Only 1.4 miles to go!

Chapel Falls – Easy Hike. Pretty Falls.

The Chapel Falls trail is an easy 1.4 mile hike that leads to a gorgeous waterfall with a sixty foot drop.  Since it’s not right off a paved road, there’s a good chance you’ll find yourself with some elbowroom both on the trail and at the falls, even in the busy summer season at Pictured Rocks.

One of the unique things about Chapel Falls is that you can walk over, around and behind it for multiple excellent views. Sound cool, right? Lets talk about how to get there.

How to Get to Chapel Falls

If you’re not familiar with the Pictured Rocks area, there’s a “main road” called H-58 that runs through the entire Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, connecting Munising to Grand Marais. About fifteen miles east of Munising (just past the tiny town of Melstrand), you’ll see a sign directing you to the “Mosquito / Chapel area.” Turn there, onto Chapel Road.

Most of the trail is flat, like this.

The road is gravel, but when I was there it was in great condition. Some construction work was being done on the parking area on my last visit, so we had to hike in about a third of a mile or so to get to the trailhead. I’m guessing the parking area is probably complete now, so you’ll be able to drive all the way to the trailhead. It’s about five miles in from H-58.

The Chapel Trail

The trail itself is a pleasant walk through the woods. There were no challenging uphill or downhill sections, and before I knew it my son and I were at the falls. We weren’t exactly speed hiking, though, so it took us about forty-five minutes to get there.

The trail to Chapel Falls is part of a larger (roughly ten mile) loop that takes you past some of the more scenic areas of Pictured Rocks. On this particular day we just wanted to do a short hike, so we hiked to the falls and then straight back. We saw one deer, many cool trees and plants, and about a gazillion chipmunks. All in all, it was a great little hike to a great waterfall!

The Falls

Chapel Falls has a sixty foot drop!

Chapel Falls really is a beautiful waterfall. It seems to be unique in the fact that, as I’d mentioned above, you can skirt around it for views from a few different angles. We were on a bit of a time crunch so we couldn’t linger, but I’m looking forward to getting back here soon so I can spend some time taking photos from different angles and probably hiking the whole loop.

Bottom line: The hike to Chapel Falls is an easy 1.4 mile walk through the woods, and the falls, like most of the falls in Pictured Rocks, are worth seeing.

To view more photos of the falls and the hiking trail that leads to it, click here to visit my Facebook page and browse to the “Chapel Falls” album.

Scale Summit Peak

The Summit Peak Observation tower is one of the most popular attractions in the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, and it’s easy to see why. It’s a cool little hike, the tower is fun to climb, and the view is fantastic.

Hang a left on South Boundary Road when you enter the Porcupine Mountain State Park (toward the headquarters) and you’ll see signs for the Summit Peak Observation Tower almost immediately. Follow those signs for about twelve miles, turn where the signs tell you to turn, and you’ll end up at a parking area for Summit Peak as well as a few hiking trails.

Modern restrooms are situated just off the parking lot, right at the foot of the half mile trail to Summit Peak. My family seems to be on a never ending quest for a bathroom when we’re traveling, so this was a plus.

Boardwalk Leading to Summit Peak

I thought the half mile hike uphill with a thirty five pound toddler on my back was going to make me break a sweat, but it actually wasn’t too bad. The grade isn’t very steep, the trail is smooth and a large chunk of the walk actually takes you over an elevated boardwalk. The boardwalk runs along the edge of a hill side and then weaves through the woods, making it a pretty fun walk overall. (I’ll admit, though, I have a thing for boardwalks so I may be a little bias.)

At any rate, after what seemed like a really short hike my family and I arrived at the base of the Summit Peak Observation Tower. We climbed the tower, took a look around, said “wow, nice view,” and then hiked back.

It is a great view, but we had just come from Lake of the Clouds (where the view is stunning), so in retrospect we probably should have hit Summit Peak first. Also, because we were right up there in the treetops, some of the treetops blocked parts of what would otherwise be a three hundred sixty degree view.

