Fort Wilkins Historic State Park in Copper Harbor
Stop number two on our summer tour of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (UP) was Fort Wilkins Historic State Park in Copper Harbor. Wondering where Copper Harbor and Fort Wilkins Historic State Park are located? Check out the map of our route through the UP.
Google map of our route through UP can be found here
We camped at Fort Wilkins Historic State Park from 6/30 - 7/6. We picked this location for the 4th of July fireworks show, which they are supposedly known for. Copper Harbor is a small community on the northernmost tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula, across the water is Canada. Given its remote location, there is no cell service, not even in the main town area which has a small but decent general store and a half dozen restaurants. Luckily, the state park had Wi-FI that we could pick up in the RV with our directional antenna, and it was just enough to check in with the world periodically and ensure things were okay. We enjoyed disconnecting from the world, playing board games, hiking, riding our bikes to town, and taking the Jeep on off-road adventures. The weather was terrific. Most days were in the mid-70s. Unfortunately, the fog rolled in on the 4th of July, and the fireworks show was postponed until the 5th. That day still worked for us so we got to enjoy the fireworks over the lake with only a few people.
During our stay, we decided to check out Brockway Mountain Drive which is a 9-mile scenic road in Copper Harbor with amazing views of Lake Superior from up to 1,300 feet above sea level. At the top, we were surprised to see lots of people on bikes. We learned that Keweenaw Adventure Company runs a mountain bike shuttle to the top of Brockway Mountain. You can obtain a day pass that will take you and your bike to the summit so you can enjoy riding down as many times as you like. In the winter, you can ride a snowmobile to the top of Brockway Mountain. The winters in Copper Harbor can be tough as the Keweenaw Peninsula can get over 300 inches of snow. For the locals and the die-hards that make the trip, all that snow means lots of groomed winter trails for cross-country skiing, fat biking, and snowshoeing.
There is also a national park that you can get to from Copper Harbor by ferry (or seaplane!) called Isle Royale National Park. We forgot about this until it was too late so we missed this national park. That’s okay, another reason to come back. Isle Royale National Park is located in the northwestern portion of Lake Superior, a remote island archipelago, consisting of one large island surrounded by over 450 smaller islands. It is primarily a wilderness and water-based park where you can hike, backpack, boat, canoe, kayak, scuba dive, and fish. The island offers 165 miles of trails, 36 campgrounds, 51 miles of canoe routes, 10 major shipwrecks, and over 300 miles of scenic Lake Superior shoreline.
Did you catch our other articles about visiting the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (UP)? If not, check out: Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park and Van Riper State Park. Looking for things to do in Michigan? Take a look at our Michigan articles. Where are we going next? Don’t miss an adventure, subscribe today.
