There’s a Forest Service Tree Nursery Hidden in the U.P. That Replants Forests Across the East
Most people drive right past it. But this 90-year-old nursery outside Watersmeet is the last of its kind in the eastern U.S. — 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.
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Why Tahquamenon Falls Runs the Color of Root Beer (No, It Isn’t Dirty)
The biggest waterfall in the U.P. runs the color of root beer, and no, it isn't dirty. Here's the real reason behind the nickname,...
Meet the Lake Sturgeon: a 150-Million-Year-Old Living Fossil Still Cruising U.P. Rivers and Lake Superior
Seven feet long, older than the ice age, and still gliding along the bottom of the water you grew up on. There's a fish...
Are There Mountain Lions in the Upper Peninsula? The DNR Just Confirmed Cubs for the First Time
For the first time in over a century, a mother cougar and two cubs are living in the U.P. — and 2025 just set...
Isle Royale Is Michigan’s Only National Park, and the Least-Visited One in the Lower 48
An island wilderness of wolves and moose, with no roads and a lake on it that has its own island. And it's the least-visited...
Christmas, Michigan Is a Real U.P. Town With a 35-Foot Santa and Its Own Postmark
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...
This 95,000-Acre U.P. Refuge Brought Back the Giant Swan, and You Can See Them From Your Car
At Seney National Wildlife Refuge, trumpeter swans that had all but vanished now raise their young on the quiet pools, and summer is the...
These Lake Superior Rocks Look Ordinary by Day, Then Glow Like Lava After Dark
They sat hidden on the beaches for a billion years before a Yooper with a flashlight figured them out Walk a Lake Superior beach...
Michigan’s Latest Published Minimum Estimate Counted 762 Wolves in the U.P.
Michigan's latest published winter estimate counted a minimum of 762 wolves in the U.P. in 2024., hunting in packs out in the cedar swamps...
People Think Lake Superior Is Just a Lake. Then They See It Like This.
The biggest waves ever recorded on the Great Lakes rolled right past the U.P. — nearly three stories tall. Press play. Everyone outside the...
Almost Every Waterfall in Michigan Is in the U.P., and These Five Are Pure Magic
Michigan has over 300 named waterfalls, and the Lower Peninsula has exactly one of them Here is something that surprises a lot of people....
If You Grew Up on a U.P. Lake, This One Sound Will Take You Right Back
The haunting call of the common loon is the sound of home to anyone who ever spent a summer up north Ask anyone who...
There’s a Mountain Wilderness in the U.P. So Wild It Feels Like It Belongs Out West
Michigan's largest state park hides an ancient forest and a cliff-top view locals call the most beautiful in the state Tucked into the far...
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