Michigan's Upper Peninsula Travel Blog

This Saturday, February 4th is the annual cardboard sled race here in Munising. This year’s event will take place behind the American Legion which is located on M-28 west of the downtown stoplight. The fun begins at noon and registration is open to everyone. There will be a variety of race categories and age groups so you don’t have to worry about feeling too young or old to compete. To register, just click and download the entry form below. It contains registration information as well as race rules. We hope to see you there!

Click to download entry form

» Click to enlarge

News Release

In celebration of National Public Lands Day, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore will host the annual “Au Sable Day” at the historic 1874 Au Sable Light Station near Grand Marais on Saturday, September 24. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The day includes a free Altran shuttle to the lighthouse from the Hurricane River Campground, free tours of the light station, tower, and facility photovoltaic system. Complimentary cider and donuts will be available.

“This is a special opportunity for area residents to visit Au Sable on a beautiful fall color day,” remarked David Kronk, Education Park Ranger. “The maritime museum and Eastern National bookstore will also be open, and there will be special games for children. Plan to visit and learn more about the beautiful Au Sable Light Station, the fascinating maritime history of the area and how you could help out with projects at the light station.”

To reach the Au Sable Light Station, enjoy a beautiful drive on Alger County Road H-58 to the Hurricane River Campground. From Grand Marais, the drive is 11 miles. From Munising, the drive is 41 miles. For those who would like to hike to the lighthouse, it is 1-1/2 miles one-way from the campground.

National Public Lands Day began in 1994 and is a program of the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation involving federal,
state and local public land agencies as well as not for profit organizations. One goal of the program is to educate Americans about critical resource issues and the need for shared stewardship of these valuable, irreplaceable lands. Another goal is to build partnerships between the public sector and the local community based on mutual interests in the enhancement and restoration of America’s public lands.

For more information about the Au Sable Day, please contact the Interagency Visitor Center at 906-387-3700

National Park Service News Release

The public is invited to attend the seventeenth annual Women of Honor Observance to be held Thursday, September 1. Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is sponsoring the event.

The program will be held at the Alger County Heritage Center located at 1496 Washington Street in Munising. A social half-hour begins at 5:30 p.m. with the program beginning at 6 p.m.

Lisa Cromell, Director of the Munising Schools Public Library, will be the guest speaker.

The roll of honor recognizes Alger County women who have lead enriched lives whether through work, hobby, volunteerism or everyday living. At this year’s event, three women will be honored.

The honorees are Michelle Coleman and Penny Hatt of Au Train and Rosa Maria Hoy of Trenary.

The Women of Honor Observance celebrates the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which gave women the right to vote. The theme of this year’s observance is, “Our History is our Strength”.

“I am very pleased that Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and the park staff have a long standing tradition of celebrating this important day in the evolution of Women¹s Rights,” Superintendent Jim Northup said. “We look forward to joining in congratulating these special women in our community.”

Make sure to visit the Munising, MI area on Saturday, July 30th to be a part of Flannel Jack Fest! This event will feature a full day of activities including lumberjack shows, live music, food, kid games, and concluding with a street dance in downtown Munising. It’s sure to be a good time! Check out the poster below to see the schedule of events.

Flannel Jack Fest - Munising, MI

Happy Friday to everyone! It’s been a pretty quiet week with the main excitement being the warm weather we experienced for several days. It was pretty unbelievable to have daytime highs in the low 90s and we’re only in the beginning of June! It was also interesting because the wind would switch directions for a bit and you could watch the thermometer drop like a rock. Then, the wind direction would switch back to the south and we’d be back to the super warm temperatures. The ‘extreme heat’ ended yesterday as we only reached near 50 degrees for the high (quite the contrast). The extended forecast is showing another warming trend next week but nothing like what we experienced for the few days we had earlier in the week.

This weekend (June 11th & 12) is the annual Free Fishing Weekend for the entire State of Michigan. This means anyone (resident & non-resident) can fish our awesome lakes and streams without a fishing license. This only happens twice year so you’ve got to take advantage of it if you don’t have a fishing license. It’s a great opportunity for those looking to give fishing a try and not worry about the license. As always, all regulations are enforced.

