2018 - Snowshoeing Up North - The Western UP and Bayfield Ice Caves Trail

The itch for some snowshoeing had begun. With little or no snow here in Northeast Iowa, it was time to pack up my Santa Fe Sport and head for the snow - the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and Northern Wisconsin.

The itinerary for this trip included snowshoeing hikes in Porcupine Mountains State Park, around the Copper Peak Ski Flying Hill, and land trail to the Ice Caves located on the Bayfield Peninsula. Of course, no trip to the UP would be complete without a visit to the Keweenaw Peninsula, and the bazillion inches of snow they received every year!

Day 1 - Off to the North!
The usual early start from snowless Waterloo, IA began at ~5:30am, traveling East thru Dubuque, IA and Madison, WI, then  heading North on I-39, the superhiway to the Upper Midwest's winter adventures. As is usually the case on Sundays in the Winter, the further North you get the more SUVs, pickups and cars you see heading South, pulling huge trailers loaded with snow machines. It wasn't until near Wausau, WI did snow begin to appear on the ground. Approximately 6 hours after pulling out of the driveway, I pulled into Minocqua, WI, a main hub for outdoor Winter activities. There was an abundance of snow in the area, and several fishing huts sprinkled on Minocqua Lake. However, my drive for the day still had another 200+ miles to go.

I hit the Upper Peninsula about an hour later, passing through Watersmeet, MI (Home of the Nimrods). The snow depth was definitely building the further North I drove. It was about here the snow began falling (and would continue falling lightly for the rest of the day's driving). Another 30 minutes, and the sight of the Portage Canal Lift Bridge in Houghton, MI came into view. Man, there was alot of snow!

The next portion of the drive is always fun during the Winter. As you follow Hiway 41 North, you get to enjoy the heritage of the Keweenaw Peninsula - Copper Country. The historic mining buildings that still stand, and communities constructed back in the late 1800's and early 1900's are amazing to see. Then, throw in about 200 inches of snow so far this Winter, and you have a fun drive! Oh, and did I mention it was still lightly snowing?

My destination, before returning to Houghton for an overnight stay, was Copper Harbor. Located at the top of the Keweenaw Peninsula, this town in the Winter is an oasis for snow mobilers. Only a few businesses are open, as tourists (like me) and vacationers are pretty sparse. But the beauty of all the snow, and Lake Superior make it worth the drive.



No trip along Hiway 41 is ever complete without stopping and checking out the Keweenaw Snow Depth thermometer. It gives you a wonderful perspective on the depth of snow in this area, as well as the record snowfall of the past.

My day ended in downtown Houghton at the Quality Inn.
Today's trip:
  ~600 miles (12 hrs) of driving
  ~    0 miles of snowshoeing.

A long day behind the wheel, but now I am in the heart of some great wilderness areas for snowshoeing the next few days!




Day 2 - The Porkies 

Last Winter, I drove over to the Porcupine Mountains State Park to see what it was all about. Unfortunately, due to a Winter Weather Advisory in effect that day, I opted to only view the Park from a distance. This year, I had it planned to snowshoe a portion of the eastern side of the

Park, up and around the Porcupine Mountain Alpine Ski Area, and then back to my vehicle. Not knowing how far I could go on snowshoes (4 miles was my farthest journey since purchasing them), planned a 5-6 mile route, and hoped for good conditions. The route followed one of the several cross country skiing trails in the park. That was a good choice, as the Park trail grooming machines had already been out and had nicely groomed the trails. On the trail, my snowshoes only sank in maybe 1-2 inches. Off the trail, each step dropped 4-6 inches. Guess who stayed on the groomed trail?!?

The woods the trail passed through were picturesque and VERY quiet. After about a mile, the chill I was feeling starting out had long since disappeared. The workout was warming me up just right. After a couple miles, the trail made the turn for the ascent up the mountain side toward the top of the Alpine Ski area... OK, now I was getting downright warm! Off came the neck gator and the gloves, as I continued on. The 1st major sight was the "East Vista". Although overcast, there was sill a great view of Lake

Superior and the forests toward Ontonagon, MI. Shortly after this view was a log cabin warming hut,

complete with an outdoor outhouse (no need to visit either)! Another half mile, and the Alpine Ski Area came into view. I made it! Or so I thought. I followed the edge of one of the groomed downhill ski trails and started what I thought was the last hill I had to climb before reaching the summit, and the top of the ski lift. Twenty minutes later (and 3-4 stops to catch my breath), I FINALLY reached the summit! As you can see from the photo, it was overcast, and lightly snowing. I suspect that was the reason there were only a few people on the slopes. That, and the Park location is miles from any major city, and it being Monday.

Now, 4 miles into my hike, all I had left was a "leisurely" snowshoe walk down the hill. Ha!  I had forgotten how steep those hills are, and what its like to go downhill.. on snow... and snowshoes! Once I got down past the steep upper portion, the walk continued on some great wooded trails, perfect for someone who was starting to feel the 2+ hours of exercise I had completed.

I reached the bottom of the Ski Area, and traversed across, back to my car. My hike was 5-1/2 miles, in 2-1/2 hours. It was a great feeling knowing I had completed this length of a hike, and in an area I had only seen on Google Maps!  I loaded my equipment back into my Santa Fe Sport, and began the 1 hour drive to Ironwood, MI, my overnight destination.

Today's trip:
  ~130 miles (2.5 hrs) of driving
  ~ 5.5 miles of snowshoeing.

With my "snowshoe legs" now under me, I am looking forward to Day 3, and my exploration of the Copper Peak Ski area.

Day 3 - Copper Peak

This past Summer, my wife and I, and one of our sons visited Copper Peak - Home to the only ski flying hill outside of Europe. During the warm months, Copper Peak is available to view and climb, using a working ski lift, and an elevator that takes visitors to near the top of the jump (those daring enough can walk the remaining six stories to the top). This ski flying hill built in 1970, has not been used in Winter for ski flying since the mid 1990's. Currently, there is a non-profit organization working to turn the jump into a Summer destination, which will allow competitions on the jump, using artificial surfaces rather than snow. Additionally, the surrounding area is growing to include additional mountain biking and hike trails.

After our Summer visit to the top of Copper Peak, I decided that snowshoeing up to the jump, using the mountain biking trails would be a good Winter hike. Wanting to get an early start, and hoping possibly to get some morning sunrise photos of Copper Peak, I headed out about 7:30am. Only a 20 minute drive, I arrived in time to see the sun rise on a clear blue sky day. Temps were chilly (-5 deg), but feeling the Sun made a huge difference. As with the previous day, I planned the major hill climbing for the 1st part of the hike, knowing I'd be full of energy, and the workout would
help warm me up. Today's hike was different from the previous day, as there was no "groomed" trail. So, with the exception of a few ruts from snow machines that had been on the trail since the last snowfall, it was me versus the deep snow. As it turned out, it appeared that of the 20+ inches on the ground, the 1st 14 inches fell, then it warmed up, creating a hardened crust on top of it. Then, and additional 6 inches must have fallen in the last 3-5 days. So my snowshoes only went down 3-4 inches with each step. MUCH easier than 20 inches!

The access road was approximately a mile to the top of the hill and ski jump. As with the previous day, by the time I reached the top, the neck gator and gloves were tucked away.... I must have looked like an old steam engine as I "puffed" my way up the hill... but once at the top, the view, with the clear blue skies, was magnificent! I have included a short panoramic video from the top of the hill (at the base of the jump). Looking at that ski jump, and looking at the landing area hundreds of feet below, I cannot fathom how anyone could ski fly. But being here in the crisp air of Winter, gave me a new found respect for athletes of the Winter Olympic games.

I began my descent on the same path as I came up, only heading to the opposite side of the hill, following one of the multiple mountain bike trails available. Like Porcupine Mountains, State Park, the forest was blanketed in several inches of snow, with the swish of my snowshoes being literally the only sounds I could hear. After about a mile, I reached another access road, which led to the ski jump landing zone at the bottom of the hill. From here, I could look back up at the jump, and see the magnitude of the drop. I can guarantee you ski flying is NOT on my bucket list!

I continued on the bike trail, heading for the Black River, just north of the landing zone. Unlike the path down from Copper Peak, the trail was now much narrower, using switchbacks to traverse down the steep hillside to the river. This area had not seen use for a couple weeks, as the snow had all but covered up the trail rut. Once at the bottom, the trail followed the shoreline of the river for approximately a 1/2 mile. I had hoped to see the small falls shown on the map, but the ice and snow had all but covered it over.

It was time to make the climb back out of the river valley, and traversing the trail back to the ski chalet. From there, a 1/2 mile walk on the west entrance road, and I was back at my Santa Fe.
Another amazing experience snowshoeing... different scenery, different terrain, and different weather.... but same exhilarating feeling.

My overnight location was Ashland, WI, approximately 50 miles West. But with the beautiful blue skies, I decided to take back roads, and check out the sights along the shores of Lake Superior.


