May 2023, 8 days of hiking, waterfalls, rivers
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| Union Mine Interpretive trail sign and Union River gorge overlook in Porcupine Mountains |
Hiking
We hiked over 32 miles in the Porcupine Mountains! One of the hikes I enjoyed most is underrated, in my opinion; Union Mine Interpretive Trail. This is an easy trail along the river with some beautiful views.
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| Union Spring and Union Spring Trail in Porcupine Mountains |
We hiked Union Spring Trail in this same area, which was a wet hike in May! Union Spring is a smaller version of Kitch-iti-Kipi Spring, and is just as beautiful.
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| Government Peak Trail |
We tried to hike Government Peak Trail one of the first days after we had arrived, and the bridge was out before Trap Falls. The bridge had been repaired a few days later, and we hiked the trail as far as Union Spring Trail junction.
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| Union Spring Trail and Government Peak Trail connection River crossing below |
To get to Union Spring Trail from Government Peak Trail, you need to go through the river, as there is no bridge.
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| Lookout Trail in Porcupine Mountains State Park |
We also hiked Lookout Trail, Escarpment Trail (both directions), and a few trails to falls, listed below.
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| Lake of the Clouds from Escarpment Trail in Porcupine Mountains |
You can stage your vehicle and set up a bus ride, if you want to be dropped off at one end of the linear trails, and hike to the other end. We opted to hike back and forth; we hiked Escarpment Trail halfway from Lake of the Clouds and back, and then we did the other end the next day. This did not seem like a repeat hike to us, because we got to see views from both directions.
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| Escarpment Trail in Porcupine Mountains |
I thought the most difficult hike was Escarpment Trail from Government Peak Trail. The first mile and a half is about a 1,600 foot climb. The views along this trail are amazing.
Waterfalls
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| Nonesuch Falls and mine in Porcupine Mountains State Park |
Nonesuch Falls Trail is an easy and mostly flat hike. We were the only ones on this trail the day we hiked it.
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| Overlooked Falls in Porcupine Mountains State Park |
South Boundary Road was closed for repairs when we arrived, so we visited Presque Isle a few days later after it had been repaired. We hiked to Overlooked Falls and Greenstone Falls on the way there. These falls are quite close together, and the hike was pretty easy.
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| Presque Isle River Waterfalls Loop Trail in Porcupine Mountains |
The waterfalls at Presque Isle are: Nawadaha Falls, Manabezho Falls, and Manido Falls. We hiked the Presque Isle River Waterfalls Loop to see the falls from both sides. This hike was not super difficult, although portions of it were steep and rooty. A small portion of it goes across the overflow rock area, and it took us a minute to find the blue trail mark (see photo below).
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| Above: Presque Isle River Waterfalls Loop Trail Below: Manido Falls |
Black River Harbor Recreation Area
We drove to the Black River area to see the falls and harbor. Although this is a National Park, the only sign we observed that said an entry pass was required, was at the harbor and the national forest campground next to the harbor. It was about an hour drive to this park from Union Bay Campground in Porcupine Mountains State Park.
The falls along Black River were amazing! The video above is Rainbow Falls.
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| Black River map of harbor and falls Below: Steps to Rainbow Falls |
Parking was available at each of the falls on Black River, and it was a short hike back to each one, although there were many steps to climb. The steps above are just a portion of the steps at Rainbow Falls.
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| Conglomerate Falls on Black River in Michigan's upper peninsula |
Our first falls stop on Black River was Conglomerate Falls.
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| Sandstone Falls and steps on Black River in Michigan's upper peninsula |
Sandstone Falls were cool because we could walk out on the rocks right next to the water. The steps down and up at these falls were not in very good shape!
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| Potawatomi Falls and closed steps on Black River in Michigan's upper peninsula |
Potawatomi and Gorge Waterfalls are accessible from the same parking lot. We did not have great views of the gorge, as most of the access points were closed at the time of our visit. Potawatomi Falls are beautiful!
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| Black River Harbor from suspension bridge in Michigan's upper peninsula |
There is a marina, picnic area, and suspension bridge with a trail out to Lake Superior in the harbor area.
Let me know if you have any questions, and feel free to share this post for others!
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