J.W. Wells State Park: Cabins, Beach and CCC History
J.W. Wells State Park, on M-35 south of Cedar River, was given to Michigan in 1925 by the children of a Menominee lumberman, and...
Land, water, weather, and the road there
Outdoors & Travel
Upper Peninsula wild places, practical travel context, outdoor traditions, and the stories behind the view.
Central U.P.
11 stories from this part of the U.P.
Laughing Whitefish Falls: Trail, Stairs, Cost and Directions
Laughing Whitefish Falls drops 100 feet down a fan of sandstone in Alger County, half a mile from the parking lot. The name was...
Wagner Falls: Trail, Parking, Hours and Passport Info
Wagner Falls drops 20 feet over rock ledges a tenth of a mile from the lot near Munising. The Park Service rates it a...
Munising Shipwrecks: See Them Through Lake Superior's Clear Water
Lake Superior off Munising is so clear you can see century-old wrecks from the surface. Press play. Most of Lake Superior's shipwrecks are hidden...
Eben Ice Caves: How They Form and Why There Is No Trail
The Eben Ice Caves form every winter when seep water freezes across sandstone overhangs in Rock River Canyon. They are not caves, and the...
Miners Castle: The Day a Pictured Rocks Turret Collapsed
Miners Castle is the signature landmark of Pictured Rocks, and on April 13, 2006, its northeast turret collapsed into Lake Superior. The rock it...
Monarch Butterflies at Peninsula Point Lighthouse
From mid-August into September, monarchs funnel down the Stonington Peninsula to the cedars around the 1865 Peninsula Point Lighthouse, roost, and wait for the...
Siphon Bridge, Manistique: The Road Below the River
A paper mill needed water power, a dam would have flooded the town, so Manistique raised the river instead. The Siphon Bridge carried Main...
Kingston Plains: The U.P.'s Ghost Forest of Stumps
The Kingston Plains near Grand Marais is a U.P. ghost forest: a haunting plain of century-old stumps where logging and fire left a forest...
Christmas, Michigan: The Town That Celebrates All Year
There is a town in the Upper Peninsula called Christmas, and yes, it is exactly as wonderful as that sounds. A 35-foot Santa Claus...
Seney National Wildlife Refuge: A U.P. Wildlife Haven
At Seney National Wildlife Refuge, trumpeter swans that had all but vanished now raise their young on the quiet pools, and summer is the...
Stories appear newest first and keep their original dates, corrections, and source records. Open the outdoors collection Corrections policy