I came upon Little Girls Point County Park, on the shore of Lake Superior. Not a big park, but looked like a great Summer spot to enjoy the Lake, and hang out with the family. It also appears to be very popular with the deer population in the area based on hoof prints, and droppings along the beachfront. I also spotted several more deer in the yards of houses/cottages along the Lake. You gotta love being out in the wilderness!

Day 3 came to an end. Two for two on great snowshoe adventures this trip. Tomorrow, the last snowshoe hike of the trip, would be the land trail to the Bayfield Ice Caves on Lake Superior.

Today's trip:
~ 75 miles (2 hrs) of driving
~ 4.3 miles of snowshoeing.

Day 4 - Ice Caves

The last snowshoeing adventure of this trip was to explore the the Bayfield Ice Caves along the shores of Lake Superior. Located on the northwestern portion of the Bayfield Peninsula, the Bayfield Ice Caves are a wildly popular Winter tourist spot... when there is ice on Lake Superior. Access to the Caves, when the Lake Superior shoreline has adequate ice thickness, is by walking approximately 2 miles on the lake, to the Caves. This year, however, periods of warm temperatures have not allowed safe ice to form, preventing lake access. The alternative is to follow the hiking trail from the Meyers Beach parking area. This trail leads to the top of the rock bluffs which form the ice caves. Obviously, this is NOT a popular attraction when the ice is not formed, as there were no other cars in the Meyers Beach parking lot.

Despite some light snowfall overnight, the morning began with clear blue skies. The weather front that had gone through, however, plummeted temperatures, and kicked up a strong winds, gusting as strong as 45 mph. The inland trail and the protections from the trees was looking better and better.
I had read that the trail surface usually is pretty well packed down, so I opted to do this hike with my boots with strap on grabbers and ski poles - no snowshoes. Off I went.

The trail had approximately 3-5 inches of hard packed snow on it. The initial 3/4 of a mile of the trail had a boardwalk. Not sure why, but trying to walk on a mound of packed snow on top of a wooden walkway had its own unique challenges. The trail also had alot of "ups and downs", having to traverse several creeks which dropped down to drain into Lake Superior.

After approximately 1-1/2 miles, the trail worked its way toward the shoreline, and sights of Lake Superior became visible. The howl of the wind also became louder. Finally, with a couple bends in the trail the 1st cliff edge was in front of me. I "inched" my way toward the edge, hoping to get a better view... Its amazing what 30+ mph winds blowing on you while slipping on glazed snow does to your fears. I had a death grip on any tree that was close by! Despite the shadows cast by the cliffs, the sights were awfully cool.

The path along the cliffs continued on for another 1-1/2 miles, with multiple spots to view the different coves (I have included all the photos in the link at the end of this post). I've included a short video clip of the view, and the crazy winds I witnessed looking over one of the coves.

Once past the main cliff and caves, I continued on the trail. Approximately 3 miles further down the trail, there is a camp area. I thought about trying to make it there, but turned around after 3 miles, deciding a 6 mile hike versus 10 miles would suffice. The walk back was into the wind, making the "cold factor" ratchet up a bit... My pace definitely quickened! Arriving at the parking lot, I also made the short walk down to the Meyers Beach shoreline. There was considerable ice along the shore, but it didn't look too stable. My choice to take the inland trail was definitely the right choice.

The final "snow hike" was now in the books! It was time to begin heading back South, with one more overnight in Minocqua, WI. The drive would take approximately 3 hours (140 miles), and included a quick stop at my North Woods standby casino in Lac du Flambeau (Good news - I broke even!). A short 30 minute drive to Minocqua, a car wash and a fillup, and the day of exploring was completed.

Today's trip:

~ 170 miles (3.5 hrs) of driving
~ 6.0 miles of snowshoeing.

Day 5 - Going Home

As with all trips, after the sightseeing is done, you're ready to get home. Per my usual schedule, I was up and ready to hit the road at 5:30am Thursday morning, after having to almost "break in" to my car (doors all frozen due to car wash the day before and -15 degree morning temperature), and then grabbing coffee and donuts. The drive was in darkness until Wausau, WI, where rush hour (Wausau style) was well underway. With sun rise, and another bright clear morning, I watched the the snow slowly disappear from the landscape as I traveled south. By Madison, the snow was all gone. Vacation was over!

For those who "hate" the cold and snow of Midwest Winters, you owe it to yourself to experience the beauty and the exhilaration being out in it... at least once!

(For those of you interested in other photos I took during my travels click here).