Michigan's Upper Peninsula Travel Blog

Some crazy, warm weather has hit the Munising area as well as the rest of Upper Peninsula of Michigan. For the last several days, the temperature has been hovering about the freezing mark and yesterday it drizzled/light rain for most of the day. The rain has stopped, momentarily, but is forecasted to start-up again later in the day. The good news is the winter-like temperatures are suppose to return tomorrow and for the extended forecast. As expected this warm-up has affected our snow but there looks to be hope tomorrow. Out at Valley Spur, they’ve been grooming the cross-country ski trails daily and are reporting the trails are still in decent shape despite the warm weather.

Don’t forget, next Saturday (January 8th) is the annual Valley Spur Ski Bash. This cross-country ski event features two race lengths (12k & 24k) and two skiing styles (classic & freestyle). The race gets started at 10:00am and it should be a great time. You can register for the event online by visiting the Valley Spur website.

We’d like to wish everyone a safe and happy New Year! We hope to see you around Munising in 2011!

Notice for snowmobilers. (Click to enlarge)

Happy first day of winter as we’re officially in that season! Not much has happened in the last week as far as the weather is concerned. The daytime temperatures have been pretty mild the last few days and it’s quite enjoyable to be outside in the snow. Whether you’re snowshoeing, cross-country skiing or snowmobiling, it doesn’t get any better than this! The snowmobile trail groomer is reporting the trails are in fair to decent shape and mildly quiet for the time being. With the holidays only a few days away, the traffic will increase so please be careful out there.

UPCOMING EVENT:
If you’re looking for some winter fun, make plans to attend the 5th annual Valley Spur Ski Bash coming up on January 8, 2011. It’s a great day of cross-country skiing fun with two different races (24K & 12K) and different styles (freestyle & classic). The event begins at 10am and you can pre-register by visiting the Valley Spur Ski Bash webpage. The Ski Bash is a great event and you’re guaranteed a fun time.

That’s it for this week. We’d like to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season. We hope to see you around the Munising area!

Merry Christmas!

Mother Nature has done it again. Over the weekend, we received snowfall from the blizzard that moved through the Midwest and then lake-effect snow followed for several more days. There’s no doubt that winter is here and it looks splendid! The area now has 1-2 feet of snow on the ground and all snowmobile trails and cross-country ski trails are being groomed! If you’re looking for something to do during the holidays, traveling to Munising is a great option! If you do visit the area and still need to do some last minute Christmas shopping, make sure to check out some of the area shops for a nice selection of U.P. gifts!

Here’s some pictures from the past days…

Looking across the West Channel towards Grand Island

Impressive clouds from the lake-effect snow

Near Christmas, MI and looking towards Grand Island

Snowing over Munising Bay

Piles of snow line the street along Elm Avenue

Wow, winter is definitely here! From Saturday night through yesterday afternoon, the Lake Superior lake-effect snow machine was running at full speed. The central Upper Peninsula had 2-3 feet of snow dumped on it and just like that, it’s winter! If you saw the weather radar, the lake-effect snow bands just hung out in the central region for over 3 days and the snow just kept falling. It was a very beautiful sight! So, for all the winter enthusiasts, the winter sports have begun!

The Munising Visitors Bureau is reporting the snowmobile trail groomers will be hitting the trails this week to start compacting and developing the base on the trails. It’s still very early in the season so there are wet areas and other obstacles under the new snow. Please use caution if you’re planning to ride. As for the cross-country ski trails, Valley Spur has groomed their whole network of trails and the conditions are being reported as excellent. Wax up those skis and come on up to experience the U.P. winter!

If you’re looking for lodging in the Munising area, please make sure to visit our Munising lodging section for the best accommodations in the area!

Current snow depth reported by the National Weather Service of Marquette:

Current Snow Depths (Click image to enlarge)

Winter finally looks like it’s arrived. Here’s a few pictures from around Munising to show you our first snowfall of the season. Before we know it, the snowmobile and cross-country ski trails will be open and people will be ice fishing on the Bay. There’s a lot to look forward during the winter! Enjoy!

Looking south on Elm Ave.

It's that time of the year!

Santa's little cabin at People's State Bank

Looking north on Elm Ave.

The empty marina on Munising Bay

Looking east on Superior St. near the Elm Ave. intersection

The snow piled up at Bayshore Park

It finally snowed! After an almost snow-free November, we’ve finally seen a significant amount snow! Since Wednesday afternoon, we’ve been in a Lake Effect Snow Warning that continued until this morning. The area between Munising and east to Sault Ste. Marie were most affected by the lake-effect snow with the hardest hit being between Munising and Grand Marais. In Munising, there’s roughly 6 inches of snow on the ground while to east there’s over a foot of snow! Check the Munising weather page to see current snow depths, radar and the future forecast.

With all the new snow, it will make for a perfect backdrop for tonight’s “Rekindle the Spirit” event in downtown Munising. The fun begins at 5pm as Santa will be strolling down Superior Street from the Moose Lodge to People’s State Bank where the annual tree lighting ceremony will take place. There will be photos with Santa and the Grinch as well as hot chocolate and other goodies served at area businesses. This is a great opportunity to get into the holiday spirit and support the local businesses. We hope to see you there!

EVENT DETAILS:
Rekindle the Spirit – Holiday Season Kick-off
Friday, Dec. 3rd
Downtown Munising
5pm-7:30pm

Want to meet with Santa before Christmas to discuss your want list? Here’s his schedule for Munising: