Delightful Day Trips from Munising

DAY TRIP #1

– Marquette, approximately 45 miles from Munising Marquette is the largest city in the Upper Peninsula and o ers a treasure trove of unique clothing and gi shops, boutiques, galleries and museums. The rich culinary history of the region can be experienced at many fine restaurants and breweries. And a trip to the ore docks to watch huge freighters being loaded is not to be missed.

Marquette attractions include Presque Isle Park, a forested peninsula that juts into Lake Superior and is known for its natural beauty. The “Island,” as it is called by locals, is easily accessible by bike path or automobile, and o ers yearround outdoor recreation as well as serene settings for enjoying nature.

On the drive to Marquette, be sure to take a free, selfguided tour of Laknenland. The privately-owned attraction features more than 80 large iron sculptures that you have to see to believe. It’s open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

DAY TRIP #2

– Kitch-iti-kipi (“The Big Springs”), approximately 50 miles from Munising

Kitch-iti-kipi is Michigan’s largest natural freshwater spring, located northwest of Manistique o U.S. Highway 2. The name means big cold water, which is why Kitch-iti-kipi is sometimes referred to as “The Big Spring.” To see the springs, there is a ra available yearround for self-guided tours.

Before or a er your visit to “The Big Spring,” you can enjoy the small-town charm of Manistique with shopping, dining and a boardwalk right along the shore of Lake Michigan.

DAY TRIP #3

– Tahquamenon Falls and Oswald’s Bear Ranch approximately 100 miles from Munising Tahquamenon Falls is one of the largest waterfalls east of the Mississippi River. The Upper Falls has a drop of nearly 50 feet and is more than 200 feet across, while four miles downstream is a series of five smaller Lower Falls cascading around an island. Together, the falls encompass close to 40,000 acres stretching over 13 miles. A must see while visiting Tahquamenon Falls is the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, located on Whitefish Point. It is home to information and artifacts from too many shipwrecks to name, including the famous Edmund Fitzgerald, which wrecked 17 miles o the coast there.

RIPTIDE RIDE: This thrill ride, which takes place on a decommissioned Navy Seal jetboat, is unlike any other in Munising. Passengers will travel around Grand Island, stopping for scenic views of its cliffs and falls. Between the sights is when the action happens as the ride rips through the water at high-speeds, blasts into sharp turns and even pulls 360-degree spins to the delight of howling riders.

Centrally located and in the midst of popular attractions including waterfalls and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Munising makes a great home base for a variety of Upper Peninsula adventures. Here are four day trips you can take from Munising and be back in your hotel bed by nightfall.

On your way back to Munising, swing over to the largest bear ranch in the entire country. With 29 bears in four separate habitats, Oswald’s Bear Ranch is one of the top familyfriendly attractions in the Munising area.

DAY TRIP #4

– H-58 and Grand Marais, approximately 50 miles from Munising

The Eastern gateway to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is about a 50-mile drive along H-58. The highway is hugely popular with tourists looking to see a variety of sites along the lakeshore, with various options for hiking, waterfalls, and inland lakes and beaches. This is a must see while visiting Munising. At the east end of the drive is Grand Marais, a quaint little harbor town situated right on the shore of Lake Superior with sand dunes and waterfalls all over.

SEE MINERS CASTLE. Perhaps the most famous landmark along the Pictured Rocks shoreline, Miners Castle is an interesting rock formation created by eons of wind and water erosion. It’s easily viewable from land with parking right at the overlook, making it an easily accessible viewing of the sunset.

EXPERIENCE THE CHAPEL LOOP. Instead of an out-and-back hike to Chapel Rock, you can continue on to complete the 10-mile Chapel Loop that traverses the cli edge at Grand Portal Point. It’s just part of the 100plus miles of hiking trails along the national lakeshore. You’ll feel tiny as you hike past Grand Portal Point, captivated by the giant, 200-foothigh cli walls.

TO CHAPEL ROCK. You might recognize this fascinating rock with a lone, 250-year-old white pine growing atop it from its picture on the back of some U.S. quarters. It’s about a 6-mile round-trip hike to get there, but it’s well worth the e ort – especially at sunset!

ENCOUNTER BATTLESHIP ROW. Along the same stretch of the Chapel Loop is Battleship Row, an imposing set of rock outcroppings that just so happen to look like a row of battleships lined up as if they’re ready to head out to sea.

Lake Superior wreck sleuths discover two ships lost 108 years ago

PARADISE, MI n Nov. 18, 1914, three vessels left Keweenaw Bay loaded with lumber destined for New York.

They never made it.

Now, two of those ships have been found.

The 174-foot steamer C.F. Curtis and the 174-foot schooner barge Selden E. Marvin have been located at the bottom of Lake Superior about 30 miles north of Grand Marias, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society at White sh Point announced Tuesday, April 11.

The ships are well preserved in more than 500 feet of water.

Historical society wreck sleuths found the Curtis in 2021 and the Marvin last year.

The Marvin and another schooner barge, the Annie M. Peterson, were being towed by the Curtis from Baraga, Mich., to Tonawanda, N.Y. when a storm hit. In total, 28 men were lost.

The Peterson has yet to be found.

“The combined losses of the C.F. Curtis, Selden E. Marvin and Annie M. Peterson have comprised one of the more tragic stories of shipwreck on the Great Lakes and certainly became one of the Lake Superior’s enduring mysteries,” said society director Bruce Lynn.

The loss was a major blow to the Hines Lumber Co., which lost almost one quarter of its eet.