All in all, it’s a really cool spot and we’ll definitely be back. I plan to visit again in the fall when the colors are popping!

Summit Peak Observation Tower

Bottom line: The Summit Peak Observation Tower is a worthwhile stop while in the Porcupine Mountains. I’d recommend stopping here before you visit Lake of the Clouds.

How to get there? Turn left onto South Boundary Road shortly after you enter the park and follow the signs to Summit Peak. It’s about twelve miles down a paved, windy road.

Want to see more photos? You got it! Just visit my Facebook page and browse to the “Summit Peak Observation Tower” album.

The Company Store

Fayette historic state park is truly something to behold. Once a bustling company town at the tip of the Garden Peninsula, the well-preserved buildings have now been standing for nearly 150 years, and it’s a wonderful place to spend an afternoon.

After the iron operation that created the town shut down in the late 1800’s, Fayette passed through several phases before being snatched up by the State of Michigan and turned into an awesome state park. The park rests on one of the most scenic parts of Lake Michigan’s shoreline (think huge limestone bluffs and rocky beaches) and there’s a nice campground right there for those who wish to stay a while. It’s one of the finer points of the Upper Peninsula.

And if you’re hungry (or thirsty) while in the area, Sherry’s Port Bar is a neat little family friendly spot for a meal or a beer. I’ve heard they have a good all-you-can-eat whitefish fish fry on Friday’s during the summer season, and it’s within walking distance of the Fayette campground.

My wife and I drove over to Fayette with our daughter this summer. It was only my second visit to the place, the first being a sixth grade field trip over twenty years ago, so my memories of the place were a little fuzzy. Fond, but fuzzy. So here’s how it went down…

Limestone Bluff at Fayette

We breezed through the admissions area (thanks to our Michigan recreation passport), parked in a spacious parking lot and made our way down a little hill into the main welcome center. Guided tours go out every half hour, I was told, and the next one would be starting in about five minutes.

A few minutes later, we were being led through the town by an enthusiastic college student who seemed to have a pretty comprehensive knowledge of the place. She was super friendly and gave a short but informative tour that ran through the entire history of the town, from it’s beginnings in 1867 as a company town to it’s present date status as a state park.

After the tour we were free to roam about the town on our own. We spent an hour or so poking our noses into well marked historic buildings and reading interpretive signs about the town’s past, but could have just as easily spent half a day here. There’s a scenic overlook trail, a souvenir shop that sells ice cream, and plenty of open space near the harbor that would be a great place for a picnic, tossing Frisbee around or just hanging out for a while.

The Company Hotel

We had packed a lunch but left it in our car, so we ended up dining at a picnic table alongside the parking lot. Next time we’ll definitely bring our lunch down near the water. Also on our next visit, we’ll probably try to allow a whole day just for the Garden Peninsula. In addition to Fayette, there are art galleries, wineries and a cool little harbor at the very tip of the peninsula (More write ups on all of this to come) so it’d be easy to blow a day here and enjoy every minute of it.

Want to see more photos of Fayette? (Including shots from the scenic overlook trail) Click here to visit my Facebook page then browse to the “Fayette Historic Ghost Town” album. (You’ll need to “like” the page if you haven’t already.)

Bottom Line: The historic ghost town of Fayette is definitely one of my “must see” things in the U.P. It’s cool even if you’re not a history geek, trust me. And the scenery is awesome.

Other things to note: Open daily 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. mid-May through mid-June and Labor Day through mid-October; 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. mid-June through Labor Day. And it looks like some of the trails are available for cross country skiing in the winter.

Location: To see Fayette’s Location on my Map of the Upper Peninsula, click here.

Websites:

U.P. Travel’s Fayette Page

Fayette State Park Page

Previous << #30 – Dinner with a View at L’Attitude Cafe & Bistro

My wife, taking in the view. Those are the Grand Sable Banks behind her.

Log Slide!

“This is the most beautiful thing I’ve seen so far in the Upper Peninsula,” said my wife in amazement as she caught her first glimpse of the blue waters below the Log Slide scenic overlook.

