Michigan's Upper Peninsula Travel Blog

We’re almost to the weekend and it’s going to be a busy one as Munising plays host to two very unique events. They include the 2nd annual Pictured Rocks Kayak Quest and the annual Grand Island Trail Marathon. Here’s a little more information about them.

Pictured Rocks Kayak Quest – Saturday, July 31st
Hosted by the Munising Lions Club, this kayak challenge takes participates along the beautiful shore of Lake Superior. Encompassing Munising Bay, Grand Island and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, this event provides miles of spectacular shoreline to enjoy. The quest features two different courses, a 15-mile loop and a 30-mile-loop, with the start/finish at the Munising City Dock. The start times are 8:30am (long course) and 9:00am (short course) with a mandatory meeting at 8:00am. If you’re interest, there’s still time to register! Visit the Pictured Rocks Kayak Quest website for complete details!

Grand Island Trail Marathon – Sunday, August 1st
Labeled as “One of the Top 10 Marathons in North America” by Runner’s World magazine, the Grand Island Trail Marathon is a fan favorite. The marathon trail takes runners around the perimeter of Grand Island and features pristine forests and beautiful views of Lake Superior! Besides the actual marathon, there’s also a 10K race for those not looking to run the whole marathon distance and a 2K race for youth (held at Bay Furnace and registration is still open). If you want to enter this event you have to do it early – both races are usually full by April! For those lucky enough to be part of the race, good luck! For those looking to cheer on the runners, head to the Grand Island Ferry Dock and take a ride over to the island. The marathon race begins at 7:00am while the 10K race starts at 8:30am.

Besides these two great events, it is also the weekend of the Alger County Fair & Homecoming held in Chatham. The fair runs from Friday, July 30th thru Sunday, August 1st.

We hope to see you around!

116th annual U.P. Firefighters Tournament – July 22-24, 2010

It’s another beautiful week here in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The temperature has been in the 70s and we’ve had a few scattered rain showers for a couple days. Besides the rain, it’s pretty awesome outside. With our early spring, it pushed everything way ahead of schedule and the wild blueberries have been plentiful for a couple weeks now. During an average year, they might not even be ready yet.

Tomorrow, a great event kicks off as Munising plays host to the 116th annual Upper Peninsula Volunteer Firefighters Tournament & Convention. The theme for this year’s tournaments is being labeled as the “Battle by the Bay.” This historic event brings firefighters from all over the Upper Peninsula and Northern Wisconsin to compete in a variety of skill challenges. Besides the skill challenges, there’s also street dances and parades. It is a great time and the firefighters would love to see you there to cheer them on!

The firefighters tournament runs from Thursday, July 22nd thru Saturday, July 24th. For a complete schedule of events, visit the City of Munising’s Firefighters webpage.

Come up north and experience the Upper Peninsula!

Explore Munising went to visit the Tahquamenon Falls area (northeast of Newberry, Mich.) over the weekend and had a great time on the Toonerville Trolley Riverboat Tour.  The first part of the trip consisted of the trolley ride through the wilderness where we saw a bear, deer, eagle and several sand hill cranes.  The riverboat was waiting to take us along the Tahquamenon River to our final destination to see the spectacular falls.  Even though the climb was a bit challenging for some – once we reached the falls it was well worth it.  It was a great day and a nice road trip from Munising (93 miles, 2 hour drive).  Remember to bring along comfortable walking shoes, sunglasses and your camera.

The trail leading to the falls

Above the falls

Beautiful Tahquamenon Falls, 93 miles east of Munising

Sand Point Beach in Munising

While visiting Munising make sure to take the short drive on Sand Point Beach Road (Washington Street). Simply follow the signs on H58 to the Munising Memorial Hospital. The road ends with a convenient turnaround. Along the way you will see the parking area for Munising Falls, The Alger County Heritage Center, Sand Point Beach, the Sand Point Marsh Trail and the Coast Guard Station.

With the great weather and warm temperatures, a visit to the Sand Point Beach is a must. This sandy and quiet beach was recently named one of “Top Five Summer Beaches in America” by The Weather Channel. This beach is also a great destination to end your day with a sunset over Munising Bay.

