OT - camping in MI UP

[adventure_woman]

So, DH wants us to explore the eastern side of the UP next summer for our family vacation. Any places you have visited which you enjoyed? Campgrounds you liked/didn't like? Best time to go? (I really want to avoid the black fly season - isn't that June/July?). So, I'm thinking maybe August? There will be us 2 and our 2 girls - they will be 5 and 2. We will be pulling a travel trailer.

(Yes, we live in MI too....this was the deal when I picked our last vacation - DCL, that he got to pick the next one. You can tell we have 2 different tastes!! )

 

[U.P. North]

Sault Ste Marie is Awesome!
Mackinaw

We camp in the U.P. 2 to 4 times a season! So much to do around that area. Tahq Falls, Whitefish Point. Munising has the Pictured Rocks.

We stay at Brimley State Park as a base camp to the Soo, Whitefish Point, Taqh falls. Then we move to Straits State Park on the way home for Mackinaw. We usually camp mid july to Aug and don't have Black Fly trouble then. We did the western UP about 5 years ago in June and went to Porcupine Mountains and the flies were awfull then. But highly recommend going there also! From there we visited Iron Mountain and Copper Harbor.

We will be at the Soo all next week!!

You will enjoy it there!

 

[jbmom]

Brimley State Park is really nice and has nice restroom/shower facilities. There are also some campgrounds in the Soo right on the St. Mary's River. In the Soo there are the locks, you must eat at Clyde's and watch the ships go by. The Sugar Island Ferry docks there too(my mom grew up on the island). We don't spend much time in the Soo, only visit relatives and we take the boys through the gallery in the casino(there's a basket my grandma made and was donated in my moms name to the gallery).

We love Tahquamenon Falls, Whitefish Point, Point Iroquois Lighthouse you can climb to the top of the lighthouse and there is an interesting story about the beach, Pictured Rocks, Grand Marais, there is a canoe trip down the Little Two Heart River that is so relaxing. We go at the end of July and haven't had any problem with black flies then. The wild blueberries are usually ready then too.

We love the U.P.!

 

[adventure_woman]

Thx! How much time would you allow for each area?

 

[bear_mom]

How much time to you want to spend up there and do you have anything you really want to do?

We have camped at many different places in the UP (mostly northern shore):

St. Ignace - state camp ground, visited Mackinaw City, Mackinac Island and St. Ignace

Brimley - state camp ground, went to the Soo. While the campground is nice, there wasn't a whole lot to do there.

Grand Marais - private campground, spent time seeing Pictured Rocks and doing lot of day hikes

Tahquamenon Falls - state camp ground, seeing the falls and there is a neat shipwreck museum at Whitefish Point.

McClain - state park just outside Hancock. spent time driving around looking at various water falls (there are a ton up there), the lake, and then spent time in Houghton downtown and MTU

Ft. Wilkins - at the very top of the UP, state park. spent time driving around looking at water falls, went to estivant pines (really, really old very large hardword forest - the trees are huge), and there is a fort to explore. Spent some time at the little lake there (Fanny Hoe) and Superior.

My dds, ages 12 and 9 now, liked various things at all of them. Where we go depends a lot on how far we want to drive - 3 hours vs. 7 hours, how long we want to stay and what we want to see.

One one trip we spent 3 nights at Fort Wilkins and 2 nights in McClain.

One trip we spent 2 nights in Grand Marais and 2 nights at Tahq falls.

One trip we spent 3 nights in Grand Marais.

One trip we spent 2 nights at Tahq Falls and 2 nights in Brimley. (prob the kids least favorite)

This August we spent 3 nights in McClain, but drove up past Ft. Wilkins.

And we have done two trips where we have spent 2 nights in St. Ignace (avoid the classic car festival weekend - that one was less than enjoyable at night).

Emily

 

[angierae]

We did an Eastern UP trip this summer (we didn't camp though, so I can't help you for campgrounds) but we went the week after July 4th and didn't have any problems with the black flies. My husband, whose family is from the UP, says that's more a June thing.

If you go to Taquamenon Falls, not too far from there there's a place called Oswald's Bear Ranch - they rescue bears and bear cubs that would otherwise be put down - bears who wintered or had their cubs on people's summer home properties, and then have to be evicted. The bears are in huge enclosures and are well treated and it was, I believe, only $15 a car load to get in there, then you could buy apples to feed the bears and whatnot.

It was fascinating, and a friend had mentioned it to us as we were preparing to leave for our trip and we decided to do it last minute, and I'm glad we did.

The Pictured Rocks cruise in Munising is lovely if you get up that way, too. We also did the Soo Locks boat tour. It was a very lovely vacation and it has DH and I wanting to buy a summer home up that way when we retire.

 

[dzorn]

We enjoyed Van riper state park when I was younger, also Ft. Wilkins at the very tip. Get a picture at the end of 75 with the key west milage.

Denise in MI

 

[Angie_T]

A day trip to Mackinaw Island is always fantastic. My kids always love the ride on the ferry and the horse drawn carriage rides on the island.

I can't imagine ANYWHERE in the UP being a bad place to stay. It is beautiful up there.