Munising, Michigan (Upper Peninsula)
Pulled into Christmas, MI (about 3 miles outside of Munising) to, Silent Nights campsites, which was our home for the next few days. These sites were great - plenty of space, and full hookups (water, sewer, electric - yay!) The town is cute and kitchsy in its homage to the Christmas season in that the streets are named “Mrs. Claus Lane” and “St. Nicholas Avenue”, and the restaurants and businesses follow suit in their offerings - such as where we’re staying. Gorgeous weather, so we got situated, unhooked the Jeep (our tow vehicle for the trip), and decided to explore. Headed into Munising, which is the main town from which all activities around the area get booked and launched, it seems. We decided to drive up to get a few initial views of the terrain, which took us to Miner’s Castle. We were just starting to get a glimpse of how beautiful this area really is.
Pictured Rocks, Lake Superior
Miner’s Castle, Picture Rocks National Area
This area is well-known as the Pictured Rocks area, and plenty of hiking, biking and boating opportunities exist to experience. We planned to do all 3 during our time here! After a little more exploring around the Miner’s Castle area, we headed back to camp for dinner. A family with kids around Owen’s age pulled in next to us that afternoon, and he had fun playing tag and catch with them until it got dark. Hoping we will have lots of opportunities like that along the way. This family was from southern Illinois, and on a 3-week camping trip through Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa.
The next day, we were anxious to try out the new BOTE kayaks we brought along (inflatables) and check out the shores of the area. We headed back to the Miner’s beach area, where it was relatively accessible for the boats and also offered an amazing expanse of sandy beach.
Owen discovered a path that hugged the rocky shoreline and would take us 10-15 feet above the water’s edge. Outfitted with ropes along the way (it was not a place you wanted to slip into the lake because chances of getting back up and out weren’t in your favor), we sneaked along the path for about a quarter mile until we had to turn back as the path left no option except for cliff jumping. We did return to the beach and jumped into the chilly waters of Lake Superior - which actually felt pretty good! Spent most of the afternoon here, just taking in the beautiful weather and the sights. That evening, yet another family pulled into our campsite and Owen had new friends, once again. Hoping that we have lots of these opportunities for him along the way.
I think we were all really looking forward to our next excursion, which would involve a day’s worth of exploration around Grand Island. This recreation area is part of the Hiawatha National Forest and allows for camping, hiking, and biking - but no cars. You access the island via Grand Island Ferry service, run by Patrick, Marie and their deck hand, Kali. Super nice people, who gave us lots of recommendations for sites throughout the US, as when they are not managing the Grand Island Ferry Service, they’re traveling in their sprinter van around the country. They said Big Bend National Park in Texas is not to be missed. They also requested that we contact them at the end of the trip “to see how things went.”
Caught the first ferry at 9 am (which is a rather large oversized pontoon boat), loaded our bikes, and traveled a mere 1/2 mile to the other shore. And we were off - the first couple of miles were pretty tame and then we quickly learned that we were in for some true mountain biking - large rocks, steep inclines (and declines) and lots of rock. I won’t lie - there were frustration and tears at times from the youngest Healy member but he really hung in there and went the FULL 21 miles! Tom and I were tired out too - it was a great ride and we hardly saw anyone else out there. The views were spectacular and the water was so clear - and the cliffs - - steep!
Overlooking Lake Superior from Grand Island
Round-trip it took us 5 hours (we were told the average is about 4-6 hours, although I would say expert bikers can get through it pretty quickly (we took a few breaks to rest and take in the views). The island was originally inhabited by the first settlers in the 1800’s (the Williams family, who had 10 kids) - two of the boys died in Lake Superior, although not sure how. The original home was eventually turned into/expanded into a resort in the early 1900s. A few buildings, as well as private residences, remain on the island. The original cemetery (where the Williams family is buried,) is hauntingly beautiful. It is still an active cemetery and descendants of the families that lived here over the years are able to be buried here.
Our final full day in Munising included hiking as part of our plans. We headed towards the Chapel and Mosquito Falls area initially, where we hiked the 3 miles roundtrip to Chapel Falls (supposedly the more interesting one of the two). Easy trek, heavily visited as it is easy to get to - if you have the right vehicle. The dirt road leading up to it is very well worn, rutted out and has large potholes. While there are a couple of parking spots for RVs, we would NOT recommend this unless you want to risk smashing up your grey and black tanks (we took the Jeep). There was an option to check out Chapel Beach, but we wanted to see Twelvemile Beach as well, and that included another 3 mile hike. This was a far less visited hike - we only saw 4-6 other people - and the views and landscape had large, overhanging rock cliffs and was a bit more strenuous than Chapel. It eventually led us out to Twelvemile beach - exactly what it sounds like. We were treated to a beautiful expanse of sand, which rivaled that of Hawaii or Panama. We kept asking ourselves - where is everyone?? But realized that these spots are a little extra work to get to if you’re able….and we realize that not everyone is, so what I love about the Pictured Rocks area is that there are many beautiful areas that are accessible to all.
Twelvemile Beach
We also had some time to drive down to Kitchitikipee. The touristy website says it best: “Two hundred feet across, the 40-foot deep Kitch-iti-kipi is Michigan's largest freshwater spring. Over 10,000 gallons a minute gush from fissures in the underlying limestone. The flow continues throughout the year at a constant 45 degree Fahrenheit. By means of a self-operated observation raft, visitors are guided to vantage points overlooking fascinating underwater features and fantasies. Ancient tree trunks, lime-encrusted branches and fat trout appear suspended in nothingness as they slip through crystal waters far below. Clouds of sand kept in constant motion by gushing waters create ever-changing shapes and forms, a challenge to the imagination of young and old alike.” Here’s a photo below that is taken through the middle of the raft, and this video, which shows the fissures:
After all this, it’s time for pizza then, right? Yes! We were looking forward to the Pictured Rocks Pizza place in Munising (good reviews, and a cute patio) but it was closed, so we did carry out from Main Street Pizza and headed back to our campsite for a late and rewarding lunch.
Time to say goodbye to this beautiful area, even though I’m sure we could’ve found much more to do here. There are glass-bottomed boat cruises, kayak excurions, pontoon rentals and more. We pulled out of Munising on the morning of July 14, my brother Brian’s birthday. He would’ve been 46 on the 14th and he would’ve loved it here. He also would’ve kicked our butts on the Grand Island Mountain Bike trails…. RIP peace Brian - miss you so much.
People we met along the way: Patrick, Marie and Kali from Grand Island Ferry Service; the family from Indiana
Hiccups and hangups: None, really!
Grateful for: Our excursion around Grand Island (both Owen and Tom); perfect, amazing weather all week that allowed us to experience all of these places (Laurie)
Duration in Munising: July 9 - 14, 2021
Next stop: Tahquamenon State Park (Paradise, MI)