Michigan's Upper Peninsula Travel Blog

I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday season. It’s hard to believe that we’re only a couple days away from the new year and a new decade! Please be safe and enjoy the start of 2010. We hope it’s a good one for you!

The weather over the holidays has been a bit unusual. On Christmas Day, it rained but then turned to snow the following days. As you can imagine this left everything pretty icy. We’ve had a break for a few days but major lake-effect snow is forecasted during New Years. In town, there’s over a foot of snow on the ground while areas away from Lake Superior have 1-2 feet of snow. The snowmobile trails will probably be especially active this week so ride safe. Also, the crazy Xmas weather has made the ice fishing a little unpredictable. Around the U.P., there’s been few vehicles, snow machines & ORVs falling through the ice. This isn’t happening at all lakes but the conditions can be deceiving so be careful when venturing on the lakes.

Looking for some winter fun? The Munising area is host to many events throughout the winter months and now is the time to make plans to visit! Check out our Munising Events page to see what happening. The first event of the new year is the 4th Annual Ski Bash at Valley Spur Trails on Saturday, January 9th. This cross-country ski race is open to all levels of competition and you can still register by visiting their website (or before the race). I’ll tell you more about it next week.

Continue to enjoy the holidays and we’ll catch ya next year!

Please become a fan of our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/ExploreMunisingcom/105542590485

At Explore Munising, we’d like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! We also hope everyone is safe in their travels and has a peaceful holiday season. The weather forecast isn’t looking very nice for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, as there’s a winter storm headed our way. The weather folks haven’t said too much about total accumulation because the exact path of the storm is somewhat unknown. Snow, sleet and rain are all being talked about.

As for snow, we’ve been getting a couple inches of new stuff every other day or so but nothing too drastic. The snowmobile trail groomers are out on the trails daily and the conditions seem to be pretty good. At Valley Spur, they’re reporting all of the cross-country ski trails are groomed as of today. So pack up your gear, the family and head up to beautiful Munising, MI!

In closing, I’ve included a couple of my favorite Christmas song renditions. I’ll be traveling myself so I won’t be reporting until next week. Until then, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

With the recent big snowfall, we were inspired to create a new webpage on Explore Munising so you can keep up-to-date on our weather in Munising. Our new weather page has it all – from the current temperature to an Upper Peninsula weather radar. We’ve heard our visitors also love seeing live pictures of Munising and so we’ve added three different web cams, from the area, so you can see a live view. Some of our helpful links include current road conditions, area snowmobile trail reports and an extended forecast from the National Weather Service.

As for the snowfall, we had a break for a few days and then on Monday we picked up another 6 inches of new snow! Yesterday, a lake-effect band was holding steady over eastern Alger County and it’s still lingering around this morning. Here in town, we picked up another few inches of fresh snow during the night. The snowmobile trails are being groomed on a daily basis and the same goes for the cross-country ski trails at Valley Spur. It’s still early in the season so be on the lookout for rocks, sticks and other debris. As for the inland lakes, many are frozen but they’re not safe for travel, yet.

Here’s some photos from yesterday’s lake-effect snow band over Lake Superior.

Munising Bay, looking towards the northwest.

Munising's City Dock, looking north towards the lake-effect snow.

It’s not too late to make your reservations today to come up to the Munising area for the holidays and enjoy the snow! We have some great hotels & motels plus beautiful lodges, resorts & cabins.

READ: Become a fan of our Facebook page to keep track of the latest happenings!

Well, we’ve finally got it. I’m talking about snow and lots of it! Although a month late or so, Old Man Winter has finally arrived, with a vengeance. The first sign of any snow arrived last week with a few inches sticking on the ground. Then the beginning of this week we received a few more inches until the first big snow storm of the season hit. Over the last couple days we received about 15 inches of snow, in Munising, and it was accompanied with lots of wind and drifting. On the radar, the storm looked like a mini hurricane as swirled through the Great Lakes region and headed east. The entire Upper Peninsula was blanketed with snow, a good start for the winter tourism season.

Although the storm has moved on, the lake-effect snow is now taking over. Through Saturday, they are forecasting 17-32 inches of additional snow for the Munising region! For snowmobilers, the first groomer has headed out on the snowmobile trails to start packing down all this beautiful fluffy snow. This also goes for the cross-country ski trails at Valley Spur. They are  running their groomer and rolling some of the trails in preparation for the ski season.

So it’s official, winter has finally come to Munising! Start planning your winter vacation by browsing the rest of Explore Munising. Our Munising area travel website covers everything from great lodging options to places to catch a bite to eat (and/or drink). Come up and enjoy the U.P. winter!

Become a fan of our Facebook page to keep up on the latest happenings!

First signs of winter. 12/03/09

The big storm hits Munising. 12/09/09

Lake-effect snow kicks into full gear. 12/10/09

Compared to last winter, it’s taking a little bit longer for Old Man Winter to make his arrival. This week, though, the temperature is more seasonal and we’re looking (and hoping) at getting some lake-effect snow for the next few days. Many folks are anxious to get out their snowmobiles or cross-country skis and enjoy the Upper Peninsula snow!

Elm Avenue during Rekindle the Spirit 2008

Click for PDF.

With Christmas just around the corner, this Saturday evening is the perfect time to visit downtown Munising for it’s 2nd annual Rekindle the Spirit. The event features many family-fun activities including a lighted parade, Santa’s arrival & tree lighting and many other ongoing activities during the evening. Local stores will also be open so you can get some of your holiday shopping completed. So bundle up the kids and head to Munising for a night of holiday spirit!

For more information, please call  (906) 387-2138 or (906) 387-1110.

Rekindle the Spirit ’09
Saturday, December 5, 2009 • 5:00-8:00pm
Downtown Munising, MI