2016 - Snowshoeing Up North - Lake Superior and the Upper Peninsula 

 Its that time of year in the Midwest. Cold and dreary days, with snow everywhere. Most make plans to escape to warmer climates. Not me... time to head North, and find some awesome trails for snowshoeing. This year, my plans were to check out the Western shores of Lake Superior, and then back to the Upper Peninsula.

Day 1 - Despite a light snow falling, I headed North toward Duluth, with sights set on traveling Minnesota Hiway 61 along the western shoreline of Lake Superior. Of course, some back roads sightseeing was in order on the way. Entering the Duluth area, the best way to "see the city", is to exit I-35 and grab the Skyline Parkway Scenic Byway, which provides bird's-eye view of the city, harbor, and Lake Superior shoreline. Uncharacteristic for January, temperatures were in the upper 20's, with the sun peaking out occasionally. 

Next stop - Two Harbors, MN. Its always fun to wander thru the town, and check out the majestic ore docks in the city's harbor. Those things are amazing! Even though they were not in operation, loading Great Lakes ore ships, these huge engineering marvels are a definite "must-see". While in the harbor area, check out the Two Harbors lighthouse - the oldest operating lighthouse in Minnesota.

From Two Harbors, another 30 minutes North on Hiway 61 is the Split Rock Lighthouse State Park - my 1st snowshoeing stop. The lighthouse, perched on a rock cliff is another amazing sight, providing incredible views of Lake Superior, its rocky shoreline, and depending on the time, the sight of Superior shipping. 

After "dressing up" for my snowshoeing, I headed down the the trail to the Superior shoreline. The State Park has several miles of paved pathways, for biking, hiking, and in the Winter, snowshoeing cross country skiing and fat tire biking. The reward for this hike was the view of the lighthouse from the rocky shoreline. The view gives a great sense for the visibility this lighthouse provides to the ships on the Lake.

The snow in the park was only 4-6 inches deep, So, with the afternoon winding away, and plans to visit Gooseberry Falls State Park for some more hiking, I hiked back to the car, and load up for a short trip South. 

Gooseberry Falls State Park is only 8 miles South of Split Rock. The Park runs from the Lake Superior shoreline, across/under Hiway 61, and West along the Gooseberry River. The Park is set up with cross country ski trails, groomed regularly. In addition, there is a hiking/snowshoeing trail that follows the river on both sides, up to the Gooseberry Falls. Again the snow depth was marginal for snowshoeing, so I opted to really "hike" the hiking trail in my boots. The trail traversed the shoreline of the river, while still providing some challenging side-hill climbs, (and great views) of the river valley. At the Falls, a bridge provides a crossover to the other side of the river, and access to the trail down to "backwaters" and the Lake Superior shoreline. After ~ 3.5 miles, I opted to take the shortcut back to the Visitors Center, and skip the extra 3 mile round trip to the Superior shoreline. 

With the daylight starting to fade, it was time to pack up and take the 45 mile drive back to Superior, WI. via North Shore Drive (from just South of Two Harbors, to the Northern edge of Duluth), and over the I-535 Blatnik Bridge. 

Today's trip included ~450 miles of driving, and almost 5 miles of snowshoeing. A great start to my adventures up North!

Day 2 - On the road at daybreak, heading from Superior, WI across Northern WI to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Another unusually mild January morning - 18 degrees, and overcast... and NO WIND! The drive this morning would follow WI Hiway 13 along the southern shore of Lake Superior to Bayfield. Several great vantage points of Superior along the way, as well as visits to the communities of Bark Point, Cornucopia, and Red Cliff. This is also the area of the famous Apostle Islands Sea Caves. Access to the sea caves is via the ice that forms along the shoreline of Lake Superior from Meyers Beach, near Cornucopia. Unfortunately, due to the lack of extended cold periods this winter, its likely there will not be access this year.


The next stop was Bayfield, WI. This harbor town is a great place to check out in all seasons. Its harbor serves as a gateway to the Apostle Islands National Park, and offers ferry service to Madeline Island. If you are into hiking, biking, kayaking, boat tours or just some store wandering, put Bayfield on your "to do" list. Oh, and just up the road a few miles in Red Cliff is Legendary Waters Resort & Casino, which offers great accommodations.. and some gambling action!

