Copper Harbor
LeeAnn poses by a roadside sign on Brockway Mountain Road.
We’ve known for a while upper Midwesterners really like their Great Lakes. I’m not sure I really understood why until this trip. I figured it was basically hometown pride. I understood they liked them, but didn’t really feel their love for them until we made it to the UP. Lake Superior is a Great Lake and a great lake. We’ve enjoyed the other lakes, but Superior make us feel more.
Waves from Lake Superior crash on the rocky shore at a Esrey Park, a Roadside Park on Michigan State Highway 26.
We were impressed with it at Lake Muskallonge State Park, but didn’t really understand its appeal until this stop. I’ve already written about the weather and the lake, but we got to appreciate it even more today on our trip to Copper Harbor, the northern end of U.S. Highway 41 and, as far as we can tell, just about the end of paved roads.
Downtown Hancock and the Keweenaw Waterway, as seen from Houghton.
Copper Harbor is located at the northern reach of the Kennesaw Peninsula and two plus hours north of the Porcupines. It was a long day in the car, but a rewarding one. We saw the twin towns of Houghton and Hancock. We stopped in Houghton for lunch. Leaving Houghton, we saw a view of Hancock across the river that looked like something from a Hallmark movie, so we stopped to take pictures and drive along the river a bit. Crossing the river, we saw the view of Houghton was just as good. In our drive through, Houghton and Hancock appeared to be worth a few hours at least, but we had a destination in mind, so we had to press on.
Laughing Loon Handcrafts in Copper Harbor.
Copper Harbor and the surrounding area was great. We stopped at a gift store, Laughing Loon Handcrafts, and a bookstore, Grandpa’s Barn. Both were great experiences. Laughing Loon had a selection of locally made things, which is always nice. Grandpa’s Barn, despite its name, is a real bookstore. The interior looked like something from a story were the protagonist finds a special, magical book. Not only did it have great vibes, it had a really good selection to match. I bought so many books this trip, I told myself I’d show restraint in this store. And I did, sort of. I bought two books, each of which I don’t think I’d likely see away from the Great Lakes, so I had to go ahead and get them. One other note, both stores were run by very friendly people, which always makes for a good experience.
The interior of Grandpa's Barn. The wood-burning stove was functional and providing cozy heat.
After Copper Harbor, we drove up Brockway Mountain Drive, a seasonal road that leads to several fantastic overlooks of the lake and valley. We saw a van from the local bike shop take several groups of bike riders up the drive so they could take trails down.
The Isle Royale Queen VI docked in Copper Harbor as seen from a Brockway Mountain Road scenic overlook.
After reaching the peak of Brockway, we turned around so we could take Michigan State Highway 26 back to Porcupine Mountains. The highway follows the lake for about twenty miles and is worth the drive in itself. If I pulled over every time we wanted to see and photograph something, we’d still be there.
LeeAnn looks for rocks at Esrey Park.
Overall, we drove almost 250 miles, and it was exhausting, but we’d do it again. Or, even better, plan our stay better and camp in the Keweenaw Peninsula and really spend some time there.
Jacobs Falls on M-26.