Nestled at the tip of Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula is the small town of Copper Harbor. Copper Harbor is well known for its stunning vistas, beautiful hiking trails, and wild terrain. Horseshoe Harbor is all of these things accessed by one short hike.

The Mary Mcdonald Preserve was originally established in 1982 and since then has grown to encompass 1,200 acres. This includes 5 miles of Lake Superior shore and one of the most beautiful harbors I have ever seen; Horseshoe Harbor.

The rocky trail opens up to a red cobble beach. And I mean RED. The brilliant contrast between the red rock and the blues of Lake Superior is breathtaking. While the red beach is quite beautiful, the real show stealer is the massive bedrock wall that towers above the water, enclosing the bay.

In addition to the bedrock wall, a small chain of islands dot the bay. The combination of the two create one of the most remarkable seascapes I have seen.

For more information, visit Mary Macdonald Preserve at Horseshoe Harbor.

Getting to Horseshoe Harbor

North very far north of Copper Harbor, the road to Horseshoe Harbor is quite bumpy. A regular vehicle with normal clearance should be able to make it okay.

From Copper Harbor, follow US-41 north past Fort Wilkins State Park Campground. About a mile and a half after the west campground, US-41 turns into Mandan Road. Continue for another 0.9 miles to reach High Rock Bay Road. Turn right onto High Rock Bay Road and continue about 1/2 mile. Parking is available.

The hike to the harbor is about 1/4 of a mile over rocks and tree roots.