Michigan's Upper Peninsula Travel Blog

Another weekend come & gone, as is the first month of the New Year. I finally had the chance to get out for a nice ride with Hal & Jenny yesterday. We rode our customary “on trail/off trail” stuff a little west of Grand Marais out into the plains and what an absolutely beautiful day it was to be out there! The trails were in pretty good shape for an afternoon run on a Saturday, but the corners were getting very thin around Sable Lake the closer we got to town. Typical, but very thin nonetheless so….slow it down & be careful, especially in those areas on the 8′s with a lot of tight corners. Other than that, there’s still plenty of good snow out there with a solid 6+ base in most areas. The weather guru’s are calling for more snow with north winds through the first half of this week with temps in the high teens to low 20′s. This should get the LES guns firing once again UP here in the snow belts, so who knows how much accumulation we’ll end up with. A few inches today, a few again tomorrow, etc., etc., everyday makes for happy snowmobilers. This is how we get through the winter UP here & thanks again for all of your support! Just keep it coming for 2 more months this year & we’ll all be happy! Life’s too short not to be. Enjoy, be safe & please, don’t drink or be under the influence when you ride. P.S. Don’t forget to keep voting for Grand Marais 10 times/day through the Reader’s Digest Contest! Also, thanks again for dropping a few bucks into the Groomer Fund boxes. Every little bit helps keep ‘em out there keeping the trails in great shape for all of us. Your support is greatly appreciated. Cheers!

-John at Hilltop Cabins (906) 494-2331 and the Beach Park Motel downtown at (906) 494-2681.

Ice climbers scaling the beautiful ice formations

We’re just about a week away when one of the most unique festivals around, begins here in Munising. The 28th annual Michigan Ice Fest, organized by Downwind Sports, will run from Friday, Feb. 4th thru Sunday, Feb. 6th. Ice climbers from around the Midwest, and other parts of the country, will be in town to experience some the premiere ice climbing opportunities available here. From beginners to professionals, this ice climbing event is open to every level of skill. It will feature demonstrations, clinics & classes, guest speakers and evening social gatherings. For those that don’t have equipment, no problem! There’s plenty of equipment available for rental and, as always, Sydney’s Restaurant will be the official headquarters for Ice Fest.  Also, this event is sure to gain some national attention, as Jim Cantore of The Weather Channel will be in town to do a story on Ice Fest. Pretty Cool!

As mentioned last week, there will also be family-fun events held at Bayshore Park, in downtown Munising, during the Ice Fest. One of the major attractions is a man-made climbing wall for those thinking about trying the sport or just wants to have a fun time. Some of you may remember the climbing wall constructed in the Moose Lodge parking lot a few years ago for Winterfest, this one is very similar. If you miss your chance of climbing it next weekend, the wall will also be available to climb during Winterfest. The wall looks great and will provide a lot of fun for those daring to make the climb! We hope to see you in town for this world-class event!

For more detailed information about MI Ice Fest, please visit www.downwindsports.com/icefest/. It has everything you need to know about coming to this event including a complete schedule of events!

The man-made ice climbing tower in Bayshore Park

A popular spot for ice climbing

The Curtains are ready to be scaled be ice climbers at Ice Fest

Another good weekend of riding UP here in the Grand Marais area with lots of happy snowmobilers enjoying all of the snow that Mother Nature has been sending our way this month. Got to love it when the month of January is as good as it’s been UP here. Sure makes up for a lousy start, that’s for sure! Six plus for the trail base on the 8′s just about everywhere you go within the Grand Marais trail system. The corners are still a little thin & icy but other than that, everything else looks to be in very good condition as long as you’re out there enjoying it early. The afternoon traffic on the weekends usually always takes it toll, as does getting in & out of town. I’ve always said that mornings and through the week are the best times to ride the trails. That’s why we hit the 2 tracks & play in the plains in the afternoons. It’s just a lot more fun that way! The temps are going to climb back up into the 20′s this week with up to 6 more inches of fresh snow in the forcast for Grand Marais by Tuesday. The fridgid temps over the weekend put a damper on the LES but that looks to kick back in as the week progresses. Got to love it! Thanks again to everyone who made it UP this past week & special thanks to Nate, Fry & Mike the crew for the donations to the groomer program & all your help hauling the washer upstairs for me. We sincerely appreciate all of you guys. Afterall, we wouldn’t be able to make it through the winter months without your support. Continue to enjoy, be safe and please, don’t drink or be under the influence when you ride.

-John at Hilltop Cabins (906) 494-2331 and the Beach Park Motel downtown at (906) 494-2681.

