Exploring the Porcupine Mountains, Michigan

When I say exploring, I mean cramming in as much hiking as possible. We spent a day and a half playing in the Porcupine Mountains, located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, 15 miles west of Ontonagan. I imagine that Matt and I wore my parents out with the mileage we covered, but we barely even scratched the surface of this 60,000 acre state park. (Don’t worry, we rewarded ourselves with cocktails and a bonfire on the beach. Twice!)

We arrived in White Pine in the late afternoon, and immediately drove up to the Lake of the Clouds overlook, only to find it completely shrouded in fog. (It was kind of amusing, but became less amusing when it was very overcast during our second attempt the following morning.)

So we found other little hikes and waterfalls, like Bonanza Falls, and before long it was time to retire to the cabin, at Mountain View Lodges.

The next day, we went back to the Lake of the Clouds overlook (well, two times), hiked on the Escarpment Trail for a bit, and hiked the along the Presque Isle River.

Looking up towards the Lake of the Clouds overlook from the bridge that crosses the Big Carp River.

We hiked a loop along the Presque Isle River, taking the west side to the South Boundary Road, crossing the bridge there, and then hiking the east side to the suspension bridge near the mouth of the river. The park has done a fabulous job with the boardwalks along the West River Trail. The East River Trail is rugged and awesome, but the best part is seeing the waterfalls from both perspectives.

(We extended the hike to the beach.)

This is the view from the middle of the suspension bridge, looking towards Lake Superior.

Yep, yet another place we’re adding to the list to revisit. There are so many opportunities for hiking, backpacking, and even cross-country skiing. Oh, and several back country cabins to rent. Count me in!

And for your parting shot, Lake of the Clouds on a clear day. :)