That’s about it for this week. If you’re on Facebook, please ‘Like’ our new Facebook Page for our Central U.P. Tourist Information Center. The support has been great!

We hope to see you around!

We’d like to welcome three new businesses to the Explore Munising website! They include:

Garden Bay Winery
Located on 321 E. Superior Street, Munising – hours 11:30 to 6 pm every day. June 15 hours are 9 am to 9 pm.

Hardee’s
Located on M28 East, Munising. Stop in and try their new menu items.

Paddling Michigan
They offer guided kayak tours, kayak rentals, and tent and camping equipment rentals.

Stop in at our Central U.P. Visitor Center (located next to Hardee’s and across from the Days Inn) on M28 East in Munising, MI. We have lots of great information to help make your trip (to the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Grand Island and many other great spots) one you will never forget!

Spring Fling Fundraiser - Sunday, May 22nd. (Click to enlarge)

It’s been a pretty quiet week, as everyone is getting ready for the Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial start to summer. We’ve been busy, ourselves, getting ready to open the Central U.P. Visitor Center. The Center will officially be open on Memorial Day weekend and will be staffed through out the summer and into the autumn season. We’re located on M-28 East, in downtown Munising, and next door to Hardees.

This weekend we wanted to let everyone know about a great event happening at Johnny Dogs in Munising (106 Lynn Street, behind the Barge Inn). It is the Spring Fling Fundraiser benefiting the Alger County Animal Shelter. On Sunday, May 22nd Johnny Dogs will play host to this fun event. Stop by from 11am-5pm for a special Johnny Dogs menu and pets are especially welcome. Besides the great food, there will be a “Kids & Pets Costume Contest”, at 1pm. Johnny Dogs, People’s State Bank, Bob’s IGA and volunteers from the Alger County Animal Shelter are sponsoring the event. Come out and show your support for the animals being cared for by the Shelter.

A few days ago, we published our first Explore Munising email newsletter! If you didn’t receive it, just sign-up by clicking the link below! It features local info, special offers and other happenings!

»Sign-up for the Explore Munising newsletter.

We hope you have a great weekend and we hope to see you around town!

Here we are only a couple weeks away from Memorial Day weekend and the spring season is in full gear. In the recent weeks the weather has been decent and we’ve had an occasional rainy day, which has definitely helped green things up. The trees are finally starting to show a bit of green as the leaf buds are sprouting. The rainfall has also helped keep the waterfalls flowing at a good rate and make for some great pictures. Soon the surrounding forests will be filled with trilliums and other wildflowers – a really beautiful sight.

Spray Falls flowing into Lake Superior

This Saturday (May 14th) Pictured Rocks Cruises will be open for the season with a 2pm daily cruise (rain or shine) that includes a trip to Spray Falls. The Cruise is one of many must-do attractions in the area and one of the best ways to truly experience the Pictured Rocks National Shoreline. Make sure to visit the Cruises’ website for a complete schedule of departure times.

You should definitely make plans to visit the Munising area for the upcoming holiday weekend. There’s a lot to see and do as well as great places to eat and sleep. Check out the rest of our website to find listings for Attractions, Lodging, Restaurants, Shopping and Services. Also, make sure to visit our Tourist Information Center (located on M-28, next door to Hardees) for more information and a great selection of local artwork (opening Memorial Day weekend).

Have a great weekend!

We are busy making plans for the reopening of the Explore Munising Central U.P. Visitor Center this spring! We are located on M28 East across from the Days Inn and next to Hardees. We will be open by Memorial Day. There’s plenty of room to park your campers and RVs. If you were among the thousands that stopped by last year, please make sure to do so again and say hello. We have expanded our services so there are new things to see. Artists and craftsmen, we have programs for you to be able to display and sell your items. Currently we have member artists reserving space, but we have room for more. Please give us a call at 906-387-5710 for details.