Michigan's Upper Peninsula Travel Blog

With all the economic “blah”, it’s the perfect time to get outside, enjoy the winter weather and get in a good laugh. This Saturday, the town of Trenary will be hosting its 16th annual “Outhouse Classic.” To summarize, it consists of 2-man teams building outhouses (cardboard and wood), putting them on skis and pushing them down Main Street. The teams are very creative in their designs with it usually relating to bathroom humor. Prizes are given to the fastest teams in a variety of age groups. You won’t be alone, either, because this town of 400 swells to 4,000 people for this one day of year! The festivities begin at noon and racing starts at 2pm. So if you’re in the area, make sure to go to Trenary on Saturday! Visit their website for complete details.

As for the weather, we’re yet again in another blizzard warning. Many of the schools are closed in the central U.P. as well as highway M-28. We received almost 8″ of new snow since yesterday and wind gusts have been almost 50mph in some spots. The air temperature, not counting wind chill, is in the single digits. (Just not a very nice day.)

Human dog sled race at Winterfest

The first ever Winterfest, held last weekend, was a huge success despite the very snowy weather. Many people traveled from long distances to attend the big weekend event. Also new this year was the finish of the Midnight Run dog sled race in town. There was a great turnout at the finish line on Saturday morning and the racers really liked the new trail coming in to Munising. The Snowball dance night was also well attended with a line waiting to get in the doors. Many area businesses also saw an increase in customers, which is extremely positive. If you missed out then make sure to attend next year’s! View Winterfest photos here.

During the weekend, the weather was mostly cooperative in town but to the west it was pretty ugly. They received almost 3 feet of snow over the span of weekend! At times, it was snowing at a rate of 5 inches an hour! (Crazy!) The wind was also a factor. Highway M-28 west was closed on Sunday and highway M-94, the alternative route, wasn’t much better because had huge drifts. This was the 3rd time M-28 was closed in less than a week. We’ve had a break in the snowfall for the last couple days but it looks like a big snowfall and colder temps. are on the horizon.

Over the next few weekends, snowmobiling enthusiasts should check out Munising! This weekend is the Munising 300 cross-country snowmobile race. The race headquarters and pit area are being held at the Cherrywood Lodge, which is east of town right on M-28. It will feature a variety of racing classes and the track is a 16-mile loop through the woods. Should be a fun event! The following weekend is the Vintage Sno-Show in downtown Munising. Many events are planned and I’ll tell you more next week!

SNOW REPORT (city of Munising)
 Total snowfall 2008-2009: 206.0″
Snow depth: 43″
Data from Marquette NWS website. Currently in a Winter Storm Watch!

Question: Did you attend Winterfest? If so, comment below about your favorite part! We would love to hear about it.

Earlier in the week, Munising played host to travel writers touring the area. They represented many major publications and were really impressed with the area. The Michigan part of the tour was organized by Travel Michigan and locally set up by the Munising Area Partnership. There were also many volunteers and local businesses who donated to make this successful. For two days the group experienced what a U.P. winter is like in Munising and the many outdoor recreation activities available here. Their event schedule included:

• Snowmobiling on Grand Island and in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
• Snowshoeing at Valley Spur trails and Pictured Rocks
• Cross-country skiing at Valley Spur trails
• Ice fishing on Munising Bay
• Dogsledding (definitely a fan favorite)

For some of the writers this was their first experience of snow and there’s no better place to go! We look forward to reading their articles on the area. Click for local TV news story (plays after commercial).

Ice climbing in Munising

Lunch at the Falling Rock Cafe

Ice fishing on Munising Bay

It looks like Mother Nature is doing her part to make sure the first ever Winterfest is successful and truly a festival celebrating the winter. We are currently under a winter storm warning and it has blowing and snowing all day. The days of 40 degrees are long gone (I’m not complaining). They are calling for total snow amounts to be anywhere from 12-18 inches of new snow! This will definitely help out with the upcoming festivities.

Blowing snow sums up today's weather - Munising, MI

As for the Munising Winterfest, this is a family weekend event with many planned activities. Most of the events will be taking place in the downtown area (Superior St.) of Munising. The highlight is the finish of the Midnight Run dog sled race on Saturday morning. After traveling 90 miles, the sled dogs will definitely love hearing your encouragement. Other events include movies, winter games, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, ice climbing, dog sled rides, a pet dog parade and much more. On Saturday afternoon there will be a “Chili Walk” around the town. This is your chance try a variety of different chilis and vote for your favorite. The best part… it’s FREE! On Sunday night there will be a dance at the local Moose Lodge in Munising. The public is welcome and the band Evergreen 7 will be performing.

