Outside Munising, the various colors of the sandstone of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore that abounds Lake Superior can be seen off M-28.
With the official start of winter just a few days away, I better wrap up my travel log of an October trip to Michigan’s Lower and Upper Peninsula. Following time spent in Traverse City and Sault Ste. Marie, we stayed in the Upper by heading to Munising, the home of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
Munising is right on Lake Superior and its surrounding area has a reputation as one of the state’s most scenic, largely because of the Pictured Rocks and the abundance of waterfalls. Because of strong winds, the cruises to the Pictured Rock Shoreline were weathered out. However, we discovered that the famous rocks were viewable from an overlook east of town off M-28 by taking Miners Castle Road. From that overlook, we had a great look at the blue-green churning waters of Lake Superior and the sandstone coastline walls stained by iron, copper, manganese and limonite, producing the splashes of red, orange, blue, green, brown, black and white.
Just east of the overlook of the Pictured Rocks, we also loved our view of Miners Falls. There, we found two overlooks, an upper and a lower, the latter of which created a special sensory experience since not only were we seeing the falls up close but also feeling the spray from the mist and hearing the thunder of cascading water.
We also enjoyed our time at Horseshoe Falls as well. There, in addition to the beauty and power of the falls themselves, the trail through the grounds provided such an array of flora and also a rainbow trout pond fed by the waters that rushed over the falls above.
Our next stop was Newberry, 62 miles away from Munising in an area commonly known as Tahquamenon Country.
Prior to our heading to the area’s main attraction, Tahquamenon State Park, we decided to make the short 37-mile trek to Paradise on Whitefish Bay, both to see Lake Superior’s first lighthouse, built in 1837 and still operating and keeping very hazardous waters that have claimed several ships more safe, and the lightkeeper’s quarters. I’ll also recommend going through the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum there.
That evening Jane and I drank in the atmosphere of Timber Charlie’s Food and Spirits on Newberry’s main drag, where the food is hot and delicious and the beers are served in jars.
The next day, it was off to the state park. The stars at Tahquamenon are its waterfalls and the rushing white water of the Tahquamenon River as well as the well-maintained asphalt and boardwalk trails that wind through the blaze of fall colors provided by American beech, sugar maples, eastern hemlock and yellow birch.
As for the falls, there is an upper and a lower with separate park entrances to view each. The entry fee that allows access to both from a variety of upper and lower observation overlooks was just $11. If you go, I’ll also recommend taking the bridge across the river and onto an island where a loop trail runs right along the rushing waters.
Following our time in Newberry, it was time to journey back across the Mackinac Bridge that links Michigan’s UP and LP to check out our final destination, Charlevoix.
Charlevoix, we would discover, was about as pretty an isthmus town as could be imagined, with Lake Michigan on one side and Lake Charlevoix on the other. We were there on the weekend of the 40th annual Applefest, so there was plenty to see in the downtown area in addition to the city’s main attraction, the Mushroom Houses.
Designed by architect Earl Young between the years of 1919 and continuing into the 1970s, the houses Young designed feature indigenous materials, especially stonework. The undulating roof lines are somewhat similar to mushroom tops, which explains why they’re called Mushroom Houses and the 26 homes blend seamlessly into Charlevoix’s natural lay of the topography. Jane and I were able to see many of the houses using ped power and a map with the locations of the houses, a map given to us by our hotel clerk at the Charlevoix Inn and Suites. One, called Thatch House, was actually for sale for a cool $4.5 million.
Both food and drink were delicious at the Villager Pub, and I also spotted as part of the atmospheric signage above the bar, one of the better ones I’ve seen in a bar: “Alcohol, because no great story ever started with someone eating a salad.”
While our fall travels generally take Jane and me several states away, often to New England, this year, we found autumn’s glory just one state over.
John Grindrod is a regular columnist for The Lima News, a freelance writer and editor and the author of two books. Reach him at [email protected].
