Upper Peninsula

  • An Explorer’s Guide to Big Pup Falls

    An Explorer’s Guide to Big Pup Falls

    Located off of Country Road 510 between Marquette and Big Bay, Michigan is a small but beautiful little waterfall called Big Pup. Although not as impressive as it’s “big brother” down the road, Big Pup offers something magical to those who take the time to visit it, especially in the spring.…

  • Climbing the AAA Walls

    Climbing the AAA Walls

    “Welcome to the AAA Walls” The sign that greeted us was dwarfed by the massive rock wall looming before us. Based on topographical maps, we knew that something pretty large sat near AAA Road (Marquette County, Upper Peninsula) but we never suspected it was a solid wall of rock. “With…

  • A Perfect Campground: 12 Mile Beach

    A Perfect Campground: 12 Mile Beach

    What does it take to make a perfect campground? Amazing views? Great Hikes? To us, 12 Mile Beach Campground in the Pictured Rocks National Lake Shore has it all. Located right on a sandy bluff above Lake Superior. And I mean right above. You could spend all day with your…

  • Find Peace at Wagner Falls

    Find Peace at Wagner Falls

    Wagner Falls is an amazing little waterfall. It is easy to access and beautiful in every season. This multiple drop waterfall is roughly 20 feet in height and located on Wagner Creek, just outside of Munising, Michigan. Our most recent trip was this past January where we put on our snow…

  • A Bucket List Worthy Falls: Bond Falls

    A Bucket List Worthy Falls: Bond Falls

    There’s no denying that Bond Falls is an impressive waterfall but there’s something about visiting it in the winter that makes it even more magical. This 50 foot tall, 160 foot wide cascading falls is located in Paulding and is without a doubt one of the Michigan’s best. We visited…

  • Snowshoeing to Kakabika Falls

    Snowshoeing to Kakabika Falls

    Located 12 miles northeast of Marenisco, Michigan on the Cisco Branch Ontonagon River is a multiple drop waterfall called Kakabika Falls. While not extremely large in size like some of it’s neighboring waterfalls, Kakabika occurs in a series of S’s as the river drops in elevation. It’s quite a peaceful, short…

  • The Beauty of Ogemaw Falls

    The Beauty of Ogemaw Falls

    Waterfalls are a hot topic these days. People are starting to branch out from Tahquamenon and explore the other wonders of Michigan. To us, the more wild the better. Ogemaw Falls is one of those. It’s simple, elegant and remains untouched. This remote waterfall has a lot to offer if…

  • Discover Leatherby Falls

    Discover Leatherby Falls

    Leatherby Falls is one of the most impressive and unique Michigan waterfalls we have visited. Chutes, drops, slides, cascades…you name it, it has it. Located on the West Branch Huron River, this waterfall is wild and very remote, which of course is one of the reasons we love it. It’s…

  • A Remote Destination: King Lake Campground

    A Remote Destination: King Lake Campground

    What’s better than a remote campground? How about one with a lake view and islands? King Lake State Forest campground is a remote and beautiful place, located near Covington, Michigan. With only 6 sites, designed for tents and small trailers, this is a perfect place to visit if you’re looking…

  • A Weekend at Big Bay Lighthouse

    A Weekend at Big Bay Lighthouse

    My mom loves lighthouses so when my sister and I had the opportunity to get her a mother’s day/birthday gift to one of the few bed and breakfast lighthouses in Michigan, we took it.

  • 42 miles of Happiness: Hiking the Pictured Rocks

    42 miles of Happiness: Hiking the Pictured Rocks

    Hiking the Pictured Rocks – really hiking – is amazing. It is one of the trips that will stick with me forever. Two hundred foot cliffs, numerous waterfalls, lake shore as far as the eye can see and mountainous dunes. 

