Full Day on Keweenaw Peninsula

Pebble beaches of Lake Superior

Location Coordinates:
Approximate -
47°15'N, 88°20'W
Keweenaw Peninsula,
Michigan

I'm good with maps. I'm not embarrassed to say that a good map can keep me entertained for hours. So when I travel I typically have thoroughly studied road layouts and geographic characteristics of wherever it is that I'm going. This aptitude is quite handy when I'm starting off to explore unfamiliar territory. But every now and again I have a slip-up. I miscalculate things such as the impact of two-lane highways or time spent at interesting sites along the path. Such was the case when a planned seven-hour scenic driving route turned into a twelve-hour express marathon.

Near Silver City, Michigan

The day began in Bayfield, Wisconsin with a goal of making Marquette, Michigan by early evening. A direct route is just over 200 miles, or about four to five hours of leisurely driving. But as I was circling Lake Superior, bypassing Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula seemed like cheating. Including a run up to Copper Harbor at the northern point of the peninsula only added another 165 miles while also keeping true to the circle lakeshore route. No sweat, right? But I was overlooking two key factors: (1) a trip like this, by design, isn't just about quickly getting from point A to point B, and (2) daylight is much shorter in October than in, say, late June.



Nee-Gaw-Nee-Gaw-Bow

 By mid-morning I was only as far as Wakefield, Michigan where I came across an imposing wood sculpture by Peter Wolf Toth. The twenty-foot Nee-Gaw-Nee-Gaw-Bow (which means "Leading Man") is one in a series of Toth sculptures honoring Native Americans. But Wakefield is inland, and I wanted to get back waterside for a lunch along the shore of Lake Superior. So, I diverted north from my car's GPS suggested route to the village of Silver City, Michigan. This area offered classic Great Lakes shoreline, with a pebble beach heavily decorated with driftwood, and was certainly worth the diversion. When my picnic lunch was complete I realized my actual progress was not keeping up with my planned progress. It was time to pick up the pace.

Keweenaw Snow-Mometer

I found my way back to the recommended route and on towards the city of Houghton. At Houghton I crossed over Portage Lake and into the town of Hancock. Somewhere between Hancock and Copper Harbor I came across a curiosity known as the Keweenaw Snow-mometer , a measuring gauge recording various years lake effect annual snow levels. I was astounded at the record 1978-1979 seasonal total of over 390 inches (yes, that's more than 32 feet of snow!).

Eagle Harbor Light - Eagle Harbor, Michigan

Nearing the northern reaches of the peninsula the road narrowed significantly and became quite curvy as it wound through the woods under a brilliant canopy of autumnal reds and oranges. After this grand scene, reaching the apex point of Copper Harbor felt somewhat anti-climatic. With no time to waste I double-backed slightly through the Eagle Harbor area where I discovered a great little lighthouse. It was here that I realized just how far off my timing had strayed from plan. It was already late afternoon with maybe just another hour or two of daylight. And I still had well over 100 miles to reach Marquette. By the time I arrived back in Houghton the sun was done, and I knew I'd have a scenery blackout for the remainder of this segment. But while I sacrificed fully seeing the whole route that day, at least I can proudly say I didn't take shortcuts on the grand Lake Superior Circle Tour.