Western Upper Peninsula
| Porcupine
Mountains Wilderness State Park 412 South Boundary Rd., Ontonagon, MI 49953; (906) 885-5275. Located on the shores of Lake Superior, this 60,000-acre park offers towering old-growth forests, cliff-top scenic vistas, waterfalls, back country and modern campsites, more than 90 miles of hiking trails and 16 rustic cabins. For the winter, the park offers 42K of cross country ski trails and 15 ski runs along a 641-foot vertical drop.The park also contains four lakes, including the impressive Lake of the Clouds.The visitor center is a necessary stop to get oriented to park facilities and programs.Take M-107 three miles west of Silver City. Rustic cabin rental available. |
ONTONAGON
TOWNSHIP PARK (906) 884-2930 (seasonal); (906) 884-2415 - This simple park and campground, tucked away northeast of downtown Ontonagon, enjoys a long, sandy Lake Superior beach and beautiful views. Campsites under big pines are big enough to accommodate 35' rigs, but don't provide privacy between sites. Electricity and water serves each site, but there are no showers or flush toilets. There's a playground and a walkway to town. Sunset views from the walkway or beach are outstanding. This is a real find for spur-of-the-moment vacationers who haven't made reservations at the Porkies. Thus far, it only fills on holiday weekends. Not reservable. - Take Houghton St. northeast from M-38 downtown. It turns into Lake Shore. Park is in 1/2 mile. About $10/night. Handicap access: one step into toilets. Dogs: on 6-foot least. |
Sunshine
Motel and Cabins 24077 West State Highway M-64 Ontonagon, MI 49953-9039The Sunshine Motel & Cabins & Rustic Campground is located on many acres of wooded land, has access to beautiful Lake Superior and provides you with a Superior place to stay as you enjoy all the activities that Ontonagon, Michigan provides. 15-site wooded rustic
campground. Tents only. Picnic tables, fire pits, water source and porta
potty |
RIVER
PINES RV PARK & CAMPGROUND (906) 884-4600; (800) 424-1520 - Ontonagon's only modern campground, a Good Sam affiliate, has 32 sites ($18-$25/night for a family of 4) on a tree-lined drive with full hookups. Cable TV and phone hookups extra. Shady tent sites $16/night. The main house has one room to rent (sleeps 5). The rec room converts to a dorm room in winter ($12/night). There's a rec hall, game room, playground, and small store and laundry room. The Ontonagon River is across the road with a dock for fishing and canoeing. Under 2 miles to town beach on Lake Superior. Reservations advised from July 4-Labor Day. - 600 River Road on west bank of Ontonagon River. Take M-64 west out of town, but turn onto River Road just south of the marina. Open all year. Wheelchair accessible Pets OK |
| Gogebic
Lodge 906-842-3321 Tents and up to 35-foot trailers. * 8 sites - 2 full
hookups, 6 water/electric |
Black
River Harbor Campground The National Forest campground is on a bluff overlooking the lake. It has 40 well spaced and nicely maintained campsites, some with Lake Superior Views. Reservations are available by calling 906-932-7250. |
Lake
Gogebic State Park H.C. 1, Box 139, Marenisco, Ml 49947; (906) 842-3341. This park offers lakefront campsites on the shore of Lake Gogebic, the largest inland lake in the U.P Take US-2 to Marenisco and drive 10 miles north on M-64, or take M-64 south of M-28 eight miles. |
Porcupine
Mountains State Park. Michigan's Largest area of undeveloped wilderness. It is 92 square miles big, with virgin forest, scenic waterfalls, rugged Lake Superior shore line, remote rustic cabins, 87 miles of hiking trails, and virtually no roads. Back-country camping throughout the wilderness. Tao camping units: Union Bay, 16 miles west of Ontonagon has 100 sites on Lake Superior. Electricity, showers, dump station. Presque Isle Unit at the west side of the park has 50 rustic sites with water available at two hand pumps. Contact Park Manager, Porcupine Mountains State Park, 4125 Boundary Road, Ontonagon, MI 49953. Phone 906-885-5275 |
| Union
Bay Campground Located 17 miles West of Ontonagon on M-107 in Porcupine Mountains State Park. 100 campsites on Lake Superior. Lake Superior agate beach, boat launch, drinking water, electric hook-ups, flush toilets, fishing, hiking, playground, sanitation station, swimming, shower building, handicap accessible & waterfalls. Call 906-885-5275 or for reservations 800-447-2757. |
RUNKLE
PARK AND CAMPGROUND (906) 875-3051 - The 57 campsites at this pretty lakeside park from the 1920s have electricity, shade, water hookups, and showers, but no privacy buffers. (See "points of interest" for Runkle Park.) There are tennis courts and ball diamonds. Walking distance to Crystal Falls, golf. - Off M-69 about 1/2 mile east of the Paint River and Crystal Falls. Turn north at sign. Park is just ahead. About $10/night without sewage hookup, $15/night with it. Open from Mem. through Labor Day weekends. Handicap accessible: mostly pretty good, but not ADA accessible. Firm ground. Wheelchair-accessible fishing pier. Occasional tree roots. Dogs permitte. |
PAINT
RIVER HILLS CAMPGROUND (906) 875-4977 - Local people who love their town's beauty spots are impressed with this new tidy, clean campground on 36 acres on the west side of the Paint River within walking distance to town. The five cabins, 29 tent sites, and 23 RV sites don't have river views, but the water can be heard everywhere. A half-mile trail goes along the riverside bluffs and then descends to take an improved path through the large white cedars and hardwoods of "Fairy Tale Swamp," as generations of children have called it. The general public enjoys access to this trail. Bluebird and wood duck houses encourage those birds. Many kinds of wildlife are seen here. The heated, insulated 12' x 12' log cabins are in a semi-circle around the bath and shower house. They don't have bathrooms or kitchens. Each sleeps up to six in a double-bed bunk and a twin bunk. Nightly rentals are $38-$40. Of the RV sites, four pull-through sites ($22/night) have sewer, water, and 50 amp service. Six pull-through sites ($20) have 30 amp service. The 13 back-in sites and 29 tent sites ($15) are in shady areas, well separated by landscape buffers. |
