Lake Superior
Lake Superior, like all the Great Lakes, was formed millions of years ago when massive glaciers scoured and molded the land. The last glaciers began their retreat about 10,000 years ago leaving behind powerful forces of water that further sculpted the land, a process which remains in play even today. Lake Superior is the largest body of freshwater in the world by area and is the coldest and deepest of the Great Lakes at 1,332 feet at its greatest depth. It is 350 miles long and 160 miles wide containing enough water to fill a swimming pool the size of the lower 48 states to a depth of five feet! Its shores border the states of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota as well as Canada to the north.
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
After crossing the Mackinac Bridge into Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, my first stop on Lake Superior was Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The park hugs 40 miles of shoreline between the Michigan cities of Grand Marais to the east and Munising to the west where sandstone cliffs tower 50 to 200 feet over the blue water of Lake Superior. The backdrop of the shoreline are emerald green forests, waterfalls, and lakes. The scenes at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore are like paintings created with Nature’s palette, textures, and shapes.
The name Pictured Rocks comes from the streaks of mineral stains that decorate the sandstone cliff faces. Groundwater oozes out of cracks in the sandstone and runs down the face of the sandstone. The dripping water contains different minerals like cooper, iron, and manganese which each leave behind a different colorful stain on the cliffs. The constant pounding of Lake Superior’s waves, ice in the winter, and powerful winds all continue to shape the sandstone cliffs at Pictured Rocks.
Along the western shores of the park the cliffs are composed of 500-million-year-old Cambrian sandstone. This portion of the shoreline offers some of the most breathtaking views in the United States, however most of these sights are only visible from the water. Fortunately, there are numerous companies that offer sightseeing cruises out of Munising and I took a two-hour cruise down this portion of the shoreline. The water was smooth and the views were spectacular!
One of the first major sights we encountered was Miners Castle which was so named the mineral mining that took place in this area. Dotted all along the shoreline were caves in the sandstone cliffs which have been carved out by erosion over the millenniums. Further down the shoreline was Grand Portal Point which is known for its many arches that have been formed when water flows through the sandstone formations. We passed by Indian Head and came upon Chapel Beach where the ship’s captain actually pulled into a cove where the cliffs surrounded the boat on three sides! My cruise went about 13 miles up the shoreline to Spray Falls where a river flows over the cliff into the lake below.
The North Country National Scenic Trail extends some 4,800 miles from North Dakota to Vermont and is the longest hiking trail in the United States. The trail traverses the length of Pictured Rocks by following the edge of the cliffs overlooking Lake Superior and offers some amazing views. It was not uncommon to see hikers perched hundreds of feet over the water waving to us in the boats below.
While visiting Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore I stayed at the Hurricane River campground which was a small, primitive campground only a short walk from the shores of Lake Superior. The Hurricane River forms little rapids as it flows over sandstone formations at the shoreline and empties into the lake. The shoreline at the campground was mostly rocks, but beautiful none the less with spectacular sunset views in the late evening: about 9:40pm at this location. There was also the remains of a shipwreck just off the shoreline, but all that was visible were some of the ribbing of the hull under the water.
There are hundreds of shipwrecks on Lake Superior where shoals, storms, and fog made for a treacherous passage before modern navigational technologies. The most famous of the Lake Superior shipwrecks was the SS Edmund Fitzgerald that sank during a storm in November 1975 with the loss of the entire 29 men crew, perhaps you’ve heard the song! Lighthouses are strategically placed all along the shore of Lake Superior and they played an important role in the maritime history of the lake.
There was a trailhead right at my campground which led to the Au Sable Lighthouse which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. The short 1.5-mile hike out to the lighthouse was through the forest along the edge of the cliffs with beautiful views of Lake Superior. The Au Sable Lighthouse was spectacular out on the point and the national park service offered tours of the foghorn house, keepers house, and lighthouse itself where I climbed the 97 steps for great views from the catwalk.
Just to the east of the Au Sable Lighthouse are the Grand Sable Dunes which is appropriate since “au sable” means “in the sand” in French. These dunes are enormous and rise hundreds of feet above the shoreline of Lake Superior. An interesting fact about these dunes is that after trees were cut down, they would slide the logs down these steep dunes and then transport them via Lake Superior to sawmills. Visitors are allowed to walk or slide down the dunes at a location called the Log Slide, but they are warned the hike back up is very steep and difficult. I visited the Log Slide site and it is very steep indeed, no thanks I am not hiking up that!
Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park
My second stop on Lake Superior was on the westernmost tip of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. The “Porkies” as it is locally known is 60,000 acres of some of the last remaining wilderness areas in the Midwest. The Porcupine Mountains formed some 1.1 billion years ago and are a 12-mile range that parallels the lakeshore. The state park is known for its untouched forests, secluded lakes, and miles of wild rivers and streams.
While visiting Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park I stayed at the Union Bay campground. My campsite backed up right onto the sandstone shoreline of Lake Superior and I could hear the water as I laid in bed. It was a perfect campsite except for some unwelcomed guests: black flies. The black flies at the campground were apocalyptic with flies covering every light service, covering you as soon as you stepped outside, and biting every chance they got. I’ve experienced black flies before in New England, but never this bad. They were so bad that you just couldn’t enjoy the outdoors and it is a shame because it was a really nice campground with a spectacular view. I made the best of the situation, but I was happy to be leaving the black flies behind as I headed west to the Apostle Islands.
Big Bay State Park
The Apostle Islands are an archipelago of twenty-two islands in Lake Superior on Wisconsin’s northern shores. The islands are remnants of sedimentary rocks deposited in the Lake Superior basin over 600 million years ago. Over the past 100,000 years, the islands have been sculpted by four glacial periods and the constant power of water. The Apostle Islands are known to be home to the nation’s finest collection of historic lighthouses as well as some of the most pristine sandstone formations in the Great Lakes region.
My third stop on Lake Superior was to Big Bay State Park on Madeline Island which is the largest of the Apostle Islands. Madeline Island appeared some 15,000 years ago when it was left behind by the last glacier. The 2,500-acre state park was created in 1963 by the Wisconsin legislature to preserve the geological importance and scenic beauty of the area. The park has a 1.5-mile sand beach and more than nine miles of hiking trails.
In order to get to Madeline Island from the mainland, Rosie and I had to hop on the ferry at Bayfield, Wisconsin. It was a smooth 20-minute crossing on Lake Superior over to the resort town of La Pointe, Wisconsin on Madeline Island.
My campsite at Big Bay State Park was very secluded in a dense forest of pines and hardwoods. I had frequent visits from deer and one night an owl. The night before I had arrived on Madeline Island, they had received over 4.5 inches of rain so there was a lot of standing water in camp and on the trails. I hiked the Bayview Trail navigating the flooded path to take in some spectacular views of Big Bay, Barrier Beach, Lake Superior, and finally the scenic point. About a 20-minute drive from the state park is the town of La Pointe, Wisconsin which is a cute little tourist town with shops, restaurants, harbor, and art galleries. I enjoyed a nice afternoon in La Pointe walking around and taking in the sights. They also have a really nice town park that has access to Barrier Beach and a wonderful boardwalk trail through the lagoon.
This was my final destination on the Great Lakes where I’ve had a wonderful experience and seen some amazing sights over the past three weeks. After a quick stop in Minnesota for some much-needed service for Rosie, I’ll be making my way further west into the Dakotas.
