Upper peninsula trails / routes /camping?

hey guys,

I'll be heading upto the Michigan UP in probably August this year. I'm heading from Denver to ultimately pentwater and Grand Rapids. So I'll be heading up through Wisconsin and heading through the UP to Mackinaw to the LP. I'll probably have 3.5-4 days once I enter into Michigan to get to pentwater.

So I'm just looking for suggestive routes/trails and camping locations.


I'll be driving this:

 

Crystal Falls. Go North 25 miles. Look for Deer Lake. There is a huge amount of forrest service trails in that area. Your shocks will get a workout. You won't need 4 x 4 that often.

 

Copper Harbor! Some very good camping spots/terrain past the start of US 41. Also if your in area, check out the Town of Gay, there's a beach that's fun to play on, with some gnarly terrain. It's most frequent adventure area, and even after 10+ times i=of wheeling it never gets old. Some pictures below of a few of our trips!

 

Check out the Keweenaw Peninsula, real nice. You can do a loop,great water vistas. Houghtion-Hankcock, Calumet,Eagle River-Eagle Harbor ,Cooper Harbor,Gay. I love da UP,August is a good month,less bugs. Marquette is a cool town as well, micro-brews,Presque Isle Park,right on Lake Superior. P.S., love the truck.

 

Nice looking rig!

You can get a lot of info at UP Overland's forums. They put on an annual UP Overland trip the end of July/beginning of August every year that is free. I could probably fill a page with info here about the UP. Michigan offers dispersed camping on state land too so you aren't stuck in campgrounds or parks every night.

Its pretty nice up there.

 

Thanks guys for the suggestions! starting to hammer down the dates now that we finally got a week we will have a cabin.

 

Yup, lots of old interesting copper mining towns that way. Ditto on Gay, MI. You can stop at the "Gay bar" in town after the dunes.

 

Sub on this thread. Is there and good spots to take my RTT UP here. And I heard there's beach near Gay any help with that?

 

There are MANY spots to set up a RTT. Past Copper Harbor there are multiple dirt trails that lead to good areas on the beach. Gay beach is also a very spot and easy to get to. It is about .5 mile East of the town. If not looking to venture all the way up to Copper Harbor, I'd check out L'Anse. There's many good trails out there too.

 

Copper harbor isn't too far from where I live. I been doin all state park and forest trail. Defiantly gonna venture out more now since you say that.

 

Taquamanon Falls, Paradise ,Whitefish Point ,Shipwreck Museum w/ Edmund Fitzgerald

 

Its the Gay Beach! There isn't much else other than a bar there (yes, it is called the Gay Bar). I guess you could camp on it. I had read that they were going to start trucking the mine tailing (which is what the beach is made out of) down to Hancock to make shingles but I never heard it confirmed. I would rather hit Mouth Of The Huron or High Rock Bay.

 

Is this trip still happening? I lived in Upper Michigan for 12 years. Love it up there.

 

We got back from 5 days camping in da UP last week. Bugs weren't too horrible. Hit a few favorite spots.

 

Love the UP! Have not been off-roading there, but did some camping there in Steuben when we lived in the LP. My wife is from Haslett and she'll get a kick out of this thread when I show it to her.

^^ Great pic @Rattler

 

Thanks! We go a couple times up there camping every summer. I finally got to go see the jets at KI Sawyer this time!

 

We were just talking about going up maybe next year when we visit the in-laws in Traverse City. Some friends of my wife's family have cabins on Byers Lake, but I think it would be really cool to go check out some of the other areas mentioned in this thread.

 

I hope you get this before the trip but check out the T.W.A.T.

seriously, that's what its called.

Best site on it currently:
http://lonewolfexpeditions.blogspot.com/p/trans-wisconsin-adventure-trail.html

Trail that runs straight north through wisconsin from Illinois. Some paved, some not. Camping the whole way.

 

I know a few guys on some FB overlanding pages that have ran it. Nothing difficult but very scenic. I am hoping to take it one day. There is also the Kentucky Adventure Tour.

 

Perfect night at High Rock Bay