U.P. Michigan Region
Calendar
Aug. 4-7 Iron River – Iron Co. Fair Aug. 5-7 Pelkie – Baraga Co. Fair Aug. 6 Iron Mountain – Pine Mountain 500 Aug. 11-14 Ironwood – Gogebic Co. Fair Aug. 12-14 Crystal Falls – Humongous Fungus Festival Aug. 13 Iron Mountain – Italianfest Aug. 13 Iron Mountain – Tour de Dickinson Bike Ride Aug. 13 Ironwood – Lake States Mud Races Aug. 12-14 Crystal Falls – Humongous Fungus Festival Aug. 19-27 Ironwood – Masters and Youth Art Show Aug. 21 Rockland – Old Victoria Craft Fair Aug. 26-28 Silver City – Porcupine Mountains Music Fest Aug. 27 Alpha – End of Summer Blues Fest Sept. 2 Ontonagon – Labor Day Celebration Sept. 9-10 Marenisco – Lake Gogebic Fall Walleye Tournament Sept. 10 Crystal Falls – Harvest Fest Sept. 17 Baraga – ATV/UTV Wilderness Waterfall Adventure Sept. 23-24 Ewen – Log Jamboree Sept. 24 Ironwood – Bridges & Bluffs Half Marathon Run Sept. 24 Iron River – Beechwood Apple Fest
U.P. Michigan Region
Step Up to These Challenges
58
FLORENCE & IRON MOUNTAIN – In this issue we’re offering two suggestions for you folks who like to do a bit of climbing without the danger of falling off a cliff. Along the way up you’ll be humming Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven.” Lace up your favorite outdoor shoes and head to Florence County where at Keyes Peak Ski Hill you will find a new exercise challenge: 168 steps on a trail that is a quarter mile long with an elevation change of 200 feet. A concrete path starts at Keyes Peak Lodge that leads to a series of wooden steps. Once on top of Keyes Peak, you can view Keyes Lake, the Keyes Peak Lodge and the surrounding hardwood forest, which is especially breathtaking with reds, oranges and yellows in the fall. There’s plenty of parking at the lodge. If you want a real workout on steps, give the legs a temporary rest and drive to Iron Mountain, where the Giant Pine Mountain 500 is a set of concrete stairs. And, yes, 500 stands for the number of steps! You’ll be climbing nearly half of a mile almost
Aug/Sept 2022 | UpNorthAction.com
straight up. For the ultimate in leg burn, pause for a moment or two to enjoy the vista and then tackle the ski jump steps. The stairs are open year-round for the public. We don’t know if there’s a word that adequately describes the next leg burn option, but if you are in fine physical shape you might be tempted to compete in the annual Pine Mountain 500. No leisurely walk up the stairs here, as you will be racing against others to be crowned “King or Queen of the Mountain.” The 2022 premier athletic event will take place Saturday, Aug. 6. From the top of Pine Mountain, participants will race down Kramer Drive to Lower Pine Mountain Road/Hibbard Street before turning on Pine Mountain Road and racing to the Pine Mountain 500 for the next leg. The event is chip timed and participants will receive an overall and a Pine Mountain 500 time. “Dual Duel” participants will do it twice! Registration ends Aug. 5. Find more info at PineMountain500.com.