I believe she followed that up with a stunned silence and then, “Wow.”

And it’s true. This is a truly gorgeous spot. Part of Pictured Rocks, Loggers used to slide logs down this steep slope and into Lake Superior, where they were then hauled away and turned into toilet paper. Or, you know, boards and stuff.

The actual log slide is long gone, but the sand that has been there for centuries remains.  This area is part of the fantastic Grand Sable Dunes. Yes, we have sand dunes in the Upper Peninsula!

It’s fun to run down the steep slope, but be warned, it’s hard work getting back to the top. A nearby sign warns that it can take as little as five minutes to reach the lake on your way down, but up to an HOUR to get back up. It also warns not to do this if you have a heart condition or generally aren’t in good shape.

View to the west, Au Sable Point.

From the top of Log Slide’s vista you’ll see the Au Sable point (and lighthouse) to the West and the Grand Sable Banks and Dunes to the east.

We popped into Log Slide on a sunny Saturday in July as we headed east past Munising on our way toward Grand Marais. It turned out to be a great little stop.

We followed the well marked interpretive trail toward the overlook, and did the “self guided” call in option. (You call a number from your cell phone and a voice gives you information about the area as you walk the trail.)

We took our shoes off before setting foot on the sugar sand trail and strolled toward a point where the trail appears to vanish. And as we reached the peak of the trail we were rewarded with that view I mentioned early. It’s something else.

A family from Ohio showed up not long after we did, and their wildly energetic teenage son was quick to dash down the slope to the lakeshore.  He found out the hard way that getting back up wasn’t as easy as he thought, so we all had a good laugh as he finally reached the top, huffing and puffing.

The path just sort of dissapears. That's how steep this is.

I’d been to Log Slide once as a kid, so this was only my second time there. And man, I’ve been missing out. This is one of the places I’m positive I’ll return to regularly from here on out. Next time we’ll bring the kids and beach towels, then hike down to the lake and stay a while.

If time allowed I also would have really liked to hike out to the Au Sable lighthouse, and generally just stay in this area longer. There’s much to see here and either Grand Marais or Munising is a good jumping off point for all of it.

As it stood, we couldn’t hang out too long because we needed to find a campsite before dark. Luckily, we found one and ended up camping at Blind Sucker #2, east of Grand Marais.

To see more photos of Log Slide, click here to access my Facebook page and then and then browse to the “Log Slide” photo album. (You’ll need to “like” the page if you haven’t already)

Bottom line: Log slide is one of the best scenic overlooks in the U.P. You need to see this place.

Time required: Twenty minutes to several hours, depending how much time you want to spend here. If you’re in a hurry, the lookout is only a couple minutes from the parking lot.

Other things to note: There are two trails here, the sandy trail and then a handicap accessible boardwalk to a separate viewing platform (but with pretty much the same view).

How to get there: About 8 miles west of Grand Marais or 24 miles east of Munising on H-58. Road signs on H-58 clearly mark the turnoff.

Map: To see Log Slide’s location on my map of the Upper Peninsula, click here.

Previous << #21 – It Doesn’t Suck: Blind Sucker #2 Campground

Next >> #23 – Check Out the Millie Hill Bat Cave Trail 

You'll see this sign from the logging road

Rising abruptly from the shoreline of Lake Superior, Bare Bluff is the most prominent landmark of the Keweenaw’s south shore.

At a peak height of nearly 600 feet above the water, The “Russell and Miriam Grinnell Memorial Nature Sanctuary at Bare Bluff” is one of the Keweenaw’s most scenic hikes. With no disrespect to the Grinnells, for brevity’s sake I’ll refer to it as “Bare Bluff” here.

Bare Bluff is undoubtedly one of the coolest hikes in the Upper Peninsula, but it’s also one of the most remote. The parking area lies several miles down a gravel road, and the trailhead begins another three quarters of a mile from there.