BEWABIC
STATE PARK (906) 875-3324 - This beautiful state park on a chain of four lakes offers swimming, tennis, and good canoeing, kayaking, and fishing. Most sites in the 144-site modern campground ($14 and $16 a night) are in a heavily wooded area that enjoys excellent privacy plus electricity and showers. Foot trails and a drive connect the campground with the nearest lake, 1/4 to 1/2 mile away. (The campground used to be near the lake, but the septic system failed.) Use, though not heavy, is increasing; Bewabic has tended to fill on July and August weekends. The popular lakes may be busy on Saturday but are never crowded; Pentoga Lake is more heavily used. The two-mile trail system goes mostly through mature hardwood forest of maples and birch. Canoeist-campers who'd like to avoid other campers altogether should ask at the office for the map to 40 acres of state land on Third Lake, on which they can camp informally. - On U.S. 2, four miles west of Crystal Falls and about 11 miles east of Iron River, on the west side of First Fortune Lake. Open all year. Campground not plowed; winter plug-ins are by the office. State park sticker required: $6/day for Michigan residents, $8 otherwise. Annual pass is $24 for residents, $29 otherwise. Handicap accessibility: call. Buildings are not ADA accessible. |
| Primitive
camping at PEAVY POND and the MICHIGAMME RESERVOIR/ (906) 779-2479 - Wisconsin Electric Power (now "We Energies") owns 13 hydroelectric dams on the Menominee River watershed in the Upper Peninsula and Northern Wisconsin. It also owns 40,000 acres of surrounding recreational land, which the company calls "Wilderness Shores." These reservoirs are its two biggest, on the Michigamme River less than ten miles from Crystal Falls. They have long, irregular shorelines of many inlets and peninsulas. The long Michigamme Reservoir is northeast of town. Peavy Pond is to the southeast. There are also campsites along the Brule River. Fishing is the big attraction, for smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike, muskellunge, and panfish. Eagles, osprey, and other raptors prey on the fish. Most of the land is open to hunting, with deer and grouse the main attractions. "We Energies" has voluntarily developed small, primitive campgrounds on so-called "project lands" around dams that are licensed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. These lands are required to be open to public access, with boat launches provided. See "Camping" for Crystal Falls.
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BURNED
DAM CAMPGROUND / Ottawa National Forest
A primitive option
on national forest land is the small, unusually scenic Burned Dam Campground
at Mex-I-Mine Falls. Four roomy, well-spaced, wooded sites are near
a prime canoeing stretch of the Ontonagon River Middle Branch, a few
miles northeast of Watersmeet. No charge for camping. |
MARION
LAKE CAMPGROUND Ottawa National Forest This 39-site rustic campground is quiet but not far from Watersmeet or Sylvania. At least half the campsites are right on the 318-acre lake, which has decent fishing for muskie, walleye, bass. One campsite loop is high, with lake views. Two loops are on the lake. All are shaded by maples. Reservable group camping is in a separate area. May fill on holiday weekends. The swimming beach has a 1930s changing house built by the CCC. There's an open playfield for games. - 5 miles east of Watersmeet on Marion Lake Rd., north off U.S. 2. Open mid-May thru Nov. $10/night. Wheelchair-accessibile: all but toilets (1 step). |
GLIDDEN
LAKE CAMPGROUND/COPPER COUNTRY STATE FOREST (906) 353-6651 - A beach and boat launch are near the 23-site rustic campground (no electricity or showers, vault toilets) at Glidden Lake. A 10-mile hiking/ski path starts here. This is just a mile east of the Michigamme River, near Peavy Pond and its good walleye fishing. - Look for the sign to the campground on M-69 5 miles east of Crystal Falls. Campground is one mile south of highway. $10/ night. Handicap accessible: call. Dogs permitted on 6-foot leash. |
| IMP
LAKE CAMPGROUND Ottawa National Forest (906) 358-4551 - This small campground, with 22 private, shady sites, is choice. All sites have lake views; most are on the water. An informal swimming beach is on 84-acre Imp Lake. Best of all is the Imp Lake Interpretive Trail, a 1.5 mile loop through an old-growth forest and past wetlands. Fishing for splake is good, trout fishing decent. - 6 miles southeast of Watersmeet just south of U.S. 2. $10/night. Open mid-May thru Nov. Handicap accessibility: vault toilets have a step. First half of trail is accessible. |
SYLVANIA
WILDERNESS AREA Ottawa National Forest. These 29 wilderness
campsites, nestled in these old-growth woods, can be reached by water.
(For canoe and kayak rentals, see Sylvania Outfitters.) 13 are also
reachable by land on defined hiking trails. An inconspicuous brown shoreline
post marks each campsite. Campsites are so artfully deployed that you
can feel quite alone here, even when every campsite is full. |
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