It just keeps coming down…and we’re all lovin’ the LES! Jeanette & I took the afternoon off on Monday & got out for a great ride with Hal & Jenny. We all had long tracks so naturally we headed off trail to play in all of the fresh powder as often as we could. Jeanette finally got the chance to ride Jenny’s old Pro X 2 and absolutely fell in love with it. No more “Sno-Pokey”, she kept right up with us. It’s amazing how much of a difference a long track makes in 2+ feet of powder. We were hearing how thin it was east late last week so we decided to check it out for ourselves. Some of the corners on trail 8 were still a little thin & icy, but overall I would say it’s in good shape now. We ended up over around Pine Stump and worked our way back to Barfield Lakes, which is always a favorite spot of ours. Conditions are very good out there right now, probably the best that I’ve seen for this early in a long time. Kay’s grooming report for Grand Marais says it all, the double green flags are flying & it’s definately time to ride! Temps are falling down into the teens for the high through the rest of the week with more LES in the forecast, so bundle up when you’re headed out there. Windy conditions are kicking up a lot of snow dust so give yourselves plenty of space in between sleds. Remember, what you can’t see can ruin a good time in a hurry. Hope to see you out there. Enjoy, be safe and please, don’t drink or be under the influence when you ride.

-John at Hilltop Cabins (906) 494-2331 and the Beach Park Motel downtown at (906) 494-2681.

Ice climbers taking part in Ice Fest

We’re getting close to one of the most unique events around – an ice climbing festival! The Munising area has some of the best ice climbing in the Midwest and for many years the Michigan Ice Fest has taken place in Munising. New this year, there will be family-fun activities at Bayshore Park, in downtown Munising, in conjunction with the actual ice climbing clinics, demos and speaking engagements. The festival will be taking place February 4th-6th and here are some of the fun things taking place at Bayshore Park:

• Ice Climbing Tower at the Bayshore Park
• Shuttle bus from Bayshore Park to Sand Point Curtains
• Games & Gear
• Winter Gear Demos
• Bonfire Social
• Sledding Hill
• Middle and High School students will be building snowman sculptures as part of their homecoming activities

We’ll be sure to post more information as it becomes available!

As for the weather in the last week, it has been snowy! The lake effect snow has really hit the area and has made for some great winter sport activities. If you check out the Snow Depth graphic on our Weather page, you’ll see dark purple, which represents lots of deep snow! The forecast for the next several days is more snow and colder temperatures. Bring it on!

Here’s some pictures of Munising taken earlier in the week:

Looking east on Superior St, the snow piles are growing

Looking out over Munising Bay, ice has formed but still not recommended for travel

Just a little note as I begin the trail report to say “Thank You” to everyone who came UP to Grand Marais this past weekend. We sincerely appreciate all of you and hope to see you again soon. Special thanks go out to all who donated generously to our groomer fund. A few bucks here, a few bucks there goes a long way toward keeping our trails in the best shape that they can be for all of us. Don’t forget to ask about our “FREE WEEKEND” drawing when you drop $20.00 or more in one of the groomer boxes at either Beach Park Motel or up here at Hilltop Cabins. The heavy traffic took it’s toll on the trails in the afternoons this past weekend, as is usually the case with that many sleds on them. The beauty of it was the fact that Mother Nature blessed us throughout the weekend with 3 to 6+ inches of fresh snow everyday. This gave the groomers plenty of new snow to work with to smooth all of the trails out again overnight. Thanks Kay, Brian & the guys for doing a great job out there. I got a kick out of one of our guests who checked in around 1 P.M. Saturday and then went out for a ride. When he came back that evening, he started complaining a little about the trail conditions being rough. I simply told him to get up early and hit them in the morning. He did and stopped in yesterday to tell me that he had the best ride ever. Morning trail rides are always the best. Playing in the plains and doing a little boondocking in the afternoons when the trails get a little rough make the weekends even better. More snow in the forecast this week. Click on the weather icon for details & then give us a call. We have openings through the week at both locations. Beach Park Motel downtown at (906) 494-2681 and up here at the Hilltop (906) 494-2331. Enjoy, be safe and please, don’t drink & ride. Make the best of it, regardless! Life’s too short not to.

-John at Hilltop Cabins (906) 494-2331 and the Beach Park Motel downtown at (906) 494-2681.

The brief warm-up we experienced less than 2 weeks ago is a distant memory. The Upper Peninsula has seen lake-effect snow almost every day from late last week through today. On the weather radar, there’s just a green blob hanging over the central U.P., which signifies, it’s snowing here. The forecast looks much of the same for the next several days and into the weekend.