Visit our Winterfest schedule page to view the complete details of this weekend’s big event. There you can download and print a schedule and map. Also, make sure to get your Munising Winterfest t-shirt!

So, this weekend Munising is the place to be! It should be an awesome time and a great way to break the cabin fever!

Next week’s topic… Trenary’s Outhouse Races (You read that correctly.)

SNOW REPORT (city of Munising)
Total snowfall 2008-2009: 176.1″
Snow depth: 33″
Data from Marquette NWS website. Currently in a Winter Storm Warning!

With next weekend’s first ever Munising Winterfest happening, be sure to get your own Winterfest t-shirt! The shirts are heavy duty, come in a variety of adult sizes and they’re only 15 bucks. If you live in the Munising area, just call 387-5710 or stop by Kelley Marketing (109 W. Superior St., Munising) to purchase one. If you’re outside the area, you can order online!

If you didn’t hear, we had a good 5 days of warm weather in the U.P. and, for me, it was miserable! One of the days we reached 46 degrees! That’s ridiculous and unacceptable around here! The weather is now back to normal winter temperatures and the forecast looks great into next week. Last night we received a bit of snow to help cover up the ugly dirty snow that was visible from the warmth.

So make plans now to come visit Munising next weekend for Winterfest. It should be great time!

SNOW REPORT (city of Munising)
Total snowfall 2008-2009: 167.2″
Snow depth: 28″
Data from Marquette NWS website

We would like to welcome Kewadin Christmas Casino to the Explore Munising website. They are a brand new listing in the Attractions section. Kewadin Christmas Casino is unique casino just a couple miles to the west of Munising. They are conveniently located just off highway M-28 and on a major snowmobile/ATV trail. Learn more about them by viewing the Kewadin Christmas Casino listing!

As I mentioned in the last post, the Michigan Ice Fest was a big success. Yesterday, I came across this great article and video clip on the Detroit Free Press website talking about this year’s event. It really shows off the beauty of the Munising area and the adventure of climbing ice! Click to read the article.

Below is an accompany Detroit Free Press video clip with some great footage from the recent Michigan Ice Fest.

During the ice climbing event, some people took advantage of the newly constructed ice climbing tower in downtown Munising. This ice tower is for the upcoming Munising Winterfest (Feb.20-22) but was climbable during the ice fest. It was a great way to show beginners the basics before heading out to the big stuff. Below, I’ve posted some pictures of ice climbers scaling this unique ice tower.

Did you attend the Michigan Ice Fest or do you ice climb in the Munising area? Please share with us your experience and leave a comment!

Ice climber scaling the tower in downtown Munising

Reaching the top of the downtown Munising ice climbing tower

The story for the week, here in Munising, is probably the snow. Beginning on Monday, it has been snowing pretty much nonstop until today. We’ve had over 16″ of new snow since this past Sunday (Feb 1st.). The forecast is calling for more mild temperatures for the next few days and even a chance of freezing rain, ugh.

In other news, the Michigan Ice Fest, held last weekend, was extremely popular with an attendance of close to 450 people. The best turnout since it was started. The details on the Munising Winterfest (Feb. 20-22nd) are coming together nicely and it should be a great time. Visit www.munisingwinterfest.com for complete details.

Next weekend, Feb. 14th, is the annual Moose Lodge Fishing Derby held on Au Train Lake. The best part is you don’t even need a fishing license to compete and it goes to a good cause! The derby is conveniently held on the same weekend as the “Free Fishing Weekend” created by the Michigan DNR. This allows everyone in the state to get out fishing and not require a license. (Michigan fishing rules and regulations still apply.)

The big question around here is if Lake Superior will freeze over. I’m not sure of the answer but I found this cool satellite image on the Marquette National Weather Service website. It has something interesting information as well. Click for photo.

It’s been a spectacular winter in the U.P., come see what all the talk is about!

SNOW REPORT (city of Munising)
 Total snowfall 2008-2009: 165.7″
Snow depth: 37″
Data from Marquette NWS website