Silver River Falls

October 1, 2010: The colors of fall are certainly everywhere! What a great time of year to be outside. Today my daughter and I visited the Silver River Falls after stopping at the Esrey Park. It was cool and windy, so we headed for a place in the woods to hike. We ended up deciding on the falls for its pretty views and for its foot trail. The trail itself is not long, but travels up and down over the rocky terrain and tree roots. There are some wonderful views of the falls from the trail and we got lots of pictures. We traveled as far down as the path would take us then headed over the street to check out the path on the other side. We were delighted to find a little beaver dam.
Silver River Falls is marked from the road on Highway M-26 between Eagle Harbor and Copper Harbor. The river flows beneath a Jacksonville sandstone, mason bridge. If you are looking, this is an easy set of falls to find.

Esrey Park

October 1, 2010: Today my daughter and I made a stop at Esrey Park. This is one of our family-favorite places to stop and grill up dinner on Lake Superior. It was breezy, but this did not stop my daughter from climbing a big rock face that stretches 15 or so feet up in the air. We hiked the little foot trail that followed the lake shore, looking for rose hips, although we did not find any. Instead we were forced to be content with the view. After we had visited for forty minutes or so, we were thoroughly chilled and headed back to the truck for a warm up and a stop at the Jam Pot for a snack, down the road.
The Esrey Park is located five miles east of Eagle Harbor on Lake Superior, is day-use only with a rocky beach, pavilion and picnic area. There is a nice overlook into Lake Superior and along the shore line from a naturally occurring basalt rock face that towers up into the air and is accessed through stone built stairs on either side of the formation.

Clifton Trail

September 30, 2010: Today my daughter and I went to the Cliff Mine area. The Cliff Mine supported the town of Clifton. This is now a ghost town and the only proof of the the town's existence are the poor rock piles, crumbling foundations and cemetery. The land has since returned to forest, swamp and streams at the base of the cliff. Today it was sunny and warm, sweatshirt weather, making for a good day to go explore. We used the trucks four wheel drive to cross the small river by the road so we could park at the base of the rock piles. First we did a little rock hounding at the poor rock piles, finding some copper and other minerals. Then we had decided to hike the trail at the base of the cliff from the poor rock piles to the cemetery. We saw little squirrels and pat along the way. The trail we hiked was a foot trail that proved easy to follow. We then turned off our trail at a marker marked 'cemetery'. Although this is a small cemetery, it was easy to spot due to a tall erect marker/gravestone where we crossed a fallen fence into the cemetery. Many of the headstones that we had viewed were from the 1800's. For those interested, there is a more direct route to the cemetery. The way is marked from Cliff Dr. After taking the turn off from Cliff Dr., there is a turn around that can double as a parking area. Follow the foot trail that is off of this loop to go to the cemetery. In the woods there is a marker indicating that it is just ahead. I have described how to get to the Cliff Mine area in my July 1, 2010 post.

Alaska

September 12-23, 2010: I have been in Alaska! I is just beautiful! I can't say enough about it...the mountains, the water, the animals and terrain, what is there not to love. I went to visit family and got the chance to do some hiking around Anchorage. Some places that I explored included a trail along the mudflats, the Kink Glacier and a trip down the Scenic Seward with some hiking along the way. It was a fabulous trip and I hope to return with my family someday. I am back in the Keweenaw now and I am enjoying the colors of fall.

The Lower Montreal Falls

September 6, 2010: Today we drove north toward the tip of the Keweenaw to hike to the Montreal Falls. It was a sunny, clear day out today with calm winds. The hike had wonderful views and we took many pictures along the way. The trail for the most part followed the Lake Superior shore and was easy to follow. There were many washouts that we had to keep an eye out for, for the sake of our daughter. The trail was narrow and there were many downed trees to climb over. It made for a fun family adventure. As we approached the falls, the forest and trees cleared and opened to a grassy and sandy/pebbly beach area. We passed some friends on the trail heading out that had camped in this clearing and had said it had made for a great campsite. We had stopped here for a snack and drink before exploring the area and heading back. If someone is considering this hike, I advise taking a quick look at google earth before heading out to familiarize yourself with the driving route. The drive is scenic and most pleasant, but can be tricky if one is not familiar with the area. From Lac La Belle go east about two and half miles until you see a gravel road on the left marked Smith Fisheries Rd. Continue down this road, passing the parking area for the Bare Bluff hiking area, and park where the road comes to and end by a parking area near the water. From the parking area a trail head toward the north that begins the hike to the Montreal falls.

Nara Nature Park Trailhead

8/17/2010-8/31/2010: We have just been LOVING the Nara Nature Park Trail area. It is located on 41 South of Houghton, by the animal shelter. It is a great trail system! There have been all kinds of blackcap berries to snack on while hiking the trails this late August. Some of the best places for berries are located along the 'River Loop' by the Pilgrim River and between the base of the sledding hill and the 'River Loop' trail. YUM! There are also many thimbleberries located along the trails. We have seen lots of wildlife. By the river we saw a blue heron and have seen deer in the woods. There are lots of squirrels and birds to be enjoyed. During the spring and summer, butterflies fill the meadows and wildflowers are everywhere. The trails are well posted and are assigned difficulty ratings of easy, moderate and difficult. Some trails are wide and others are foot trails to be shared with mountain bikers. Some of the terrain is flat while other parts are quite hilly. Maps are located throughout the trail system. The Nara Nature Trails meet up with the Michigan Tech Trails creating miles and miles of trails to be enjoyed.

