MUNISING, MI

One day a couple years ago, I was pondering travel excursions and it hit me. I have seen all the Great Lakes, but one…Lake Superior. Not to mention, I have never been to the upper peninsula of Michigan. That’s about all it takes to focus me. I drew up my often used 3 day/2 night road trip plan. I contacted one of my travel buddies…and we were off to Munising, MI.

Munising is a small lake town on the north shore of the upper peninsula, directly on Lake Superior. After saying its in the upper peninsula, it seems redundant to say its somewhat in the middle of nowhere. Do not expect much cell phone service as you drive here. I liked the town, but there is nothing particularly awe-inspiring about the town itself. Its the whole beautiful area that sold me. If you are the outdoor type, this is the area for you…i.e. hiking, hunting, drinking, fishing, snowmobiling, drinking, cross country skiing, boating, drinking, etc. My trip was in June, so our activities were limited to hiking, boating, and drinking.

Before we arrived in Munising, I planned a hike. I wanted to stop at one of the trailheads that were south of the lake, then hike to the lake for my first view of Lake Superior. Easily done, we were able to leave our car in the Chapel Basin parking lot, then we hiked north. The upper peninsula woods are the real outdoor…heavily wooded, streams, waterfalls, bears, wolves, but no wolverines. True fact: There are NO wild wolverines in Michigan. Anyway…did I mention bugs? DO NOT hike up here without bug spray. We used copious amounts of bug spray. The hike was great and I successfully made it to Lake Superior.

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After the hike, we made our way into Munising and checked into our hotel. Again, nothing fancy about the hotel, but I liked it. Kind of like the classic motor lodge type place, but it was right on Lake Superior…location, location, location. Nothing worth mentioning about our dining. After dinner, we did a sunset cruise of the Pictured Rocks. If you have not heard of the Pictured Rocks, they are basically the cliff face on the north side of the upper peninsula. The various geological layers of the earth as well as mineral leeching…water…erosion…whatever other things combine to make the north face look like a “picture.” The Pictured Rocks go on for miles, thus the chartered boat tours to see them. My pictures may not do the Pictured Rocks justice, but I highly recommend viewing the rocks from the Lake Superior side. And, since we were on the sunset cruise, I have included a picture of that as well. Anyway, its no easy drive to get here, but a stay in Munising, MI, offers many exciting outdoor adventures for those interested. PT

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