With all the fresh snow, there are plenty of opportunities to take advantage of it and enjoy the woods. One way to have fun is snowshoeing in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The Park is great spot to enjoy the sport because of its natural beauty and beautiful sights. Here are a few recommended snowshoeing spots:

• Sand Point Snowshoe Trail – 1.5-mile loop close to the City of Munising. If you choose, the trail connects to the Lakeshore Trail that will take you to Miners Castle (3 miles, one way)
• Miners Falls: 5.6-mile round trip. Park at the “end of plowing” on Miners Castle Road.
• Miners Castle: 6.5-mile round trip. Park at the “end of plowing” on Miners Castle Road.
• Chapel Falls: 10-mile round trip. From H-58 via summer access road.
• Sable Falls/Dune Trails: 3-mile out-and-back trail. Start at the Grand Sable Visitors Center and follow the trail to see the spectacular dunes in the winter.
• Beaver Lake: 6-mile round trip. From the H-58 via summer access road.

Please remember to be safe out there and bring adequate gear, food, water and maps. It is also a good idea to travel with a group and tell someone where you’re going. It’s even better to have someone with you who knows the area and trails. Also, stay off frozen lakes and ponds as the ice can be very unpredictable.

Make sure to check out this helpful brochure on snowshoeing the Pictured Rocks Lakeshore as it includes a couple maps.

Happy snowshoeing!

Snow showers in the forecast just about everyday with temps in the low 20′s with close to 2 feet of snow already on the ground make for some very good conditions for snowmobiling, don’t you think? I enjoy watching David’s videos on the Fishweb home page and would encourage all of you who are thinking of coming UP to do the same. He does a great job for all of us & as they say, “A picture is worth a thousand words”. Thanks Dave, keep the trail cam rolling. The video from Pine Stump to Melstrand to Wetmore said it all. Lots of snow, good trail conditions, good food, gas & snowmobile supplies, what more do you need? Thank goodness for LES! Those are a few of the main reasons why just about everything above M-28 in da U.P. is the place to be this time of year. The best part about it is that it only continues to get better from here on out. The weekends are starting to fill up but we still have openings during the week. Just give us a call, mention that you saw it here & register for a “FREE TANK OF GAS” for your sled when you make your reservations. No sled, no problem. We also have 2 new Polaris IQ Shifts, a Ski-Doo TNT Rev 600 and an older Polaris 2-UP for rent. The hot tub & big screen TV are up & running as well for the aching backs after a long day’s ride. As always, we look forward to seeing you soon! Enjoy, be safe and please, don’t drink & ride. p.s. Don’t forget to drop a few bucks into the groomer boxes located at just about all of the businesses. Show your support for the guys & gals who are out there keeping ‘em smooth night after night.

-John at Hilltop Cabins (906) 494-2331 and the Beach Park Motel downtown at (906) 494-2681.

Our friends Eric & Amy & wild Bill took our son Andy out yesterday for the “best ride they’ve had all year.” (Quote from Amy.) I thought it was a pretty good quote & very fitting since it was actually the first chance they’ve had to get out & ride since they got here New Year’s Eve. When they returned late yesterday afternoon from their ride, I got a first hand report. We’ve been getting a lot of calls in regard to snow accumulation & actual trail conditions so here’s the scoop. One thing that a lot of people don’t understand is that UP here, there is a big difference between what we get in town and what is actually happening a few miles out of town in the snowbelts. When you call someone in town and ask how the conditions are, most of the time they’re going to tell you what they see right outside of their window. Unfortunately, they, like the rest of us have to work and don’t get the chance to get out onto the trails & see what’s really going on out in the woods. The report that I got from the gang yesterday was very favorable….once they got out into the snowbelts. Getting in & out of town is almost always going to be rough, no matter where you go. The Grand Marais main trails on the 8′s, with the exception of trail 89, were hard packed & solid with a 4+ base underneath, a little icy in the corners & a good bit of fresh powder to ride on top. As of this morning, we are currently under a Lake effect Snow Advisory. They are calling for a 100% chance of snow with 3 to 5 inches of accumulation today, 5 to 8 more near Grand Marais & Munising tonight & another 3 to 5 as we head into the weekend tomorrow. The last time they were forecasting 100% LES with winds out of the north was mid December & we ended up with over 2 feet! The winds are already kicking up this morning & its starting to snow again so I think we’re in for quite a ride for all of you heading this way. Got to love the LES machine! We still have openings for this weekend at both locations. Just give us a call & head north to Grand Marais. Enjoy, be safe and please, don’t drink & ride! We also have rental sleds available. Give us a call for details & we hope to see you soon!

-John at Hilltop Cabins (906) 494-2331 and the Beach Park Motel downtown at (906) 494-2681.

Glad so many of you are making the trip to Munising area to enjoy our winter sports.  If you need help with lodging, restaurant discount coupons, or anything else, please don’t hesitate to send us an e-mail at info@exploremunising.com.  Maps and other information is also available.  We are here to help you have the best possible time in Munising, Grand Marais, and the surrounding area.  If you would rather talk to someone, call 906-387-5710.  If we are away from our desk, please leave a message and we’ll be back in touch very soon.