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Porcupine Mountains State Park
Winter Activities:
Skiing, Snowshoeing, Snowmobiling, Winter Camping, Cabins
Lake Superior Beach - Superior Shores Resort
In the winter of 2006-2007 we traveled to the Porcupine Mountains for our winter getaway. We planned to visit some of our favorite areas in the porkies to see how they appeared in winter and do some snowshoeing. (see info on skiing and snowshoeing below)
 We stayed at Superior Shores Resort, near Ontonagon, Mi, at one of their lakeside cabins. Very compfy with a warm gas fired fireplace and picturesque views of the lake; perfect for reading and relaxing. And while we were definitely off the beaten path in a winter wonderland, modern amenities were available - cable-satellite TV and wireless internet. We could have stayed a few more days had we not other travel commitments in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
The 2006-2007 winter in the upper midwest was unusual for the capricious snowfall. Southern areas of Wisconsin received goodly amounts of snow while the northwoods were frequently passed over. The Porcupine Mountains Ski Area normally receives 140 to 200 inches of snow a year. This season the early snows were so sparse that the ski hill didn't open until January 17th - the latest on record. By mid-February though conditions were ideal - for downhill skiing, cross country, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing.
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| ~~~"Click" on smaller images for a larger picture~~~ |
Views of the mountains from Silver City (near) and of the ski hill (far right). The ski hill offers 640 feet of vertical drop on the regular runs and over 780 feet of drop on the new snowcat skiing area,
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The wind and waves sculpted huge snow drifts by the lakeshore (near). Far right, Jo checks out one of the backcountry cabins available to hikers (includes a wood stove for winter camping).
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One of the x-country trails has kerosene lanterns for regular Saturday night skiing (near). Jo pauses to admire a big hemlock along the Deer Yard trail (far right).
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Snowshoe hikers can use the center of the x-country trails, use existing hiking trails or blaze their own.
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Cross Country & Snowshoe Trail Information
Although technically all the hiking trails are open for skiing and snowshoeing, winter access to some trails is limited. In the winter, both the South Boundary Road and the Lake of Clouds Roads are snowmobile trails with no car/truck access. Therefore the groomed trails are those at the eastern end of the park. Get current trail condition information from the Friends of the Porkies website.
Saturday nights in February, the area sponsors evening skiing through a Lantern Lit trail from 6:30 - 9 pm ET.
(download pdf file Cross Country Trail Map here )
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 Michigan UP Copper Harbor & Keweenaw Peninsula
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Going east towards Munising and Pictured Rocks . . . More waterfalls and hiking pages from the Keweenaw Peninsula through Tahquemenon Falls to Sault Ste. Marie.
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 Hiking Michigan's Upper Peninsula 
Eric Hansen's guide to UP hiking is well respected in hiking circles. this guide includes profiles on some terrific off-the-beaten path hiking trails. [More info]
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More Travel &
Recreation Guides
Hotel, Motel Lodging
Ironwood, Marquette, Houghton-Hancock, Michigan Upper Peninsula
Michigan Upper Peninsula Golf Courses around Lake Superior
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