# UP camping and hiking advice



## Martin Looker (Jul 16, 2015)

Look up the north country trail which runs the length of the UP and then some.


----------



## Dirty Sanchez (10 mo ago)

I was fortunate to be the junior Forester that opened up the Peshekee grade area in the 90's. I lived in Kingsford, went to Tech and worked on the Peshekee. Craig lake state Park is a great suggestion. 

Do you're googling on the Peshekee. The history was a national scandal. You can find old maps. Go looking for the old log dams. It's a neat area and, in my opinion...one of the best places to see moose.


----------



## Dirty Sanchez (10 mo ago)

$2 Mil Railroad Scandal – Iron Range and Huron Bay Railroad


One Time Train By Mikel B. Classen What if I told you a story, a true one, but one that has been lost through time? It is a tale that has intrigue, extortion, plague, and death. What if I told you …




www.google.com


----------



## Dirty Sanchez (10 mo ago)

Bring your gold pan. You can find color in this area. In fact..some where in this area there was a fella who had found a secret spot and made about 20k a year in the 90's. My buddy tried following him once to no avail. 

I never found nuggets but I did find some fairly good color.


----------



## Twostate (Mar 17, 2019)

Detour state park, no electric, tent and camper, very quiet, way off the road, walkable Sand beach for miles, close enough to town, set way back in the woods, plus miles n miles of hikeable state land two track across street. Fall asleep to waves crashing, and freighters churning. Late July water warms for swimming. Take the ferry from detour to Drummond island for a day trip, go to the marina, relax, hike, enjoy. Consider a charter from either marina, they do site see trips also and it’s beautiful, and very reasonable.


----------



## B.Jarvinen (Jul 12, 2014)

I enjoyed my day in the Peshekee country. I went in with 3 different paper maps, some bits pre-loaded in Google & OnX, and have worked and walked in the woods since I was six years old and I never get lost.

Back up in there, I was occasionally lost.

There were a whole lot of roads covering the land like spaghetti but only the ones currently being used for timber harvest were worth using.

I truly look forward to going back, maybe this Fall. I could probably pick pounds & pounds of Yellow Birch seed in there; the best populations of that tree I have ever seen not on a whole other, similar place called Back Allegheny Mountain, elsewhere. But you have to be prepared to sleep outside for multiple nights and simultaneously be able to hike out long distances. Because one unseen washout hole is all it would take.


----------



## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

Take Chapel Road to the end, parking lot. Hike out to Chapel Rock about 3 miles. Follow trail West past Grand Portal then to Mosquito River about 3 mile. Then to Mosquito Falls and back to the parking lot another 3 miles. You will see some amazing UP beauty and probably take 100 pictures.

Best advice would be to get there at day light or shortly after. Parking lot fills up. You wont see many on the trail most walk to Chapel Falls or Rock and back to the parking lot.


----------



## 6Speed (Mar 8, 2013)

Dang we're giving up a lot of good places! I sure hope Google searches don't make em get crowded...


----------



## Martin Looker (Jul 16, 2015)

The best time to hike most trails is after school starts in the fall. Less people and less bugs.


----------



## pikeslime (Jan 2, 2001)

Thanks again, all. Is mid-August still mosquito or fly season up there? Trying to consider that for date selection.


----------



## Tilden Hunter (Jun 14, 2018)

pikeslime said:


> Thanks again, all. Is mid-August still mosquito or fly season up there? Trying to consider that for date selection.


Mosquito.


----------



## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

6Speed said:


> Dang we're giving up a lot of good places! I sure hope Google searches don't make em get crowded...


Read an article yesterday that said Pictured Rocks attendance went from 800,000 in 2020 to 1.2M in 2021.

Why I suggested getting there early. About 5 years ago got to the parking lot to hike and lot was full. People started parking along the road.


----------



## JoeLansing (Oct 30, 2005)

I'm too lazy to read all the previous posts. But if you do go west check out the FREE kitch-iti-kipi spring. The fish you can see from the boat are amazing. Takes less than an hour to visit it. Kitch-iti-Kipi, Michigan's Big Spring | Upper Peninsula And here's a YouBoob Video about it.


----------



## B.Jarvinen (Jul 12, 2014)

Mosquito populations will depend on precipitation. Generally the later in the year, the less they will be around as their predators ramp up in population. But occasionally a wet period in late summer can create a big hatch. Different every year; August generally better than July, July better than June. But September better than August.


----------



## JoeLansing (Oct 30, 2005)

W


B.Jarvinen said:


> Mosquito populations will depend on precipitation. Generally the later in the year, the less they will be around as their predators ramp up in population. But occasionally a wet period in late summer can create a big hatch. Different every year; August generally better than July, July better than June. But September better than August.


I agree totally. Wet June is the worst. Depending on how deep in the woods you go be prepared for clouds of no-see-ums and deerflies also. Mosquitos are just mosquitos. No-see-um's have a worse bite reaction and just suck because they are so tiny they can fly through a larger mesh screen. Deerflies around your head don't bite much, but drive you insane. These bug hats are great https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GBL5GZ6
- Joe


----------



## B.Jarvinen (Jul 12, 2014)

I think of June as the only month for Deerflies. 

I am in the Lower right now and it has been an awesome year for avoiding Mosquitoes. But the No-See-Ums are picking up the slack. I associate them with heat & humidity but maybe this year is showing me they are more about the humidity. I think their population crashes, too. Summer always just gets better as it goes along for having less bugs, imo. Unless the monsoons arrive.


----------



## JoeLansing (Oct 30, 2005)

B.Jarvinen said:


> I think of June as the only month for Deerflies.
> 
> I am in the Lower right now and it has been an awesome year for avoiding Mosquitoes. But the No-See-Ums are picking up the slack. I associate them with heat & humidity but maybe this year is showing me they are more about the humidity. I think their population crashes, too. Summer always just gets better as it goes along for having less bugs, imo. Unless the monsoons arrive.


I grew up doing about 4 weeks a year in June or July at Lac Labelle in Keweenaw. We had a one room log cabin on a trout stream across from the lake. I drove around a lot on a small dirt bike using logging roads fishing brookies. Mostly when I was 12 or so. I haven't been there for 2 years now, but been there many dozens of years. Lots of bugs, but fun times. After early July the bugs get a lot better. Mid-Late June can be brutal if it's warm & wet.
- Joe


----------

