2018 Great Lake States - Munising, Michigan

2018 Great Lakes Trip – Munising, Michigan

Photo link: 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/F6252TCpvCsjEfDs5

Wednesday August 8^th – Tuesday, August 14^th 

Superior Times Resort, AuTrain, MI

After spending a week in the Keweenaw area, we were ready to head on to our next location in Michigan.

So we headed south and then eastward towards the town of Munising. Along the way we stopped at a beautiful roadside park to check out what was advertised as Canyon Falls hike. It was amazing to find this type of hiking trail along the roadside. Michigan has done very well on these parks and provided extra exploring opportunities. The hike back to the falls included the trail along the Sturgeon River Gorge, ultimately to the beautiful falls. Everyone including the dogs enjoyed the hike. We then proceeded eastward until we arrived at the Superior Times Resort and Campground where we had reservations. After getting the campsite setup we realized it was not sufficient, so we just had to work with what we had since we had already paid for it. We regret to say we were totally disappointed in the campground. Instead of being called Superior Resort & Campground, I will call it Inferior Resort. It was probably one of the worst campgrounds we've ever stayed in. They advertised it as being beautiful with great amenities, but it was completely the opposite. Terrible campsites, terrible supporting amenities (such as a trashed game room) and beach and terrible non-caring owners. Everything seemed to be a total mess, not as advertised, so we were ready to get out of there.

The next day we drove into the town of Munising to the Visitor Center to get information on the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. We did a short hike from The Visitor Center to the Munising Falls. We also walked down to a sandy beach lake front on a very foggy day. Kurt was able to also get information on paddling his kayak along the Pictured Rocks Lakeshore.

The next day we purchased tickets to take the boat tour out of Munising Marina along the Pictured Rocks Lakeshore. This National Treasure is the main attraction for the Munising area. The tour lasted about two and a half hours and it was very exciting to see the many rock formations and the painted rocks created by various minerals seepage along the cliff walls. We truly enjoyed the tour and would highly recommend it to anyone visiting that area.

The next day Kurt took his kayak down to the Lakeshore and decided to do the same and observe the cliffs from his kayak. He got much closer than we were able to with the boat tour and took some amazing photos. He was excited to say that he has for a second time paddled his kayak in Lake Superior.

The last day we were there Kurt wanted to kayak along the Autrain River which flows from Lake Autrain out to Lake Superior. The weather was perfect and he enjoyed the kayak along a nice flowing river. I decided not to do this paddle because I wanted to spend the day with my boys, Kody and Luca.

After our 5 days there we were ready to move south to the Lower Peninsula of Michigan.

2018 Great Lakes Trip - Keweenaw, Michigan

2018 Great Lakes Trip – Keweenaw, Michigan

Photo link:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/mc1Wd1kbgoc8snMt8

Wednesday August 1^st – Tuesday, August 7^th

Lake Linden Campground, Lake Linden, MI

Our next adventure was in Keweenaw County, Michigan on the northern peninsula. We drove out of Wisconsin heading south and then east, passing into Michigan then continuing along the Lake Superior coastal highway. There were many beautiful views along the way, including the Ottawa National Forest and passing through many small coastal towns. We finally arrived in the village of Lake Linden where we set up at the city campground. The campground was very nice, especially for a small town, and was on Lake Linden. We had a beautiful view from our campsite which was very nice and spacious.

One of the main attractions on this peninsula is the town of Copper Harbor, on the northernmost shore. The drive up to that area was beautiful and we were able to see scenic views of the whole Copper Harbor area from the Brockway Mountain top. This whole peninsula area has a rich history of mining, especially copper and iron. Now Copper Harbor is a lovely lakeside tourist town.

We found a hiking trail in the Copper Harbor area at Hunter's Point Park. The trail followed the narrow peninsula along the lakeshore.  We visited Agate Beach which is made up of nothing but red smooth rocks and boulders, where one could potentially find agate stones. We enjoyed the hike, the beautiful views of the lake and harbor with our dogs.

Another day we drove back up to Copper Harbor along a scenic drive along the peninsula shores. This took us through other coastal towns of Eagle River and Eagle Harbor. The beaches along the lake were beautiful and mostly rock covered with some sand. Along the way we visited three lighthouses, rocky shores and historical towns.

There were also mountain biking opportunities in the area. Just south of Lake Linden is Michigan Tech University. So therefore, there were some great trails near there. We spent some time riding the fun trails and enjoying the exercise. Another day, Kurt drove back up to Copper Harbor to ride the trails there. They were more difficult and technical, so I chose to pass on those trails.

We enjoyed our time in this area of Michigan. Now onto our next location in Michigan.