Located within the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, pets are permitted (must be on a leash) on the beaches of Sand Point and on Sand Point Road. Pets are not allowed on the Marsh Trail and all inland areas of Sand Point. Sand Point is well worth the trip.  Enjoy!

Check out the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore map to see where Sand Point is located. (Hint: Find Munising, then look up and to the right a bit.)

First off, I hope everyone had a great Fourth of July celebration. The weather was great for our Munising celebration except for the fireworks being delayed. The good news is they’ve been rescheduled for tonight! Today’s forecast looks awesome and they should go off without a hitch. So, if you’re in the Munising area, head down to Munising Bay at dusk to see a great fireworks display.

Also starting today is the “Relay for Life” event at Munising’s Mustang Stadium. Everyone is invited to come out and show your support for the fight against cancer. The event starts at 1pm and ends tomorrow (Saturday) at 1pm. There will be food, games and lots of family fun. The weather forecast looks great for this event, too.

On the horizon, there are a few major events happening in Alger County. Next weekend (July 15th-18th) is the annual Great Lakes Sea Kayak Symposium held in Grand Marais. The symposium is a great event for kayak enthusiasts as well as those looking to take-up kayaking. Then the following weekend (July 22nd-24th) Munising will be the host for the 116th Annual U.P. Volunteer Firefighters Tournament. This multi-day event features skill competitions, parades and streets dances. The firefighters love seeing community support, so come out and cheer them on!

There’s always something happening in the Munising area, so check out our Summer Events page for the details. It’s a great time of year to explore Munising!

If you don’t have plans yet for your July 4th weekend, then Munising should be your destination! (If you already have plans for somewhere else, cancel them!) This is the time of year when the population about doubles (for this small town) as family and friends return “home.” The celebration dates back many years and people from all over look forward to Munising’s big July 4th celebration and the traditions it holds. To kickoff the celebration is always the “Firecracker 2-Blocker” Soap Box Derby on July 2nd @ 5pm. Come cheer the kids as they race their homemade vehicles to the finish! Also, on July 2nd is a huge fundraiser for the Munising Volunteer Fire Department at the Barge Inn from 7pm-midnight. For the second year running, the fundraiser will include live music, a silent auction as well as hat and t-shirt sales to benefit the volunteer firefighters. Then on Saturday, July 3rd is the Munising Bay Arts Festival. This great event was moved to the July 4th weekend and features some amazing artwork from around the Upper Peninsula. The art festival is being held from 9am–5pm in the People’s State Bank parking lot on Elm Avenue. Come out and see how talented Yoopers really are. And finally, July 4th!!! The day everyone in the area looks forward to every year! This day features something for everyone! From the early morning “Fun Run” to games, music, food and entertainment throughout the entire day. Some of the highlights include:

• Parade through downtown Munising, 12:30pm
• Pet parade – dress up your pet & yourself, 3:30pm
• Fire dept. water fight, 4:30pm
• Grease pole, 5:30pm
• Fireworks – one of the best displays in the U.P., 10:30pm or dusk

So there you have it! A great weekend is on the horizon and the weather forecast is looking perfect! We hope to see you in Munising!

Sunday, June 27th

After a very dry spring, we have moved to the other end of the spectrum. For the month of June, so far, we’ve received around 5.5 inches of rain! This is about 2 inches more than our normal June average. With all the rain, the impressive waterfalls in the Munising area are excellent viewing right now and the streams should be up for some good trout fishing. Bring your camera and the bug spray. As for the temperatures, it has been really warm but muggy. The extended forecast is showing mild temperatures and a few chances of rain.

This weekend is a busy weekend here in Munising and in Grand Marais. Here’s what’s going on:

Pictured Rocks Road Race – Run for the Red Cross – June 26th & 27th
Here in Munising is the annual Pictured Rocks Road Race “Run for the Red Cross” on Sunday morning. Everyone is invited to take part in this great event as it features a Half-Marathon, a 5K Run and a Fun Walk. Also, join everyone for a spaghetti dinner at Bayshore Park on Saturday night from 4:30-7:00pm. For those registered to run/walk, the meal is free! Visit the Pictured Rocks Road Race website for additional race info and race starts.

