Things To Do In The U.P.

There's someone climbing the jump in this photo. Can you spot them?

Climbing the Pine Mountain Ski Jump is one of the more dangerous things to do in the Upper Peninsula, at least as far as the popular destinations go.

The “stairs” leading to the top consist mostly of two by fours screwed to the deck. And there is a handrail, but if you pass someone making their decent on your way up one of you needs to let go for a hair raising moment. And if you should trip and fall, you risk tumbling straight to the bottom. And that would hurt. A-lot.

But man, what an awesome view from up there!

The Pine Mountain Ski Jump is one of the tallest ski jumps in the world. And during the FIS Continental Cup Ski Jump Competition held every February, more than 20,000 people gather here to watch ski jumpers from all over the globe rocket down the man made slope at over sixty miles per hour.

Ski jump weekend!

On the weekend of “the jumps,” you won’t be able to get anywhere near the top unless you’re part of the event.

But on just about any other day of the year, the Pine Mountain Ski jump is yours to climb at your own risk.

I often climb the Pine Mountain Stairs and sometimes, if I’m feeling adventurous (and not too out of shape), I’ll keep going and climb the ski jump.

Keep in mind that this ski jump is built to be climbed by ski jumpers, not tourists in tennis shoes. If you’re looking for an elevator to take you to the top like the one at Copper Peak in Ironwood, you won’t find it here.

What you will find is a handrail, some basic stairs and a very steep incline.

I like to take my time on the way up and then hang out at the top for a while to enjoy the view. And always make sure to hang onto something. You never know when a stray gust of wind could kick up and make you lose your footing. (It’s happened.)

One of my recent climbs to the top was particularly memorable.

Chad, taking it easy on his way down.

On the way up I met Chad Laughlin of Ohio, whose Grandfather (James Dillan Laughlin) actually helped construct the ski jump. Chad said his family visits the area every year and climbs the jump in remembrance of his Grandpa.

Chad was on his way down as I was on my way up, and when I reached the top I met more people, David and Gordy, who were visiting from Wisconsin. It was their first time climbing the jump.

Shortly after I struck up a conversation with them, a nine year old girl popped up from down below. It turns out she had climbed up all by herself! (I wouldn’t recommend letting kids climb unsupervised.)

See those dots at the base of the jump? Those are people.

All in all I ended up being on the jump for about half an hour just talking to different people. It’s a fun place to make conversation. And after all, there’s really no room to casually “look the other way,” and if you do meet someone at the top of the jump, they’re likely to be just as adventurous as you are.

Who knows, maybe you’ll even see me up there?

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

Bottom line: Climbing the Pine Mountain Ski Jump is one of the top things to do in the Iron Mountain area, if you’ve got a few adventurous bones in your body. And if you’re not up for the climb, the adjacent observation deck offers a sweet view too.

How to get there: From downtown Iron Mountain, take US 2 west and turn left onto Kent St. by the Pine Mountain sign. After a few blocks, turn right on Forest St., then a quick left onto Walker St., then veer right onto Kramer Dr. Kramer dead ends into the parking lot.

Other things to note: Be careful. And if you injure yourself, please don’t sue me.

Map: To see Pine Mountain Ski Jump’s location on my map of the U.P., click here.

Related: Climb 400 Concrete Stairs at Pine Mountain

Previous: <– Drink Michigan Beer! (at the Upper Peninsula Fall Beer Festival)

Hiking up the 400 or so concrete stairs that ascend Pine Mountain is a definitely a test of your physical ability.

View from the Pine Mountain Scenic Lookout

Your legs will burn. Your lungs will heave. You will have to stop, probably more than once, to catch your breath. And when you get to the top, you’ll be rewarded with this view. (see right)

Never mind that you could just drive to the scenic lookout and skip the stairs entirely. You wouldn’t do that, would you? (Okay, you probably would and quite frankly so do I most of the time. I won’t tell anybody if you don’t.)

I walked the steps a few weeks ago in place of my normal cardio routine and my legs were still sore days later. And now I’m hooked! I’ve been back a few times since and last weekend I even kept going, all the way up to the top of the ski jump.

There’s just something about climbing 400 concrete steps, especially when you have the time to do it a few times in a row that begets a feeling of accomplishment.

Just some of the 400 + steps

“I climbed 400 concrete steps today,” you could say to your friends. What have you done?”

“Uhh… We ate at McDonalds…”

Exactly.

That said, I’d recommend that anyone with a health condition abstain from climbing these stairs. They’re pretty steep and could be dangerous if you’re not in decent shape.

However, there’s a beautiful pavilion at the top of the hill as well as the wonderful U.P. Veteran’s Memorial where those who opt out can relax while you tear it up on the stairs.

Also, the steps are in pretty rough shape. When I was climbing them the other day I thought to myself, “Wouldn’t it be great if someone could re-do all of this?

And as it turns out, someone is already on it!

The Kiwanis Ski Club and YMCA of Dickinson County have a “Pine Mountain 500” program going to replace all the steps, add a few benches, and generally just improve what is already a fantastic Upper Peninsula experience.

If you donate $200 you’ll get your name on a step. And with hundreds of people lingering on these steps each winter to watch the Pine Mountain ski jumps, not to mention all the people who climb them in the summer, your name/company/etc. will definitely get some decent exposure.

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

Bottom Line: Climbing the stairs at Pine Mountain is a great thing to do if you’re in the Iron Mountain area and want an excellent outdoor workout that just happens to include an awesome view.

Scenic Lookout at Pine Mountain

Time required: 20 minutes to 1 hour, depending how many ascents you choose to do.

How to get there: (See below)

Top of the stairs / scenic lookout: From downtown Iron Mountain, travel North (West) on US 2 and turn left onto Kent St. by the Pine Mountain sign. After a few blocks, turn right on Forest St., then a quick left onto Walker St., then veer right onto Kramer Dr. Kramer dead ends into the parking lot.

Bottom of the stairs / Pine Mountain Lodge / Famers Bar and Grill: Go to N3332 Pine Mountain Road, Iron Mountain, MI 49801. Park in the parking lot (near the bottom of the ski jump), or drive up the unmarked dirt road to the right of the ski jump landing area and park at the bottom of the stairs.

To see the Pine Mountain Stair’s location on my map of the Upper Peninsula, click here.

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Have you climbed the Pine Mountain Stairs? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!