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.

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.

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.

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.