Grand Marais Offshore Fishing Tournament – June 25th-27th
Here’s your chance to fish Lake Superior and potentially win $4000 with a first place fish as well as other great prizes. To kick off the event, there will be a dinner and captains meeting on Friday night beginning at 5:30pm. Everyone is invited! Then on Saturday and Sunday the boats will head out to catch that winning fish. Once the boats return to the marina on Sunday afternoon, the awards and a fish-fry will take place. Visit the Fishing Tourney website for more information, online registration and pictures from last year’s event.

Grand Marais Garden Tour – June 26th
For those looking to view some beautiful gardens and learn a few new gardening tips, head to Grand Marais on Saturday for this annual event. From 10:00am-4:00pm there will be garden tours, workshops and a silent auction. The event is hosted by the Green Space “On-the-Bay” Committee.

So there you go, a few great events happening in the beautiful central Upper Peninsula. Check back next week for details on the Fourth of July Celebration!

After a few months of renovation, the our new Visitor Center is now open and you’re invited to our Grand Opening this Friday, June 11th. The official ribbon cutting ceremony will be held at noon. The building is located on highway M-28, in Munising, next door to Hardee’s. This travel information center, operated by Explore Munising, will give visitors a chance to learn more about what Munising, Grand Marais and the central U.P. has to offer. The Center will also have a real estate property board (for those looking to purchase property in the area) and artwork by local artists. The facility will be staffed  7 days a week during the busy seasons to answer questions and promote the area. What’s especially nice is the ample room for parking! (Those with campers, RVs or trailers will like this.)

So, stop by on Friday for the Grand Opening or whenever you visit! We especially love hearing from our blog readers and Facebook friends!

It’s the eve of Memorial Day weekend and this past week Mother Nature gave us an early summer present of some record breaking temperatures. For three straight days it was near or above 90 degrees! For the folks still wearing their long johns around here, I imagine they took a break for those few days. Although the forecast looks cooler for next week, this weekend’s weather looks great.

During this upcoming family-fun weekend please take a moment to remember what it’s really about — honoring those who’ve served our great country as well as your loved ones that have passed on. Maybe take a moment to thank a veteran or active-duty soldier or head to your local cemetery/memorial place for a service on Monday. If you’re in Munising, the Veteran’s Memorial on the lakeshore is pretty neat. It is located next to Bayshore Park near the Pictured Rocks Cruises dock.

Well, have a great weekend and keep it safe. We hope to see you around!

Renovations to the Explore Munising Visitor Center is coming all nicely.

Like to know what’s happening in Munising? “Like” our Facebook Page!

We’re just over a week from the big Memorial Day weekend and Mother Nature has been treating us exceptionally nice. This week, the temperature has been in the mid-70s, although, in town and along the Lake Superior shoreline it’s been 10-15 degrees cooler. The extended forecast is showing the same for next week and we’re hoping it continues through Memorial Day weekend. (Keep your fingers crossed)

Last Saturday, Pictured Rocks Cruises opened for the season while the Glass Bottom Boat Shipwreck Tours will start running tours tomorrow, May 21st. Then on Monday, May 24th the Grand Island Ferry Service will be making daily trips to Grand Island. All three of these family fun attractions are a must-see when you’re in the area. Learn more about them by visiting our Attractions page.

Other events happening include a golf scramble, this Saturday, at Pictured Rocks Golf Club. This annual fundraiser should be a great time with golfing, dinner and an evening dance with music by Evergreen Seven. Contact the course for details – (906) 387-3970. Then on Wednesday (May 26th), Munising’s new gift shop, The Frozen Flamingo, will be having its grand opening. Located next to the Days Inn, this trendy gift shop features great gifts and has an ice cream parlor serving Jilbert’s Ice Cream. Yum! The annual Pictured Rocks Trout & Salmon Classic fishing tournament rounds out the schedule of events with it taking place next Saturday, May 29th.

The weather is awesome and we hope you can come enjoy all Munising and Alger County has to offer! See you soon!