Porcupine Mountains State Park
September 9, 2017
Lake Superior (Mostly)
We’d both been to Michigan’s upper peninsula (AKA the UP) but not together, so we decided we had to go. Steve had been to the Porcupine Mountains and Pictured Rocks, two of the UP’s highlights, but I never had. And while I love Petoskey and have been there many times, and enjoyed camping at Sleeping Bear, he had never done that. So we shared with each other some of our favorite places in our home state. Any one of these destinations would be great for up to a week. Or more! They also link together nicely. This was also our first two-week camping trip with our trailer and the first since we fixed a major roof leak. So we also refined our trailer camping skills.
- 17 days
- 2017 Fall
Food and Beverage $52 per day
Average per day. We ate out 10 times. The other 35 meals we ate in camp.
Lodging $30 per night
Average per day. We camped in our travel trailer in a combination of national, state, and private parks.
Transportation $380
We drove our own truck. This cost includes gas and tolls to cross the Mackinac Bridge.
Entertainment $215
This includes a Pictured Rocks boat tour, our biggest ticket item at $38 each, plus firewood, our annual state park pass, and a few dollars for parking.
Day 1: Straits State Park
Planned Activities
- None
Actual Activities
- None
The Plan: We wanted to get across the Mackinac Bridge our first night.
The Reality: We achieved that.
Drive from home
259 miles from the Lansing area; 5 hours.
Camp at Straits State Park
Site #81, near the lake. A fairly spacious site and we didn't have to unhitch the trailer.
Get around by driving
Day 2-5: Porcupine Mountains State Park
Planned Activities
- Escarpment hike
- Presque Isle hike
Actual Activities
- Escarpment hike
- Presque Isle hike
- Union Mine hike
The Plan: I have never been to the Porcupine Mountains before unless it was when I was a kid too young to remember. We’re seeking wilderness and hiking opportunities.
The Reality: We were able to fit in another hike we hadn’t planned on.
Related Posts: The first post describes daily activities and destination. Other posts cover anything that generated lots of photos!
Lake of the Clouds
September 10, 2017
Escarpment Trail
September 10, 2017
Union Mine Trail
September 10, 2017
Presque Isle River Hike
September 11, 2017
Summit Peak
September 11, 2017
Drive from the Straits
316 miles; 6 hours
Camp at Porcupine Mountaints State Park
Site #18, on the lakeshore.
Get around by driving
Day 6-9: Munising
Planned Activities
- Pictured Rocks boat cruise
- At least one hike
Actual Activities
- Pictured Rocks boat cruise
- Hiking at Chapel Basin
- Several waterfalls
The Plan: Pictured Rocks is famous for its scenery and again I haven’t been there unless I was too young to remember.
The Reality: The boat tour was everything we hoped for, and there was more to do in the Munising area than we realized. We saw several waterfalls and still missed some of them. We’d like to come back to this area again.
Related Posts: The first post describes daily activities and destination. Other posts cover anything that generated lots of photos!
Munising
September 13, 2017
Munising Falls and Sand Point
September 13, 2017
Pictured Rocks Boat Tour
September 14, 2017
Chapel Basin at Pictured Rocks
September 15, 2017
Miners Castle, Falls, and Beach
September 16, 2017
On the way to Glacier
September 10, 2020
Drive from Porcupine Mountains
169 miles; 3 hours
Camp at Munising Tourist Park Campground
Site #92, on the lakeshore.
Get around by driving
Day 10-12: Petoskey
Planned Activities
- Sightseeing in Harbor Springs and Petoskey
- Hanging out at the beach
- Eating out
Actual Activities
- Sightseeing in Harbor Springs and Petoskey
- Hanging out at the beach
- Eating out
The Plan: This is one of my favorite places in Michigan and Steve has never been there.
The Reality: It was a nice combination of relaxing beach time and touring and taking advantage of an upscale up north area. We never did find a way to walk from the campground to the stores and restaurants, but it was a short drive.
Related Posts: The first post describes daily activities and destination. Other posts cover anything that generated lots of photos!
Petoskey
September 17, 2017
Petoskey State Park Beach
September 18, 2017
Drive from Munising
159 miles; 3 hours
Camp at Petoskey State Park
Site #92, in the Tannery Creek campground.
Get around by driving
Day 13-16: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Planned Activities
- Empire Bluffs hike
- Platte River hike
- Visiting Traverse City
- Sightseeing at Sleeping Bear Dunes
Actual Activities
- Empire Bluffs hike
- Platte River hike
- Visiting Traverse City
- Sightseeing at Sleeping Bear Dunes
The Plan: We’ve both been here, but not together. And we wanted to camp at Platte River, which I camped at before the renovation.
The Reality: The campground is great and the beach with the river flowing into it is just like I remembered it. We enjoyed walking around Traverse City even though it was unseasonably hot: in the 90s. The Platte River hiking was mildly disappointing and Empire Bluffs was great.
Related Posts: The first post describes daily activities and destination. Other posts cover anything that generated lots of photos!
Sleeping Bear Dunes
September 20, 2017
Empire Bluffs
September 21, 2017
Drive from Petoskey
102 miles; 2.5 hours
Camp at Platte River Campground
Site #322. This is a fantastic campground in a great location and very popular. Book as early as possible.
Get around by driving
Drive home to Lansing area 211 miles; 3.5 hours
Resources
- We used a Falcon Guide to hiking in Michigan (paperback) for information on hiking
- The Michigan DNR website has lots of good information on Michigan state parks.
- The National Park Service website has info on Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
- Boat tours of the Pictured Rocks are run by Pictured Rocks Cruises. There are different options and you can buy tickets online.
