Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park
State #26 was Michigan! Specifically, the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (UP). We didn’t even know that the UP existed until a friend (Thanks Andy!) mentioned it, and we are glad he did. We stayed at the Union Bay Campground in Ontonagon from 6/27 - 6/30. The state parks in the UP ended up being a highlight of our summer 2022 adventures. We definitely want to spend another summer in the UP.
Summer Storm at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park
The Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, covering 60,000 acres of land, is known for its outdoor activities and scenery. It is the largest state park in Michigan and one of the largest in the United States.
We liked that there were tons of hiking trails in the park. The most popular trails include the Summit Peak Trail, which as the name suggests, offers panoramic views of the wilderness, and the Presque Isle River Trail which follows the main river through the park. In the winter, there is cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
There are several campgrounds within the park and backcountry cabins. We came across a backcountry cabin on one of our hikes, and we had no idea what it was. We stood there for a minute trying to guess what it might be used for when one of the ladies inside apparently noticed us and came out to talk. She even gave us a quick tour of the cabin. They are pretty basic with just a stove for heat and cooking, some bunks, and basic furniture but probably nice enough when you are backpacking in the bugs.
One of the highlights of the Union Bay Campground is that it is on Union Bay of Lake Superior. If you are super lucky and can reserve one of the bay site campsites you will have some amazing views right from your site. Our site was just across the road from the bay so it was an easy walk down to the water to enjoy the sunset.
During our stay, we experienced our first midwest rainstorm. Coming from California where the rain is mostly a drizzle, we were shocked at the downpour. We were also fascinated by the cloud-to-cloud lightning which is something we don’t see in Southern California. The lightning was so cool to watch through our windshield. Check out our video of the storm. Penguin said it reminded him of War of the Worlds.
We loved our visit to Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, except for the bugs. We knew the bugs were going to be an issue but dang! We were attacked by tons of mosquitoes during our first hike. Even though Jeri was wearing leggings, they were sitting on top of her leggings and biting her through her pants. We highly recommend camping at Union Bay and hiking the Porcupine Mountains, but make sure you generously apply and bring your bug spray! The summer weather is perfect here, warm but not too hot.
Did you catch our other articles about visiting the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (UP)? If not, check out: Fort Wilkins Historic State Park in Copper Harbor 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.