Central Mine

8/15/2010: Today we went to the Central Mine and hiked the Power House Loop. Central was once a mining town that offers itself as a great family area to explore. Some of the buildings are kept to period. You can tour the buildings and way of life of it's former occupants from the 1800's. Today the weather was cool for August. The trail was easy to follow and wound through the woods and by some of the old buildings. The terrain was hilly and at times could be a little steep offering some pretty views. Included is a picture of the powder building. Central is located off 41 going north of Phoenix. For more information about this area check out the site http://www.keweenawhistory.org/central.html which includes a link to a map to Central.

The Computer Died

My computer is not functional and has claimed my pictures. I had made several wonderful hikes the last six weeks, including a hike on the Bare Bluff trail. I had downloaded the pictures of these hikes on the computer. To my family's and my horror the hard drive has froze up on the computer. For the present, the pictures are lost. I will continue to post the hikes that I have taken from here forth.

Hungarian Falls

July 13, 2010: Today my daughter and I went to the Hungarian Falls. The best way to get from Hancock to the falls is going north on 26, also called Tamarack St. In Lake Lindon, make a left on Sixth St., follow the fork to the left and stop at the second gate, with red poles and a yellow orange gate. Today was a pleasant with sunny skies and temperatures in the seventies. The thimbleberries are newly out and we snacked on a few during our walk. The butterflies and squirrels made for a pleasant walk. On the trail we came across five separate waterfalls. The lowest falls down stream are the largest of the falls. I have not included a picture of them as we did not hike to the bottom of these falls. Three of the remaining falls are on the main trail. The upper fall is to the right of the tee of the trail you come in on. Three of the falls are to the left of the tee. From the vantage point above the lower falls, a view of the Huron Mountains could be seen today!

Sandstone Beach

July 4, 2010: The family and I decided to go for a drive today and do a little swimming. We drove up the east side of the Keweenaw on Lac La Belle Rd. Between the town of Gay and Bete Grise, we stopped at a Jacobsville Sandstone beach that was located not far off the road. The beach was secluded in that no one lived near by. For a neat view of the Jacobsville sandstone and just to see how impressive it really is, on Google Earth follow the eastern coastline from Gay to Bete Grise and you can see the bands of red and white in the sandstone from above. Just awesome. We saw some kettles and ripple marks in the sandstone. My daughter liked sitting on the sandstone and plunging her legs into the small kettles. A very neat area to explore.

Little Presque

July 3, 2010: The family and I went to Marquette for a day of shopping and fun. The day was hot and humid, just under 90. We went for a drive up Co. Rd. 550 north of Sugar Mountains to Little Presque Island. It was easy to find and there was a sign from the road where to turn in and a parking area. On the mainland, there is a neat beach with exposed sandstone bluffs and a view of the Sugar Loaf Mountains. The water is shallow enough for adults to easily walk over to the island. A neat area for bird watching and exploring.

Cliff Mine

July 1, 2010: Today my daughter and I headed out to the cliff today. We drove out Cliff Dr. off of 41 N. to go to the Cliff Mine. We hiked a little around the base of the cliff. We seen some of the old foundations and looked over some of the poor rock piles. The piles have recently been reworked by a bulldozer and there are fresh places to look for copper, greenstones, or whatever strikes you. We found some neat pieces of copper and mineral deposits in with the poor rock. It was a fun start to the day. We got out of there just as the rain started to fall.

Redwyn Dunes

June 30, 2010: My family and I went out to the Redwyn Dunes for a hike. It is located across from the Great Sand Bay, on 26, also called Dune Dr. It was a pleasant evening. The sun was out and the temperatures were in the sixties. My daughter just loves this trail. It is a foot trail that winds up and down the dunes. The area is treed and there are lots of friendly ground squirrels. We usually as a family make the hike in just over an hour.

Nara Nature Park

June 28, 2010: My daughter and I went to Nara Nature Park off of 41 south of Houghton. It is a park right off the portage and on the north side of 41, the park has boardwalks that follow on either side of a river emptying into the portage. After a rainy start this morning, the sun came out and it warmed up to around 70. The warblers were out and we got to see a beaver trail. We have spotted the beaver on other visits, but did not get to see it today. Included is a picture of some trees the beaver had gnawed on.

Gratiot River Park

June 28, 2010: Today my family and I headed out to the Gratiot River Park. We had a blast rock hounding. We found a number of small agates and lots of fun igneous rocks. Then we headed over to the Swedetown trails for a walk.

Copper Falls

June 26,2010: My family and I drove out to the Copper falls.
I had some trouble determining the location of the falls. After some research online and looking at Google Earth, I had found a falls on the Owl River. I believe there is another falls on the river, but I will leave this to this fall. To get to the falls, I came from 41 going north to Copper Falls road until it ended into Eagle Harbor Cut Off road. I made a right then another immediate right onto trail 130, a two track. On trail 130, I saw a few very old houses surrounded by woods. We parked on the side of the road by a very old orchard and walked down the trail to a bridge and the falls were on the right. The falls altogether are a little over 15 feet tall and the rock face the water ‘falls’ over slopes down with pretty moss on the rocks. The Owl River is low today, but regardless the falls are pretty. In the river bed is poor rock from what I assume to be the Copper Mine located nearby. After checking out the falls, we walked up the river bed and found a neat pit that deserves further investigation. At this point my daughter was done exploring and it was time to head out. We decided to head out and enjoy the day with a drive.