The hike itself is a three mile loop, and recent improvements have dropped the grade to no more than 15%, down from over 30% as it was in the past, which basically means if you’re in decent shape you can probably hack it.

Much of the trail looks like this.

However, as with all backcountry adventures any medical help would take a while to reach you should you need it. And this hike includes dangerously high cliffs, so exercise extreme caution as you stroll along the trail. A slip and fall here could mean no more birthdays for you.

My first encounter with Bare Bluff went something like this:

My friend Jim and I decided to go camping in the Keweenaw for the weekend, and one of the first orders of business was to hike Bare Bluff. Well, it’s not the easiest thing in the world to find if you haven’t been there before and don’t have directions. We hadn’t printed off directions (d’oh!) but Jim had been there before, albeit years prior.

So after driving a few miles on Smith Fisheries Road (which was wasn’t too rough on our trip, but I hear that can change by the season), we found the Bare Bluff parking area, clearly marked with Michigan Nature Association signs.

We parked, hiked in about three quarters of a mile to the actual trailhead, and then ventured up the trail.

Here’s something I’d like to make clear. The hike is a loop, and you can go either way.

Counterclockwise = Difficult

Clockwise = Easier

This is the spot where things "open up" and you get a peek at the bluff.

We hiked the loop in a counterclockwise direction, which led us along the base of Bare Bluff, and then up a rock slide to the summit. This section could be difficult for some people.

If I were to bring, say, my Grandpa on this hike, I’d hike the loop in a clockwise direction up to the summit, then backtrack to the parking area, completely missing the “rock slide” stretch of trail. Got it?

Counterclockwise = Difficult

Clockwise = Easier

Technical details aside, this is truly a spectacular hike. The scents were intoxicating and the scenery was astounding.

After a hiking under an evergreen canopy for a few minutes, the canopy suddenly opened up and out of nowhere Bare Bluff rose up from the trail, easily a couple hundred feet above us.

After a brief photo session we continued along the base of the bluff to the aforementioned “rock slide” section of the trail. It was a fun, difficult and rewarding stretch of trail that led us to the summit.

Looking north toward the tip of the Keweenaw

And whether or not you’re religious, the summit at Bare Bluff is just one of those spots where you can’t help but feel connected to something a little bigger than yourself. It has a sense of gravity to it that makes you want to plop your butt down for a while and enjoy the view.

To the north lies a large swath of thick, vivid green forest. And to the south lies the Caribbean-like Bete Grise beach (pronounced BEY-duh-GREE). It’s quite the place.

Shortly after we sat down to enjoy the view, three peregrine falcons appeared and began battling each other in mid-air, yet below us. We sat for a good twenty minutes, our gaze shifting between the rare birds of prey and the eye-candy panoramic view.

Then we started our decent. The decent was easy, and this is the section of the trail (that is, the clockwise option) I’d recommend taking on the way up if you want the easier route.

I had no idea what to expect at Bare Bluff as I’d never even heard of it before that trip, but I can now safely say I’ll be back regularly (with my family in tow) for years to come. The Keweenaw has been full of surprises for me so far, all of them pleasant.

To see more photos of Bare Bluff, click here to access my Facebook page and then and then browse to the “Bare Bluff” photo album. (You’ll need to “like” the page if you haven’t already)

Bottom line: Bare Bluff is one of the coolest hikes in the Upper Peninsula. I’d highly recommend it.

Time required: A couple hours to half a day depending on whether or not you decide to pack a lunch and how fast you move.

Other things to note: The Michigan Nature association has a great little brochure specific to Bare Bluff on their web site. To view the Bare Bluff brochure (which includes driving directions), click here.

Website: http://www.michigannature.org/home/sancts/grinnell/grinnell.shtml

How to get there: (From the Bare Bluff brochure mentioned above) Drive north from Houghton on US 41. Eleven miles south of Copper Harbor, turn right at the sign for Lac La Belle and Bohemia Ski Area. Drive about 5 miles to Lac La Belle, turn left on the Bete Gris Road and drive about 3 miles to the Smith Fisheries Road (unpaved) and turn left. Travel another 2.25 miles, bearing to the right, to the parking area marked with an MNA sign. The first half-mile of the hike is a logging road which takes you to the Bare Bluff trailhead sign. This is a loop trail and you may choose to hike in either direction.

