Celebrating July 4th in the Porcupine Mountains



Suspension bridge over the Presque Isle River
Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park 

As I have mentioned before, where to camp on holidays is always a bit of a dilemma for us while ‘on the road.’  For several reasons, Independence Day can be the most problematic.  First, summer and vacations are in full swing and everyone wants to celebrate outside.  This year with the Fourth of July being on a Saturday and most people getting a three-day holiday out of the deal, more folks than normal would be out in the campgrounds and parks putting us all in competition for a good spot.  

 

Little Carp River Trail on the way to Greenstone Falls

 

Thimbleberry blooming -- in about a month the berries will be ripe

 

Another concern is that since we aren’t exactly members of the party-hardy set anymore (not sure we ever were) we are seeking a little different experience than most.  We like having camping neighbors but big crowds, noisy kids and dogs, people who have had too much to drink and choking smoke from too many campfires are not our idea of fun.  Maya is more tolerant of those things than we are but she doesn’t care for the fireworks – at all.  So you see the problem, most of these things are unavoidable on the Fourth of July if you are spending it outdoors.

 

Pinkerton Trail
We appreciated the boardwalks as the trail was quite 'swampy' in places

 

Since we had made our way to the Porcupine Mountains in the far northwest corner of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, we decided that Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park and the nearby small town of Ontonagon would be as good a place as any to weather this year’s celebrations.  We would still be on Lake Superior and we were thinking a wilderness park with lots of trails and a small town experience might be more enjoyable than some of the other options.

 

Hemlock, balsam fir and hardwood forest along park nature trail

 

We stayed in the state park at Union Bay Campground on Lake Superior from Monday until Thursday, with plans to move to Ontonagon on Thursday since the state park was full for the holiday weekend.  The ‘Porkies’ as the locals call them, are among the only mountains in Michigan and there is even a ski area with downhill slopes located in the park.  With 60,000 acres of wilderness and more than 90 miles of trails, including the North Country Trail, spending the holiday in the Porkies turned out to be a very good idea.

 

Manabezho Falls on the Presque Isle River
The Presque Isle River also contains tannins like the Tahquamenon River

 

The North Country Trail along the Presque Isle River
Sections were steep and very 'rooty'

 

We hiked the East River Trail, the West River Trail and part of the North Country Trail to make a loop in the Presque Isle Scenic Area.  The Presque Isle River is one of Michigan’s wildest rivers and it tumbles over several waterfalls as it rushes to meet Lake Superior.  It was a tranquil yet exciting hike.  The Pinkerton Creek Trail to Lake Superior and the Little Carp River and Greenstone Falls were other hikes we enjoyed while we stayed at the park.

 

The Presque Isle River raced to meet Lake Superior
We hiked a loop of trails along both sides of the river -- fun hike!

 

Lake Superior at the Union Bay Campground
No sandy beaches here, a beautiful reddish shale lined the shores

 

Then on Thursday we moved 15 miles east to the city park campground in Ontonagon, to spend the long weekend.  In some ways this campground was a better experience than staying at the state park.  Also located on the shores of Lake Superior, the campsites in Ontonagon were farther apart thus making the campground not feel so crowded and campfire smoke less of a problem.  Though we enjoyed our stay at Porcupine Mountain, that campground was very full and noisy because of the upcoming holiday.  

 

An Eastern Garter Snake posed prettily for us

 

Another plus for the Ontonagon campground was meeting our camping neighbors and their Australian Sheppard that looked like she could be Maya’s long lost twin sister.  When I saw their dog I told David that I thought our neighbors had stolen Maya.  I knew it wasn’t true as Maya was sitting right by me but I had David going for an instant.   We had such a good time meeting and getting to know Tom and Sandi and their dog Nikki.  I think Maya and Nikki would say likewise. 

 

Sandi, Tom, Maya and Nikki

 

Nikki and Maya

 

Over the July 4^th weekend we relaxed but we also made two trips back into the Porkies to see the Lake of the Clouds and hike in the Summit Peak Scenic Area.  All in all it worked out well with just the right amount of fun, food, new friends, dogs, beach walking and hiking and thankfully, very few insects.  The city did have a fireworks display on the beach near the campground and Maya had to be comforted for about an hour.  But by 11:30 we were all calm and in bed for the night, thinking this had been our best Fourth of July on the road. 

 

Lake of the Clouds
This inland lake is a mile long but only about 15 feet deep

 

Beaver pond on the Beaver Creek Trail, part of the Summit Loop Trail

 

The grasses and marsh plants got pretty tall on the Beaver Creek Trail

 

We lost Maya for a while in the grasses, but she reappeared!

 

On Sunday most of the campers headed home but we stayed on and did our chores and enjoyed our last day in Michigan.  After spending a whole month visiting some really great places, we planned to move on to Wisconsin on Monday morning.  Now that David’s brother lives in Michigan, I think we will come back but maybe in the fall next time.  Less bugs, so we’ve heard!   

 

David’s Stats:

Days Hiked:  4

Rain Days:    1       
Total Miles Hiked:  21.45   
Ave. Miles per Day:    4.29 
Total Elevation Gain:     2,574
Ave. Elevation Gain per day:  643.5

 

The beach on Lake Superior at our campground in Ontonagon