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!