28 July 2022 – Thursday

posted 13 March 2023

Exploring the east end of the Porkies and heading into the Keewenaw Peninsula

0946  47,899  Leave Big Bear Campground

1003  47,907   61°

Lake of the Clouds

In less than twenty minutes, we climbed 800 feet to enjoy this popular view in the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. An accessible overlook is only 0.3 miles from the parking lot.

Michigan does have some mountains and has protected 60,000 acres of forest here.

Ninety miles of hiking trails offer all kinds of opportunities for exploration. 

Yesterday and today were our first visits here. Great Lake shoreline, mountains, and waterfalls are an enchanting combination. We need to return and spend more time wandering in this lovely state park.

One more view overlooking Lake of the Clouds. 

1050  47,915  65°  Back at Campground. Cleaned up and enjoyed hot showers before check out time. Stopped in at the office and complemented the owners before heading east. 

1110  47,919  Bonaza Falls on the Big Iron River was our next stop.

Bits of greenery hang on between layers of slate. Bonaza Falls was easy to access down a short gravel trail.

1150  47,937  66°

Ontonagan Lighthouse  

Commissioned in 1866, the lighthouse is open for self-guided tours from 11-3 daily. An adjacent museum holds a 5th order fresnel lens and chronicles history of copper mining in the area.

1206  47,937  65°  

Local lakeside park with a campground on Lake Superior. 74 RV Sites range from $25 to $40 per night. There are also 4 tent sites. All sites are first come, first serve.

1400  47,990  Tadych’s Marketplace Foods  1422  64°

Beth has been to the Keewenaw before, but this is my first time. We stopped in Houghton for gas and groceries, then crossed the bridge over the portage canal and headed into the peninsula for a few days of exploring.

1440  48,001   67°  Today’s final destination is the Houghton County Historical Museum. They participate in the Harvest Hosts program, so we will visit the museum and spend the night here in their parking lot.

The museum building was the office for the Calumet & Hecla Mining Company. 

Of the variety of devices in the museum, this Automatic Emergency Telegraph machine was something we hadn’t seen before.

(click on image to enlarge it)

The Hecla and Torch Lake Railroad carried ore the four miles from the mines. The Historical Society is raising funds to restore the steam engine and refurbish the tracks as a tourist railroad.

The Museum is in the Village of Lake Linden, so we enjoyed a walk around the quiet downtown. The Historical Society also owns this former Congregational Church built in 1886. It served congregations until 1979 when it was donated to the Society.

The Lindell Chocolate Shop was established in 1918

in the Joseph Bosch Building built in 1893. Their restaurant is open from 7-1, so we were too late to get a meal.

Peeking in the windows, we wondered if this was one of the original tenants. He didn’t seem to be bothering a cat doing what cats do.

Lake Linden Park and Village Campground are on Torch Lake. New boat ramps and sidewalks were under construction during our visit.

Torch Lake connects to the Portage Canal and Lake Superior. 

St. Joseph Catholic Church had just celebrated 150 years as a congregation.

From the impressive (for a village with just over 1,000 residents) 1901 City Hall, it was a short walk back to our camper van. 

That’s it for today. Goodnight from Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula.

Today’s Route

(click on image to enlarge it)