On the road again to Ashland, WI, another great place to visit and experience the Lake Superior life. Once home to more of the Superior ore docks, Ashland is now a tourist destination for all seasons. On this trip there were just about as many snow machines moving around in town as there was cars and trucks! After a quick pit stop, it was on to Hiway 2, and the 60 mile journey across Northern Wisconsin to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and my next snowshoeing trail. Along the drive, I decided to check out some of the back roads attractions which included the Powderhorn Ski area and the Copper Peak Ski Jump. Unfortunately, the road to Copper Peak (closed) was unplowed, so I wasn't able to see the largest artificial ski jump in the world, rising 1782 feet above sea level and 1180 feet above Lake Superior. Closed for several years, Copper Peak is scheduled to reopen in 2017.

30 miles from Copper Peak was the location of my next snowshoeing hike - Yondota Falls, MI. The trail to the falls is only about 1 mile round trip. However, as is the case with many of the back roads in the UP during the winters, the road to the Falls was not plowed, adding an extra 2 mile hike to/from the falls. Adding to the fun, a "clipper" was moving thru the UP, resulting in snow and gusty winds. The good n ews was that the temps were still good, in the mid twenties.

The trail to the Falls was really cool. The snow here in the UP was considerably deeper (12-18 inches), making the hike more interesting. The path wandered thru some heavily wooded areas, and required some climbs and descents of rock outcroppings - perfect environment for snowshoeing. Although most of the falls was iced up and snow covered, the site from atop a rock cliff of the Falls was worth the hike.

As the snow continued to fall, and the winds picked up, it was time to begin the 2+ mile hike back to the car. The drive to my second overnite in Minoqua, WI was approximately an hour, navigating some more snow covered back roads thru Presque Isle, and Boulder Jct. WI.

Day Two's trip included ~250 miles of driving, stops at some great back road sites, and another 5 miles of snowshoeing. This is the best way to enjoy Winter in Midwest!

Day 3 - Thurday morning started out with snow flurries and temps in the teens. With coffee in hand, I opted to explore some of the back roads along Hiway 51 North, on the way to Manitowish Waters, Mercer, and Manitowish. The newly fallen snow made for picturesque scenes everywhere. Not many people out and about at 8am, but by the number of snow machine trailers and SUVs parked at the local motels along 51, the trails will be packed later in the day. 

My travels ended up passing thru Lac du Flambeau, home base of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, and location of the Lake of the Torches Resort and Casino. Of course, I had to check out my luck... which turned out to be good!

With a light snow still falling, I decided to head back to one of my favorite Winter spots - Bond Falls. Located in the Upper Peninsula near Paulding, MI, this site has another one of those great UP water falls settings, nestled back in the woods of the UP. The drive was 65 miles, taking almost 90 minutes, due the falling snow and some winding gravel back roads.

When I arrived, it was clear I was the only visitor since their last major snow. And, as is normal in the UP, the snow was deep..... 16-24 inches throughout the Bond Falls State Park. The hiking trail is not a long one. The round trip distance was less than a mile. But with the deep snow, the trail winding up/down some steep rock paths, and several side trails to view the Ontonagon river leading to the Falls, the hike was a good one. Once at the base of the Falls, the Park has a boardwalk of sorts (providing handicapped accessibility) to get great views. Given that Winter in the UP has not experienced extended cold snaps, the Falls was in full flow. As with my first visit to Bond Falls a few years back, the sights and surroundings were amazing.

With the snow falling harder, it was time to head back to Minocqua. I opted for main hiways (as did all other traffic!). I pulled into the hotel at approximately 3:30pm, fittingly, in the midst of  heavy snow and wind. Day Three's trip included almost 200 miles of driving, 1 mile of snowshoeing, and a successful visit to a casino.

For those of us who enjoy the beauty and exhilaration of Winter, exploring the shoreline of Lake Superior, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the North Woods of Wisconsin is "must do". Whether its snowshoeing, cross country skiing, snowmobiling, or just wandering the snow filled woods via car, you will not leave disappointed!

I have several other photos taken during my trip. If interested, these photos can be viewed HERE.