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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.