Map: To see Bare Bluff’s location on my map of the U.P., click here.

Next up! Thing #17 – Walk the Beach at Whitefish Point

This tree even makes me look small, and I’m 6’4″!

The Estivant Pines Nature Sanctuary

Have you seen the California Redwoods? No? Well, me neither but that’s okay because we have 500 year old, 125 foot tall pine trees right here in the Upper Peninsula!

The Estivant Pines Nature Sanctuary is a short drive from downtown Copper Harbor, up a road that can be rough at times but not so rough that you’d need four wheel drive.

I’d heard it’s a “must see” and, though we were ready to drive back to Iron Mountain after a few days in the Keweenaw, and my infant daughter was getting cranky, I really wanted to see the pines. And I’m glad we did! But the little side jaunt wasn’t without its hiccups.

First of all, the mosquitos were bad. Worse than normal. Worse than “bad for the U.P.” bad. We’d sprayed ourselves down with standard issue bug spray (30% Deet) before venturing into the woods, and next time I visit I’m bringing the thunder! (ie. 100% Deet) I’ll also be wearing long sleeves and a hat.

Because the bugs were out, my wife and I decided to strap our daughter in the stroller (because it has a bug screen). That idea turned out to be less than stellar.

As we pointed the stroller toward the trailhead and readied ourselves to see some giant pines, one of the first things we saw was a boardwalk over a marshy area. “Great!,” we thought. “This should be a piece of cake hike with the stroller.”

Not so much. About halfway in we realized this is not a stroller friendly trail. We should have done a little more research (or inquired at the visitors center right in town) before just assuming we could push that thing through the woods.

But being that we’re both fairly stubborn and had come that far, we decided to stick it out. After all, we bought this stroller for “off-roading” and wanted to put it to the test. (My wife would later curse our stubbornness while navigating said stroller through ankle deep mud to skirt between a two-ton boulder and a dead-fall pine.)

They go up, and up, and up…

You’ve got the option to take a couple different loops, the Cathedral Loop or the Memorial loop. And then there’s the “Fallen Giant” trail which is a very cool sounding, offshoot. The sign for the Fallen Giant Trail says: “This unmaintained trail crosses a swamp and a river. Recommended only for experienced hikers with proper gear.”

Sounds cool, right?

The well-marked (and well worn) trails helped us stay on the right path and out of the news. (“Hikers lost in the Keweenaw,” anyone?)

I’d be lying if I said our enjoyment wasn’t dampened a bit by our lack of preparation and planning for this little hike, but I’m definitely still glad we did it and those ancient pines, though scattered throughout the forest, are truly something to behold. “The last stand of virgin pines in Michigan,” is what I’ve heard this area called.

But it’s not just the pines in the spotlight here; because all of this is virgin forest many other trees have had the chance to reach that “larger than life” status, too. All things considered, I’m going to name this one of my “must see” places in the U.P. and will definitely be back for another visit!

To see more photos of the Estivant Pines Nature Sanctuary, click here to access my Facebook page and then and then browse to the “Estivant Pines” photo album.

Bottom Line: I would absolutely recommend that you check out Estivant Pines. I would also recommend that you bring strong bug spray, and don’t even think about bringing a stroller.

Time Required: 45 minutes to 2 hours.

How to Get There: At the Copper Harbor Visitors Center on US-41, turn right and drive three miles, following the signs to Estivant Pines. The road is a little rough, so I’d recommend not trying to take your Harley up there.

To see the Estivant Pines Nature Sanctuary’s location on my map of the Upper Peninsula, click here.

Next >> #12 – Stay at the Bella Vista Motel & Cottages in Copper Harbor

Previous << #10 – Discover Sable Falls