Spent a long weekend at the Porkies with my dad, and despite the fact that it was raining most of the time, we had a wonderful experience. I wanted to see some of the mining ruins, and they had a trail with markers talking about the old mines. We also accidentally caught a tour of the remains of a mining town by one of the rangers, which was a major highlight of the trip. The two major hikes we did were the Escarpment Trail, which was very difficult, with steep climbs (and a thunderstorm right at the end of the hike!), but was worthwhile for the beautiful views of the Lake of the Clouds, and the Lost Lake Trail, which we took all the to Trap Falls, which was a beautiful and secluded area. In the four hours we were on that trail, we only saw one other person, and along the way we got to hike through a river, around giant fallen trees, and through giant puddles from the rain. Great fun, even when I was six inches deep in mud.
An unkempt secret. I feel in love with this place 30 years ago for its varied landscape. You start out looking at Lake Superior in all its glory, go up the mountain road to a lake in the midst and come back down through virgin forest to a waterfall.
If you are looking for a true wilderness experience, this park is incredible. We went Labor Day weekend and there were still times where it appeared we were completely alone with nature. Trails can be muddy, rugged, and strewn with rocks - I loved it! The Escarpment Trail was a nice out-and-back 8 mile challenge with plenty of hill climbs and descents worth the views. The Summit Peak tower provided a nice panorama. We also enjoyed a short hike to Overlooked Falls and Greenstone falls on the west side of the park. Vault toilets were impressively clean and fresh-smelling. Bring plenty of water since we didn't notice any spots to fill up.
This park has many more positives than negatives. The hiking is amazing with exquisite waterfalls to be enjoyed and Lake in the clouds. The views of Lake Superior from Union Bay Campground are beyond beautiful. The Union Bay campground could use some work. The week we were there had a lot of rain. There are no pads for RVs in this park so it was a mess with deep ruts on campsites from RVs getting stuck. Also, because they are trying to accommodate as many sites as possible on the bluff you may have a neighbor and their campfire almost touching the back if your RV. We were very lucky that all the campers that were there during our visit had great camper etiquette and were friendly and quiet.
Hiking a mountain range along the coast of lake Superior, doesn't get much better in the Midwest. Mosquitoes can get thick later in summer, just like anywhere else up around there. Spent 1 day hiking on the way further north for vacation and will return for camping when time allows.
Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park is a US Park based in Ontonagon, Michigan. Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park is located at 33303 Headquarters Rd, Ontonagon, MI 49953, USA.
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