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Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park
Motorcycling across Michigan's Upper Peninsula offers up some great opportunities to experience a few of the peninsula's natural wonders. On the western coastline of Upper Michigan is one of them. It's called the Porcupine Mountain State Park and its someplace special.
At over 60,000 acres this is one of the largest wilderness areas in the Midwest. What makes it such a great motorcycling destination is that much of the best to see lies within easy walking distance of the parking area. The park sits at the western end of the peninsula on the Lake Superior shoreline. To reach the south end of the park its about a 15 mile ride down Highway 519 which is located just northeast of Wakefield off Highway M-28. Once you enter the park, it's about another 3 miles to the Presque Isle Campground. To reach the park from the north you need to ride in on Highway 107 from Silver City. The South Boundary road connects the two ends of the park.
So what makes the Porkies so special? Well for starters, there is the mighty Presque Isle River and it's three great waterfalls. The Presque Isle River flows into Lake Superior right past the south campground and is known as a whitewater river. Every year the river draws whitewater kayakers and canoeists from around the Midwest. It's this same wild water that creates three waterfalls all within easy walking distance from the parking area, Just park your bike and in minutes you can find yourself overlooking Manabezho Falls. This waterfall spans 150 feet across the river with a drop of over 20 feet. With winter's melting snow, the water thunders over the falls creating an intense feeling as you stand there almost within an arms length of torrents of water as they crash over the stone ledges. By late summer when the water is low, you can almost walk all the way across the river bed at the base of the falls. Just be careful. This is a wild river! About another 100 yards up river is the Manido Falls. By now your legs are probably getting tired of hiking up and down the boardwalk stairs, but it's worth it to see these falls drop about 25 feet creating a series of rapids. Standing on the viewing platform, if you look up river you can almost see the third set of waterfalls. If you're really into waterfalls, it's going to take a hike up hill on a small path and the a walk about a 1/4 mile along banks to get to these falls. If you're not into that hike, you can also get to them by cutting through the woods near the park entrance gate building. It's likely everyone living in the U.P. has heard of Lake in the Clouds. If you're biking through the Western U.P. it would be a shame to ride by this one. As you near the end of Highway 107, the road begins it's uphill stretch to the overlook. There always seems to be plenty of parking and its a short walk to the overlook. I haven't met anyone who hasn't come away impressed by Lake in the Clouds. The other side If you just walk the boardwalk to the falls and never cross the river, you're missing something. Its a look at gentler side of this amazing river. On your walk down to the falls, you more than likely notice this cool looking swing bridge that spans the river. You get two great views from the center of the bridge. A look up the river at all the unique rock formations tells you just how powerful this river can be. A look down river, show how gentle the waters become as they work their way into Lake Superior. Once on the other side of the bridge you can turn left and follow the river bank down to Lake Superior or you can follow the Lake Superior trail markings for a short hike to fork in the river. It's one of my favorite spots on the river. By the way, the Lake Superior Trail is a 16 mile hike that takes you almost to Lake in the Clouds. I hike a good part of it when I was younger and it's a pretty strenuous hike. Motorcycle Camping? If you're in to camping from your bike, there are several camping sites in the park, but the two main sites are at opposite ends of the park. At the south end is the Presque Isle Campground. While this is a rustic campground with no modern facilities, its also, in my opinion, the best camp site in the park. This wooded campground sits on a bluff that overlooks Lake Superior. Because its up off the water and has a stone beach, you don't have to deal with the flies that you can expect to find at the north end park. Also since the park is located next to the Presque Isle River, it makes for an easy walk to the falls. At the north end of the park is the Union Bay Campground with its modern facilities. You know, things like flush toilets, running hot water and showers. I've never camped at this campground. I've always found it too crowded, a few too many flies when the heat and humidity are high, and not a lot of shade. On the other hand it's close to the Wilderness Center and just up the road is Lake in the Clouds. There are also a number of small rustic campgrounds throughout the park including a number of rustic camps one could hike into, but personally I would not recommend leaving your bike out in the remote parking areas which is what you'd have to do if you chose to sleep in one of the cabins. Oh did I mention that the Porkies has the highest concentration of bear in Michigan? Well it's suppose too anyway, but in all my time in the park camping and hiking, I never saw one. If you're like me and would rather have a soft bed with a hot shower, there are several motels and cabins over near Ontonagon and Wakefield that might work for you. All tend to have some pretty good rates. Check out Motorcycles Welcome Western U.P. page for listings in the area.
Enjoy The Porkies
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