Northern Michigan Color and Brew Tour: West Branch, Harrisville, Alpena, Mackinaw City, Cheboygan, Afton

 October 2021, three days, weekday - weekend

View of Pigeon River
Bridge in the distance goes to Andreae Cabin and Nature Preserve parking lot

We decided to combine our HopPassports with a northern Michigan color and hiking tour. Although we visited a bit past peak colors, this was still a great trip! I am sharing info about some of the places we visited. See my two posts before this one for lodging information.

Hiking, trails, parks, rivers, colors...

We recently learned about Nature Megaphone in Boyd B. Banwell Nature Preserve in Afton, Michigan. This is a structure designed to magnify the sounds of nature. Unfortunately, it was raining lightly when we visited, and there was not much activity in the forest. It was still very cool! The rain in the video above sounds louder than it actually was. There is a bird chirping about 14 seconds in that is also magnified. We did not see any birds during our entire hike, and I am not sure how far away this bird was. I suggest playing the video on full screen with the volume up.

Nature Megaphone

The structure is about 5½' tall at the widest point. I am 5'2" tall, and I could easily stand up inside. The hike from Agnes S. Andreae Nature Preserve parking lot at the end of Riverwoods Trail was under 2 miles round-trip, and it was pretty easy. The only hill was on the way back up to the parking lot after crossing the river, and there are a couple of small hills, if you take the longer path along the river.

View from inside Nature Megaphone above
Trail map in parking lot below

The hike from Boyd B. Banwell Family Nature Preserve parking lot on M-68 is a longer hike. We would have hiked from this area, if the weather had been better, because the roads back to Agnes S. Andreae Nature Preserve are dirt.

Downtown Cheboygan above
Thunder Bay River looking toward Rotary Island Mill Park in Alpena below

In Alpena and Cheboygan, there are riverwalk trails along Thunder Bay River and Cheboygan River, parks, locks in Cheboygan, preserves, and more. In Alpena, you can get to Lake Huron walking most of the way along the river, and in Cheboygan the route has more sidewalk/town walking. 

Tawas Bay

The bay was beautiful the day we drove by Tawas Bay! There are great trails in Tawas Bay that we biked when we camped at the state park here a few years ago.

Entrance door into Alocona Brew Haus below

Breweries and dining

Our favorite brewery this trip was Alcona Brew Haus in Harrisville, MI. I was impressed with the building preservation from the moment we entered. We got a building tour from the owner, and I took way more photos than I am able to post here. I am sharing a couple more below.

5 Fabulous State of Michigan Parks!

A reader requested a list from me of the top 5 state parks in Michigan. We all have different thoughts about what makes a park great. I like parks with spacious campsites and recreation onsite or nearby. Following is a list of 5 of my favorite State of Michigan parks (in no particular order), and what makes them great. This list is based solely on State of Michigan campground parks, and does not include state forest, private, or national parks. I have been to about half of the State of Michigan campgrounds; mainly in west and northern Michigan. I have been as far south as Warren Dunes State Park and Fort Custer Recreation Area, as far east as Bay City Recreation Area and Harrisville State Park, and as far north as Copper Harbor in the Upper Peninsula.

Sunset at Fayette park from campground area 2015

Fayette Historic State Park, in Garden south of US-2 in the upper peninsula

We have visited this park by boat, and with two different campers. The park has 61 campsites with electricity, and 15 boat slips. The boat slips have undergone renovations since our last visit, and I assume they now have power. I could not find actual boat slip details on the state website; however, a few things have changed since we stayed in 2011: the rate has increased from $17 a night to $30 a night, and advance reservations can now be made for the marina, just like the campground. The campground rate is $25 a night.

Previous dockage in Fayette
Photo taken from edge of historic town in 2011

What makes this park great: The sunsets, historic town, visitor center, and hiking trails on 711 acres! 

Fort Wilkins State Park, Copper Harbor in the upper peninsula

This park is located at the northeastern tip of Michigan's upper peninsula. We have not visited since 2004, although I do not think it has changed much. The current photos and information online looks the same as I remember.

Secluded campsite #141 at Fort Wilkins State Park
Photo taken 2004

Harrisville, Michigan / Harrisville State Park

September 2016, Holiday weekend 3-nights, Site 25

I found some of the best park photos for Harrisville State Park on Wikipedia.

Arrival and check-in

We arrived Friday a bit before noon, and check-in time is not until 3:00 p.m. Checkout time is 1:00 p.m., and I had checked online to see if anyone was on our site Thursday evening. The site was open, so we figured it would not be a problem if we arrived early. The agent informed us of the check-in time when we arrived, and gave the impression we could not check-in early. After I inquired further, she said that if there was not anyone on our site, and maintenance was not being performed, then we could check-in. I asked if we needed to drive back there to make sure, and then come back and check-in. She then requested our confirmation information, and said she could check us in.

Site 25

Road into campsite; white truck on site 25

The roads in this campground are narrow with a lot of trees. It was tight backing into site 25, although not overly difficult. We barely fit lengthwise on the 45 x 45 site, as there are a lot of trees around the perimeter of this site. We have a 30' 5th wheel, which is a couple of feet longer including the bike rack on back; still only about 35' total. I did not see 10' to spare after we were parked.

Fire pit on site 25

The only perimeter area of this campsite that is open is by the road and fire pit. Campers on sites 23 and 162 were easily visible when seated at the fire pit on site 25. The rest of the campsite is secluded. There were a lot of trees beside the walkway, so the view out our window toward the walkway was woodsy. The site is somewhat grassy.