Porcupine Mountains State Park, UP, Michigan & south UP Waterfall

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LMT66

LMT66

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Before you go: Must have book before you go in the interior:
ISBN 0-9711654-4-0 Porcupine Mountains Companion - Inside Michigan's Largest State Park by Michael Rafferty and Robert Spraque, 4th Edition
and
A great book of short Bear Tales from his years as a Park Ranger. I can't stress how much a pleasure it is to read this book of bear stories thru this man's many years as a PM SP Ranger!
ISBN 978-0-9623664-6-4 True Bear Tales - By Ranger David E. Young, Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park -4th Edition


http://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/07porkies_backcountry-brochure__map_184899_7.pdf
Trail map to this 60,000 acre Midwest Gem.

Please note, all waterfalls were running low volume in late fall. Springtime is spectacular! Have some to show in a month or so.
 
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Amazing pics. Thanks very much for sharing. It's always a treat to see what years and years of running water can do to rock.

Great stuff,

- Mike
 
Ahhhhh - I love the porkies, been quite a few years since I've been there. The porkies and Isle Royale make Michigan worth while. Just wish I didn't live so far away from them.

Thanks for the pics.
 
The "Porkies" were the first place I ever went backpacking and I have been back there several times. While it might not have the majesty of the Rockies or parts of the desert southwest (both of which I have backpacked, too) it is still a beautiful place and one I hope to return to one of these days.
 
The Porcupine Mountains are awesome.
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My wife and I and another couple drove up to the Porkies from Minnesota last fall for a week of camping and hiking. We timed it perfectly as the fall colors were in absolute peak. Unfortunately it rained non-stop the whole time we were there. We ended up just packing it in and heading back early. But the few hikes we did were nice.
 

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Mountainman38 said:
What's the last picture? If it's seashore, it sure looks different that what we see on this side.
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That would be Lake Superior. People who have never seen them in person are often supprised at just how huge and sea-like the Great Lakes can be. Lake Superior itself is larger than the state of South Carolia, and waves of 20-30 feet are not uncommon during winter storms. Lake Supperior is also the site of the title event of the famous Gordon Lightfoot song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" about a 700+ foot freighter that went down during a November storm. ;)
 
mdauben said:
That would be Lake Superior. People who have never seen them in person are often supprised at just how huge and sea-like the Great Lakes can be. Lake Superior itself is larger than the state of South Carolia, and waves of 20-30 feet are not uncommon during winter storms. Lake Supperior is also the site of the title event of the famous Gordon Lightfoot song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" about a 700+ foot freighter that went down during a November storm. ;)
Click to expand...


There is actually a fairly large and active Great Lakes surfing community.

Jeff
 
mdauben said:
That would be Lake Superior. People who have never seen them in person are often supprised at just how huge and sea-like the Great Lakes can be. Lake Superior itself is larger than the state of South Carolia, and waves of 20-30 feet are not uncommon during winter storms. Lake Supperior is also the site of the title event of the famous Gordon Lightfoot song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" about a 700+ foot freighter that went down during a November storm. ;)
Click to expand...

Lake Superior gets very very rough! Being a massive shallow water basin, the wave heights get incredible. Enough to make any one with true "sea legs" shudder. I'm still looking for pictures I have of Lake Superior in full glory when I hiked the Lake Superior trail from the bluff over Lake in the Clouds to the Presque Isle scenic area. Will post if I find them.

All the photos everyone posted show a vast stand of timber. There are old abandoned copper mines thruout the park along with waterfalls, very rugged terrain. The road (unplowed in winter) that cuts thru the park is a 27 mile drive. It's a massive tract of land that looks no different today than it did 100 years ago. There are light day hikes on marked trails you can take with the family but you need to be cautious. This is a place you can pack into for a week and never see another soul. Well, humanwise anyway. There are ALOT of black bears and a small population of wolves along with certain cats. Bears being the biggest issue since careless campers have made them associate camper/hikers with a snack. If you go, bring bear spray (guns are not allowed in the park) and hang your food from provided bear poles or from a tree and use bear proof containers. There are cabins in the interior but no roads to them. If you pack into this park, be prepared because you are on your own and your cellphone wont work. Make sure you notify the rangers of your plans if camping. One note:
Along that 27 mile road thru the park, look for unofficial yellow markings placed on the road with arrows. These point in the direction of bear dens. Use caution in these areas especially this time of year.
Be prepared in summer for Bug Heaven!
 
That's one of my favorite parts of the state PM66. Thanks for posting the awesome photos. Do you live up in that neck of the woods?

Jeff
 
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