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 

Choice campsites abound.

Blind Sucker #2 Campground

You’ve got to camp at Blind Sucker #2 campground sometime just for the name. But beyond the humorous title bestowed upon it, this little rustic campground is a pretty cool place to pitch a tent.

You’ll drive on gravel for a few miles to get there, but hey, this is the Upper Peninsula… some of the most scenic vistas and tucked away campgrounds require you to get your car a little dirty. And if you’re looking to explore both Pictured Rocks and Tahquomenon Falls while in the U.P., this region is sort of the middle ground.

The scenic thirty two site campground is situated on the Blind Sucker Flooding, across the road from the larger (and busier) Muskellonge Lake State campground.

This was the edge of our campsite.

You’ll find shady waterfront camping here, and decent fishing, but swimming is questionable. My wife and I were ready to jump in and cool off when the camp host approached us with a warning.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he said. “Them leeches are baaaaad right now!”

Deflated, we turned back to our tent. But then we realized, hey, Lake Superior is RIGHT HERE!

Yes, just across the road from Blind Sucker #2 lay the largest body of freshwater in the world. And I can almost guarantee that the leeches won’t bother you there. And because there aren’t tons of people in this area you’ll likely have a large swath of shoreline to yourself.

We sure did.

We had a refreshing bath in the big lake and then returned to our cozy little waterfront campsite. I fired up the grill and my wife lounged in our hammock while the sunset. Ah, bliss.

It doesn't get much better than this!

We had first checked out Blind Sucker #1 campground, and then Lake Superior Campground, but both were full. We thought we were doomed until we rolled into Blind Sucker #2 and happily found several waterfront sites available. (And this was later on a Friday afternoon in peak season, mind you.)

This campground is also sheltered from the chilly breezes you’ll often get at the campgrounds on the Lake Superior shore. So that’s a plus.

To view more photos of the Blind Sucker #2 Campground, click here to visit my Facebook Page and then browse to the “Blind Sucker #2″ photo album. (You’ll need to like the page if you haven’t already)

Bottom Line: Blind Sucker #2 State Campground is a great little rustic campground that deserves your attention. Pitch a tent a just inches from the water, light a campfire and relax.

Other things to note: Camping here is about $15/night. And this is a rustic campsite so there are no showers. BUT, you can skip over to the Muskallonge Lake state campground across the road and take a shower for $1.50.

How to get there: About 13 miles east of Grand Marais you’ll see a sign for Blind Sucker #1, Blind Sucker #2 is not far after that. It’s across the road from Muskallonge State Park.

Website: www.dnr.state.mi.us/parksandtrails/Details.aspx?id=670&type=SFCG

To see Blind Sucker #2’s location on my map of the U.P., click here.

Previous: << #20 – Surrender to Your Sweet Tooth at The Bakery Shoppe

Walk in the water to avoid the rocks. Or keep your shoes on, but what fun is that?

Whitefish point is one of those “end-of-the-earth” type places. Look at a map of the U.P. and to the north of Tahquamenon Falls State Park you’ll see a shark fin shaped point stretching toward Canada.

That’s Whitefish Point.

In fact, this is one of the few spots along the shore of Lake Superior where (on a clear day) you can actually see Canada. Ontario, in this case, and it’s about twenty miles away.

The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum is the main attraction here, but if you walk past the museum and toward the lake, a nice little boardwalk will lead your feet straight to the sand. It’s a pretty rocky beach overall with a few sandy spots, one of those being near the boardwalk, so most people seem to congregate there.

If you really do want that “end of the earth” feeling of solitude, just take your shoes off, let your bare feet greet Lake Superior and keep walking toward the tip of the point where you’ll find far fewer people, if anyone at all.

My wife and I did just that after our Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum tour. I’d climbed the lighthouse tower, seen the tip of the point and wanted to check it out. So we did. It’s was a slow fifteen or twenty minute walk, past kite fliers and agate hunters, until we reached the tip of the tip. We waded in the shallows of Lake Superior while admiring the thousands of gorgeous stones that blanket the beach.

A large freighter passed by as we walked, which was something to see. (The size of those things never ceases to amaze me). And as you may have guessed by the placement of the Shipwreck Museum, the open water beyond Whitefish Point is one of the most treacherous shipping routes in Lake Superior. Many ships have met their match here, most notably The Edmund Fitzgerald.

