Wild & Scenic Rivers: September color along the Carp River

West from the Lake of the Clouds, photo by Jim Sorbie

Glints of yellow, orange and red are starting to pop up around the state, so it’s probably time to get some fall wallpaper for your computer! Check that link for a ton and get fall color reports and color touring ideas from the Pure Michigan Fall Color page!

It’s also been a while since I added a Michigan Wild & Scenic River to the blog, so here’s the somewhat brief entry for the Carp River from the National Wild & Scenic Rivers:

The Carp River, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, flows through predominantly forested lands with little development along its way. Spring’s high water provides for canoeing and offers steelhead fishing and dipping for smelt near the river’s mouth. Summer is the time for brook or brown trout, and fall brings salmon fishing. The Carp is known for its outstanding recreation, wildlife, geologic, ecological, fisheries and heritage resource values. The river flows through the Mackinac Wilderness Area.

Michigan has 16 nationally designated Wild & Scenic Rivers – get them all at that link!

View Jim’s photo background bigtacular and see more in his Color Tour 2014 – UP & Canada slideshow.

Union Gorge Falls

For some reason this post went to May 26th when I published it this morning. Not sure what I did, but I will try not to do it again!

Union River Waterfalls, photo by David Clark

Every time I think I know every waterfall in Michigan, one more comes a long. Great Lakes Waterfall Adventures shares that Little Union Gorge Falls is:

Located inside an outpost campground off of South Boundary Rd. in the beautiful Porcupine Mountains State Park, the Union Gorge Falls slide shallow water over a 100 plus foot drop in a forested setting. It is a short hike to reach the start of the falls, and the trail follows the river bank for a quarter mile, intersecting several times with the Union Mine Interpretive Trail. Several sections of 10-25 feet highlight the area, thin water most of the year, most likely the best time to visit is in the spring.

…The first long drop has a small, three foot deep pool below it, adding to the calm of the area.

View the photo background bigtacular, see more in his Waterfalls slideshow, and check out David’s blog for a report with more from the Porcupine Mountains!

Autumnal Splendor at Lake of the Clouds

Autumnal Splendor, photo by Eric Hackney

True confession: I was asked to share less from northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. True answer: It’s really hard to turn my back on incredible visions like this! I will try and do better tomorrow. Promise. 

Also – new design for the blog. Not finished, but at least the pics are bigger. Thoughts & comments are appreciated.

Lake of the Clouds is one of the main attractions in the Porcupine Mountains State Park. Be sure to check out this interactive map & photo presentation from the Park that includes a 360-degree panorama from the spot atop Cuyahoga Peak where this photo was taken!

View Eric’s photo bigger and see more in his Landmarks & Landscapes slideshow.

PS: There’s more photos from Eric on Michigan in Pictures…

 

Waterfall Wednesday: Manido Falls in the Porcupine Mountains

Turbulence (Manido Falls, Porcupine Mountain), photo by Jiqing Fan

The Waterfall Record’s entry for Manido Falls says:

Manido Falls did not impress me at first, at least not as much as the downstream Manabezho Falls. After seeing the pictures I had taken, though, I discovered what an amazingly beautiful waterfall Manido Falls is. Its beauty comes from its complexity. The waterfall itself is not very tall at all. It is wide, though. As the Presque Isle River tumbles down toward Lake Superior, it comes to this set of rocks that create a beautifully cascading waterfall. I think what makes me like Manido Falls so much is that the water has taken such an interesting course here, erosion taking its effect in an oddly unique way.

Add to it that the just as spectacular Manabezho Falls is only hundreds of yards away, and Lake Superior not much more distant, this makes for one of the most beautiful waterfall stretches in the Upper Peninsula.

Visit #2: When my father and I visited Mandido Falls in late September 2010, the falls looked completely different due to the significant amounts of rainfall in the weeks previous.

Read on for directions and some photos.

View Jiqing Fan’s photo bigger and see more in his Houghton & UP MI slideshow.

More black & white photography and (many) more Michigan waterfalls on Michigan in Pictures!

Polling for Parks: Porcupine Mountain Wilderness State Park

Sunset over Lake of the Clouds, Porcupine Mountains, photo by John McCormick

USA Today is polling their readers to see what they think the 10 best state parks in the nation are. The entry page for the Porcupine Mountain Wilderness State Park says:

The Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, or the “Porkies” as its known to frequent visitors, encompasses 60,000 acres of lakes, rivers and virgin forest. The park offers camping on the shores of Lake Superior, 90 miles of hiking trails, kayak rentals, mountain biking and, in the winter, access to the Porcupine Mountains Ski Area.

Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park – Mich. is currently ranked #2 of 20.

You can click here to vote if you’re so inclined.

John took this evening shot in October 2014 near the east end off the Lake of the Clouds. View it bigger on Flickr, see more staggering photos in his Autumn in Michigan slideshow, and definitely follow him on Facebook at Michigan Nut Photography.

You can click to visit the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park website and get all kinds of Porcupine Mountains rivers, falls and views on Michigan in Pictures.

Quiet water of the Presque Isle River

Quiet water of the Presque Isle River. Porcupine Wilderness State Park, photo by Linda Carter

The Porcupine Mountain Wilderness State Park is the area of Michigan where I haven’t yet visited that I’m most fascinated with. One of the cool things for me about putting Michigan in Pictures together is learning new things about places, and Linda’s photo showed me something new about the Park! She writes:

The Presque Isle River (French explorers named it for the little island at the mouth of the river) is the largest and most dangerous flow through the Porcupine Mountains. The 3 waterfalls near its mouth are some of the most scenic in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The river forks at the end as it flows to Lake Superior. This picture is the right side, which is quiet and peaceful.

View her photo bigger and see more (including some of those waterfalls) in her Porkies slideshow.

Lake of the Clouds from the Escarpment Trail

Lake of the Clouds from the Escarpment Trail, Porcupine Mountains, photo by Linda Carter

Linda writes that this photo is taken about 400 feet above Lake of the Clouds on the Escarpment Trail, which starts at Lake of the Clouds Overlook. She says that if you go the whole loop it’s 8 miles, but 2 or 3 miles along the trail you get the most beautiful views of the Lake.

Agreed!

View her photo bigger and see more in her Porkies slideshow.

There’s at the Porcupine Mountain State Park website including a map of the Escarpment Trail & Lake of the Clouds area and more Lake of the Clouds on Michigan in Pictures!

Waterfall Wednesday: Shining Cloud Falls

Shining Cloud Falls, photo by Mikeydubz1

GoWaterfalling.com is the premier site for Michigan waterfall information, and they write that Shining Cloud Falls:

…is the largest, and one of the wildest backcountry waterfalls in Porcupine Mountains State Park. You will have to hike at least 5 miles in to see the falls, and another 5 miles to get back. If you are looking for a good long day hike this is a winner. In addition to the main falls there are also a number of smaller cascades, and whatever route you take there is lots of wilderness scenery.

The total drop of the falls is about 20′. The falls consists of two parts, a slide on the left, and a plunge on the right. In higher water the two parts merge, but in lower water the two parts are distinct. Plunge falls are rare around Lake Superior.

They say that the real challenge is reaching this remote fall, but that it’s definitely worth the trip – read on for instructions!

Check Mikey’s photo out bigger and see more in his Porcupine Mountains slideshow.

Many more Michigan waterfalls on Michigan in Pictures!

First Light at Lake of the Clouds

First light, photo by adonyvan

About a month ago, Jiqing Fan spent the night at Lake of the Clouds in the Porcupine Mountain State Park. I featured one of his photos then but I figured after Sunday’s ripping storm, we all deserved a glorious sunrise to start the week!

Check it out bigger and see more in his Houghton & UP MI slideshow.

More sunrises on Michigan in Pictures.

Happy Ending: Sunrise in the Porkies

Happy ending, photo by adonyvan

About this gorgeous shot of the sunrise & fall color in the Porcupine Mountains, Jiqing Fan writes:

Weather.com forecasted that the sky would clear 2 hours before Monday’s sunrise after 3 days rain, so I decided to camp at the Porcupine Mountain to wait for it. Sunday afternoon, dense fog completely obscured the valley and the rain didn’t stop until midnight. My headlamp became completely useless because of the moisture/fog, I nearly got lost from the toilet to my car 100 feet away. I set up my tent at the parking lot in pitch dark and light rain. Apparently, I am not the only one trying to catch the break and photograph the peak color here. People started to show up, at 2am, 4am, 5am and 6am. Needless to say, I could not get a good sleep. I got up before 7am and found out that there were at least 20 cars already.

My miserable night finally paid off and the light was really amazing that morning.

He adds that color is surprisingly late this year with the Porkies likely peaking this week and says that most of Houghton hasn’t turn red a full week later than usual.

You can check his photo out bigger, jump into his slideshow for more photos from the trip, view it on his map and and see more of his work at Michigan in Pictures.

More sunrises on Michigan in Pictures.