For some obvious and other not-so-obvious reasons, I haven’t been traveling as much as I once did. The obvious reasons mostly involve COVID-19. The not-so-obvious reasons include getting a new puppy and having a day job—these things tend to limit when, where, and how I can travel. But a little over a year ago, I moved to the Upper Peninsula and I realized that even though I’m sticking closer to where I live, I’m still experiencing new things all the time. I asked myself, “Why am I waiting for some big, fantastical sign to tell me to start writing again?” And so, this little series was born.
This trip was a little while ago in late September 2021. But I thought I’d share it anyway, just for the fun of it.
Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park
Similar to the last park I wrote about, Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park is a hugely popular site in the Michigan State Parks system. It’s the largest state park at 60,000 acres; most of it being undeveloped wilderness exclusively accessible by the massive trail system. Although Michigan does have some variation in elevation, it’s still a relatively flat state. These little mountains definitely stand out.
No matter how many times I visit, I can’t get over how beautiful Lake of the Clouds looks, especially when you’re standing just right and you can also see Lake Superior just a little bit further. This park is also home to one of the largest stands of old-growth northern hardwood forest—a rarity in a state/region with substantial logging history.
While these old-growth forests won’t likely be logged, that doesn’t mean they’ll never be altered. Serious threats to forest health include climate change and nonnative pests like hemlock wooly adelgid and emerald ash borer. Downstate, these factors are killing trees faster than they can reproduce.
Planning the Trip
From the beginning of the summer, I knew that I wanted to go on a backpacking trip somewhere in Michigan. When I chose the porkies, I actually booked my backcountry campsite months in advance—something I’d recommend you do as well if you want to have full control over your trip path. I was dead set on sleeping somewhere along the Escarpment Trail, which follows the ridge and overlooks the Lake of the Clouds.
I chose late September because I hoped to catch some fall colors, but it turned out to be just a little too early. Fall colors in Michigan vary across the state and are difficult to time perfectly when you’re only visiting an area for a weekend. The colors sometimes arrive two weeks earlier or two weeks later than expected, sometimes linger, and sometimes drop off the trees in a matter of days.
Puppy’s First Camping Trip
This was my first camping trip with Cooper, the puppy I got in early June. I was a little nervous about bringing him along because up until that trip, he relied on his crate to help him rest. He needed a distraction-free zone to have no choice but to fall asleep. The puppy trainers call it “forced napping.”
Our trip was in late September, so Cooper was nearly six months old and making decent progress on napping outside of the crate. Whether I felt ready or not, the booking arrived and we had little choice but to try. I was honestly so surprised at how well he slept on that windy ridge. We hiked the entire day, so it was possible that he was just completely exhausted.
Sleeping on the Ridge
We decided to park the car at a trailhead that was 2-3 miles from our campsite on the Escarpment Trail. When we arrived, I was thrilled by the view of the lakes from our tent. It was fantastic and gave us a pretty awesome sunset. Some cons of this site: we had the wind to contend with, less privacy as it was right off the trail, and no nearby water source.
In total, we hiked to the campsite and back, plus the miles we did to get down to the Lake of the Clouds and back. Walking all the way back uphill wasn’t the most fun, but we needed the water and I had never walked down to the lake before.
An Excellent Intro to Backpacking
If you’ve never gone backpacking before, this is a great park to give it a try. When it comes to campsites, there are so many options. You can stay near the beach, along an inland lake, on top of the ridge, or in the middle of the forest. You can hike 8 miles, or hike less than 2 miles. Stay one night (like we did) or stay for a whole week. However you visit and whatever the conditions, you’ll be surprised this place is right here in Michigan.