry the Hiawatha handouts and advice on camping, canoeing, hiking, and other recreational opportunities.
GUIDES: Mark's Rod & Reel on M-123 is the best source of current fishing guides in the Tahquamenon area. (906) 293-5608. . . . For fishing the Fox in the Seney area you might try Big Cedar Campground and Canoe Livery (906-586-6684) and Northland Outfitters (906-586-9801) on the Manistique River and M-77 in Germfask . . . The Fish and Hunt Shop (906-586-9531) in Curtis is another good info source. . . . For charter fishing in Grand Marais, call the chamber, (906-494-2447 http//Xgrandmaraismichigan.com).
PICNIC PROVISIONS and PLACES: Supermarkets are few and far between in this sparsely populated area. The Curtis IGA on Main Street caters to a more affluent clientele. In Newberry, a big, bustling supermarket with a good deli is Rahilly's IGA right downtown on Helen a block west of M-123….In Grand Marais, the relatively new Bayshore Market on the main street is a huge step up for local shopping. (906) 494-2581…..Paradise has a small grocery with irregular hours. There's also the Tahquamenon Falls General Store with subs half a mile east of Tahquamenon Falls State Park. (906) 492-3560. If it's closed but you see a light on next door, knock on the door.
■ 3 miles north of Newberry, the Tahquamenon River Logging Museum has a picnic area near M-123.
■ Just south of Germfask on M-77 is an MDOT highway picnic area on the Manistique River.
■ West of Seney on M-28 is a big log-cabin-style MDOT highway rest area and with dog run. It's not super-scenic but it's in just the right place for a break before driving the boring Seney Stretch. In the town of Seney the township park has some picnic tables.
■ In Grand Marais scenic in-town picnic areas are in a grassy park on the harbor downtown and out on Coast Guard Point. Go through downtown, then curve east along the shore of West Bay. There's also a picnic area by the Pictured Rocks Visitor Center on H-58 a few miles west of town. The West Bay Diner has good deli salads, meats, and cheeses for a picnic. It may be crowded. Mid-afternoon it's less busy.
■ At Deer Park on H-58 east of Grand Marais there's a picnic area by the beach at Muskallonge Lake State Park. (906-494-2447).
■ At Tahquamenon Falls State Park the picnic area is by the main parking lot at the Upper Falls. You are welcome to bring a bag lunch to the beautiful outdoor deck by the Tahquamenon Brew Pub restaurant and takeout snack bar. (The burgers are excellent.)
■ Travelers are advised to stock up on terrific sourdough bread at the North Star Bakery on M-123 nine miles west of the Upper Falls.
■ In Paradise, Brown's Fish House has excellent smoked fish and fish dip is excellent. Sawmill Park is shortly north of the blinker light in Paradise on Whitefish Point Road. More spectacular is the picnic area overlooking Lake Superior at the Tahquamenon River mouth, part of the state park.
■ Whitefish Point has no designated picnic area, but a brown bag lunch on the benches at Hawk Hill overlook would be memorable. Or bring a blanket and take a foot trail from behind the Whitefish Point Bird Observatory to the beach.
Return to 91
See our U.P. interactive maps that locate the best experiences the U.P. has to offer—from camping & hiking to good eating & vistas!
We also have created useful maps to major U.P. TOWNS.
Hunt's Map Guide to the Upper Peninsula
• 13 detailed U.P. maps
• Full color, on sturdy, water-resistant paper
• Folds out to 12”x38”
• Only $6.95
To learn more & buy online, click here
