Marquette and Big Bay, Michigan

My wife and I took a long weekend to the upper peninsula of Michigan near Marquette. We rented a cabin tucked down a dirt road overlooking Lake Superior. I hadn't been to this area of the Midwest since I was young and was really blown away by the beauty and look forward to spending much more time there.

Accommodations

The cabin was perched about 1000 feet above the lake with a massive deck. You should be able to find it, or something similar, on AirBNB.

It was located right off of Big Bay Road, north of Marquette. Watch for deer at night. The cabin also had a sauna that we used every evening. We had an amazing sunrise one of the mornings. I can't imagine what it looks like with the northern lights or a storm rolling in. We asked the owners what it would cost to take it off their hands and they said "not enough money in the world".

Hikes

We went on several hikes in the area while we were there. It has to be some of the most beautiful wilderness I've seen in the Midwest.

Little Garlic Falls

On Friday, we had some fun to locating Little Garlic Falls. We found that hikes like this are poorly signed and are often surrounded with no trespassing signs. The roads are actually public, but you might need a little courage to venture out. This short 2.2 mile out and back is located down a dirt road about 15 minutes north of Marquette on Big Bay Road. We saw a few hunters but no one else was on the trail.

The hike was easy and very beautiful. Once you reach the river, there is a campsite with a fire pit and even a very primitive privy. The waterfall was beautiful but one on the smaller side of some of the ones we saw later.

Presque Isle Park

Presque Isle Park is a peninsula that is just north of Marquette. It seemed really popular, and it wasn't even peak season. There are no dogs allowed. The park is also located directly next to the famous Ore Dock that is visible throughout the city.

The hike is a loop around the peninsula. There are numerous warnings about the cliffs and caving ground. It's a far fall down to the lake. You can stay far from the cliff by walking the road. At the end of the peninsula is a popular area called Black Rocks. These rocks are right at the water level. It seems you could do tide pooling, but it seems like the more popular thing to do for the adventurous folks is to jump off the rocks into the fridged water below (40F pretty much all year).

We even encountered a large buck that had no desire to move from our path as it was protecting a doe. We turned around.

Alder Falls

Alder Falls is a short hike down the Alder Truck Trail. The truck trail is very small road that might require a four-wheel drive vehicle sometimes of the year. The hike is less than a mile but has a very impressive waterfall at the end. There was a very small sign and turn out by the trailhead.

Thomas Rock

Thomas Rock is a short interpretive hike up to an overlook near Big Bay. There are signs describing all kinds of trees and plants on the way up to the top. The trail is likely handicap accessible and very well maintained. The view from the top is fantastic. You have a great view of Big Bay and the lake.

Yellow Dog Falls

This was the most popular trail we went to all weekend. It's a short drive down county road 501 off Big Bay Road. There's a parking area just along the bridge. We hiked for a few miles but turned around before reaching the end. The entire hike follows the river. Yellow Dog Falls is an impressive waterfall. There were several other falls along the way. We did run into numerous hunters (it was opening day of deer season) and a handful of other hikers.

I would highly recommend this hike. It isn't too technical, and the effort vs reward is high.

North Country Trail

We walked the North Country Trail out of Little Presque Isle Park. It cost 11 dollars to register but was well worth it. This was likely the most beautiful trail we hiked on. The parking lot had some traffic, but we didn't see too many folks on the trail. The shoreline here was amazing. The way the lake is eating away at the rocks makes for some really dramatic views.

The beach is very sandy in sections and the water is crystal clear. The lake is actually clear enough to view 65-75 feet into the water.

Marquette and Big Bay Area

There were some really interesting facts I learned about the area that encourages me to get more involved in persevering this type of amazing wilderness.

Marquette City

The city of Marquette was nice. Although I live in the city now (Madison, WI), I'm not much of a city guy. Marquette had its perks. The traffic wasn't too bad. I liked the Blackrocks and Kognisjon breweries. The burrito at Java Cafe was solid but a long wait. We didn't eat out too much as our accommodations had a full kitchen.

The city has a pretty large college. You can tell by the people walking around town that it does have a bit of a college town feel. It also has the largest wooden sports area in the nation.

To be honest, we didn't spend too much time in town.

Private Property

The culture of private property in this area is strong. There are signs everywhere about No Trespassing. It's hard to tell what is public and what isn't. After spending years in Idaho, with countless acres of National Forest and BLM land, it is sad to see so much of the area closed off to the public.

Logging and mining companies own large swaths of the land. They do cut roads through much of the most dense and remote wilderness but also strip the land bare.

I do understand the desire for privacy, but I do wish more of the area had well marked conservation easements.

Huron Mountain Club

The Huron Mountain Club is a very exclusive club that was started in the late 1800s. They own tens of thousands of acres north of Marquette. They own the entire north end of the Huron Mountain range, including Huron Mountain itself. They have over 10 lakes in their possession and miles and miles of Superior shoreline.

And it's completely private.

Public access is strictly forbidden. They have large fences and gates, armed guards and don't even let anglers into the river that runs through the property.

I drove out to the club's gate to just take a peek. While much of the area is either dirt roads or rough pavement, the road out to the club was noticeably perfect. I didn't have the nerve to pull up the to guard house.

The club has some interesting history. Only about 50 members (assuming families) are allowed in the club. These members can build houses. About another 100 associate members can visit but not own property. Henry Ford had a hard time getting into the club and actually had to prevent a highway from running through the area to gain enough favor to be invited. It costs about 1.8 million dollars a year to be a member, according to tax records.

I just wish others could experience the mountains of the Midwest.

Granot Loma

Granot Loma is a large estate off of Big Bay Road. It was actually right down the road from where we were staying. The 26,000 square foot mansion on the shoreline of the lake was built in the early 1900s. The estate spans over 5000 acres.

Again, totally private.

Recently, the new owners of the property were fighting to have a space port built on the property. Obviously, this did not sit well with other local inhabitants. The space port would have used Lake Superior as the dumping ground for failed rockets. An amazing disregard for the largest freshwater lake in the world.

Luckily, in November 2023, the Powell Township denied the owners the ability to move forward with the project. There are still signs all around the are to Stop the Rocket. Though, the Granot Loma owners still promote the project on their website and disparage the local population.

Off-roading

I spent some time off-roading in the area. I mostly went down rural roads, truck trails and logging roads. Some roads were a bit rough, but it was mostly soft sand and mud. I would have to explore a bit more to find the real gnarly stuff. OnX Offroad didn't list too much in the area.

My Jeep was really dirty when I got back to Madison. The guy at the carwash let me go through twice.