This sandy trail from the parking lot bypasses the boardwalk.

We really enjoyed our time in this area. After checking out Lower Tahquamenon Falls in the morning, we had lunch at Brown’s Fish House and then drove up to the Shipwreck Museum, which is only about ten minutes north of Paradise, MI. After our walk on the beach we drove south to check out Upper Tahquamenon Falls and the Tahquamenon Falls Brewery, which made for a pretty full day!

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

Bottom Line: Whitefish Point is a gorgeous stretch of shoreline, perfect for that oh so cliché (but still fun) “long walk on the beach.”

Time required: A half hour to several hours, depending how long you want to hang out. Some people pack a cooler and make a day of it.

Other things to note: Because this is the Lake Superior shore, it can be (and often is) cool here. Hope for warm weather but come prepared for a chilly breeze. This is also a major bird watching area, if you’re into that sort of thing.

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

Previous: Thing #16 – Hike Bare Bluff

Do a Google search for “Brown Fisheries Fish House” and you’ll find five star ratings from sites like Urbanspoon, Yelp and TripAdvisor. They’ve also been written up in The New York Times, The Detroit Free Press and various other national publications.

Not bad for a little family owned restaurant in Paradise, Michigan.

The fish Brown’s serves is as fresh as it comes. Our waitress broke it down like this:

Brown Fisheries Fish House

“We’re a third generation commercial fishery and we only serve fresh fish. We go fishing every morning. If we don’t have fish, we don’t open. If we run out of fish, we close early.”

In other words, when you eat at Browns, that whitefish nestled in your fish and chips basket was swimming in Lake Superior while you sipped your morning coffee.

And believe me, you can taste the difference. The perch was also good, but solid whitefish can be difficult to find away from the shores of Lake Superior, so I’d recommend opting for the local specialty.

My wife and I ate at Brown’s while sightseeing around the Tahquamenon Falls Area.

We showed up at 11:30 AM thinking they’d be open for lunch but the restaurant looked empty and the parking lot was vacant. We consulted a sign on the door, learned they opened at Noon and decided to kill some time exploring Paradise.

Well, Paradise, Michigan isn’t exactly a metropolis so we ended up back at Brown’s just a few minutes later. We gazed longingly at a dark neon sign in the restaurant’s front window, waiting for it to flicker to life.

And, as many of you know, it’s not wise to get between a hungry pregnant woman and her lunch. Such was my mistake here.

“I’m hungry,” said my pregnant wife.

“I know Babe,” I replied. “Me too.”

“Are you sure this is the place?”

“Pretty sure,” I said. She glared at me.

Brown Fisheries Front Dining Area

“It looks… empty.”

“It’s almost Noon Babe.”

“But didn’t you say they don’t always have regular hours? Something like, they don’t open if they don’t have fish?

“Umm… yeah.”

She sighed deeply, probably questioning her choice in a husband.

“I’m still hungry,” she sighed.

Then, right at Noon the sign lit up and we eagerly stepped inside, their first customers of the day. (Thank you Brown’s for having fish that day!)

I had the whitefish basket and my wife had the perch basket. The setting and the presentation are basic, but the fish was amazing. The whitefish I had at Brown’s absolutely possessed flavors above and beyond any whitefish I’d had before, and I’ve had my fair share.

By the time we left about a half hour later, the place was jam-packed with people from all over the country, all of them raving about their meals. And as we pulled out of the

The Whitefish Basket

parking lot and made our way North to Whitefish Point, even more eager diners arrived, hungry for some of Brown’s famous fish.

Bottom Line: If you like fish, you need to get to know Brown Fisheries Fish House in Paradise, MI.

Other things to note: Bring cash, credit and debit cards are not accepted. The smoked fish dip and fish chowder are also must try items if you like those sorts of things.

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

Beer/Wine Served? Nope.

Location: 32638 W M28 Paradise, MI 49768

To see Brown Fisherie’s location on my map of the Upper Peninsula, click here.

Phone: (906) 492-3901

Next >> #9 – Get Lost at Rock Dam

Previous << #7 – Ride Mother Nature’s Roller Coaster – Whitewater Raft Piers Gorge

Have you been to Brown’s Fish House? What did you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!