  • Canyon Falls and the Gorge that Follows

    Canyon Falls and the Gorge that Follows

    The Sturgeon River is a 106 mile long wild, raging river with some pretty amazing waterfalls. One such waterfall is Canyon Falls, called such for a good reason. Canyon Falls is located at a scenic rest stop on US-41, making it a fairly well known and visited waterfall. At roughly…

  • Pure Awesome: Hungarian Falls

    Pure Awesome: Hungarian Falls

    There’s a little known waterfall in the Keweenaw called Hungarian Falls. Hungarian Falls is made up of several drops; Upper, Middle, and Lower. The Upper and Middle drops, though shorter in height, are remarkably beautiful. If ever there was a waterfall that looked like it belonged in an enchanted story…

  • Finding Nature at Seney Wildlife Refuge

    Finding Nature at Seney Wildlife Refuge

    Seney Wildlife Refuge is a place of peace, relaxation, and wildlife. It is our favorite stop after a long week of hiking. With everything from waterfowl to eagles to bear, there’s no place quite like it.

  • A Day on Slate River

    A Day on Slate River

    Slate River, located just east of L’Anse, Michigan, is one of those special places where time just slips away. This wild, isolated river is an adventurers haven. We trudged up the river, climbed up and slide down high gorge walls, waded across extremely slippery and oddly angled rocks, and climbed…

  • A Quiet Escape: Black Slate Falls

    A Quiet Escape: Black Slate Falls

    Black Slate Falls is small but it offers so much. With variety levels in the drops, the roughness of stone, and the overall peacefulness of the area, Black Slate Falls makes the perfect location for a quiet escape. Black Slate Falls is located just east of L’Anse, Michigan on the…

  • The Hike to Spray Falls

    The Hike to Spray Falls

    heer rock cliffs, unruly waves, miles of forest and wild waterfalls. Who could say no to that? That’s the scenery you can expect to see when you hike the North Country Trail in Pictured Rocks National Lake Shore. The trail follows, literally, along Lake Superior from Munising to Grand Marais…

  • A Journey to Crisp Point Lighthouse

    Michigan has some pretty unique lighthouses. Designed to withstand the raging storms of the Great Lakes, it’s hard to not be impressed. Even if lighthouses aren’t your thing. Crisp Point Lighthouse, once inaccessible by car, is one such unique structure.

  • Fayette: An Amazing Historical Opportunity

    Tucked away in the Snail Shell Harbor of the Garden Peninsula is 170 acres of pure Michigan history. Fayette Historical State Park was once a thriving community, manufacturing charcoal pig iron.

  • Exploring Pictured Rocks: Hiking The Chapels

    The Chapel/Mosquito Loop in Pictured Rocks is perhaps one of the most visited portions of the trail. This trip, my mom and I decided to taken 6.6 miles (RT) of the trail that included Chapel Falls, Chapel Rock, and Chapel Beach. Chapel Falls The waterfall is about 60 feet tall…

  • A Trek Up Sugarloaf Mountain

    Sugarloaf Mountain may not be Mount Everest, but it certainly has something to offer those in the Marquette area. Honestly, I could have sat up there all day, admiring the view. Miles and mile of forest in one direction, Lake Superior 470 feet below in another. This 360 view of…

  • A Cozy Cabin Rental near Munising

    A Cozy Cabin Rental near Munising

    Every February we venture into the frozen north in search of nature’s ice sculptures. We’ve stayed mostly at hotels in the past but this year we wanted to be able to bring our beagles with us. I just happened to come across this little place called Double D Cabins, located…

  • A Gorge to Remember – Manganese Gorge

    first encountered Manganese Falls in winter of 2012 when we ventured to Copper Harbor for the first time. We couldn’t see the waterfall very well but we taken aback by the beauty of the gorge below. Where everything outside the gorge was covered in white snow, inside the gorge greenery thrived…

  • A Winter Trip to Munising

    I just got my very first pair of snowshoes and what better way to break them in than heading to the Upper Peninsula. Munising, Michigan is one of our favourite towns in the entire state, no matter the season, and makes the perfect location for some snowshoeing adventures.

  • Kitch-iti-kipi – Michigan’s Largest Freshwater Spring

    Growing up Steve visited Kitch-iti-kipi with his family. It made such an impression on him that he wanted to revist and share the experience with me. I didn’t know what to expect from a giant spring with a raft suspended on a wire and propelled by human power. A bit…