f you haven’t visited the Keweenaw Peninsula yet, it’s a “step back in time” that you will not want to miss. The Keweenaw Peninsula is a finger of land that curves into Lake Superior — it’s the uppermost tip of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, or U-P as locals refer to the area. The U-P of Michigan covers 30% of the total land area of the state of Michigan but is only populated by 3% of its residents. Those who do live on the Upper Peninsula are referred to as “Yoopers” and must be tough individuals in order to survive the extreme winter weather conditions.
Most winters, the Keweenaw Peninsula receives an average of nearly 20 feet of snow. In addition, Lake Superior — the largest, deepest and coldest of the Great Lakes — is often visited by storms with hurricane-force winds and typhoon-like waves. Not surprisingly, there have been about 350 shipwrecks recorded on Lake Superior, one of which was popularized by Gordon Lightfoot’s song “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”
Despite this harsh environment, thousands of immigrants rushed to the Keweenaw Peninsula at a time known as “the great mineral rush” in the 1800s. The Keweenaw Peninsula is often called Copper Country. In a 65-mile stretch of land between the towns of Ontonagon and Copper Harbor, thousands of people were once employed in copper mines throughout the Keweenaw Peninsula. Twenty-two Heritage Sites now mark historic areas to preserve the story of the rise and decline of this region’s copper-mining history. There are probably more historic sites than anyone can cover in one trip to Keweenaw, so I’ll point out some of the more popular sites to visit.
While in Calumet, take a walk through the town and look at the many old buildings that have been saved and re-purposed for tourism. The Calumet Theatre dates back to 1900 and once held the Calumet Opera House. St. Anne’s Church, built in 1899 for Calumet’s French-Canadian population, is a beautiful example of Gothic Revival architecture, with a 130-foot bell tower. The Keweenaw Heritage Center is now located in this church and gives visitors a better understanding of the Calumet boom in 1900, with its diverse population of Cornish, Croatian, French Canadian, Italian, Polish, Scottish and Slovenian immigrants who all came here to work in the mines. Be sure to also check out the Copper Country Firefighter’s History Museum, located in the old Calumet Fire Station, dating back to 1898. This museum has an abundance of old equipment, wagons and trucks once used in this town.
The towns of Calumet and Laurium are located almost mid-peninsula, so you can choose to either drive north to Copper Harbor or south to the towns of Hancock and Houghton. Houghton has a great RV Park owned by the city and offers 25 full hook-up sites ($50 per day), some of which are Lake Superior Portage Canal waterfront. Reservations can be made by calling 906- 482-8745 or booked on-line (cityofhoughton.com).
As you travel north on Keweenaw Peninsula, make a quick stop in the town of Phoenix. Here you can see the Phoenix Church (once St. Mary’s Church), built in 1858. Phoenix Church is one more of the Heritage Sites found on the peninsula. After Phoenix, continue on to Eagle River and take a short stop to see Eagle River Falls and the historic bridge that spans this gorge; the long rocky slope creates a cascading waterfall. If you are a hiker, be sure to give yourself extra time in Eagle Harbor. There is a scenic 3-mile hike near Eagle Harbor that will take you to the top of Mount Baldy (also known as Lookout Mountain). Mount Baldy is the largest and least-disturbed mountain on the peninsula and stands 730 feet above Lake Superior. The hike can be a bit steep in parts, but it provides some of the most spectacular views of Lake Superior and Keweenaw Peninsula (upnorthtrails.org).
Copper Harbor is an outdoor-enthusiast’s paradise. Spectacular views of Lake Superior can be found everywhere. If you are a hiker or a biker, you will love this section of the Keweenaw Peninsula. There are nine spectacular hiking trails in the Copper Harbor area ranging from ½ to 17 miles. You can locate these trails using the AllTrails app. The Copper Harbor Bike Trail System offers miles of gorgeous views and outstanding trails (copperharbortrails.org). If you are not into hiking or biking, be sure to take the Brockway Mountain drive, which offers scenic views of Lake Superior, inland lakes and panoramic views of the Keweenaw Peninsula.
