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Fall Color Porcupine Mountains State Park,
South Shore of the Lake Superior Circle Tour
Scenic View of vibrant fall colors from Summit Peak, Porcupine Mountains
Weekend Fall Color Chairlift Rides
Begin in October
Some of the best views of fall color in the Porcupine Mountains State Park are from the observation tower & deck at Summit Peak and from the Scenic Overlooks at Lake of the Clouds.
The Porkies cover 60,000 acres and is Michigan's largest state park. Within the park is a block of old-growth forest comprising almost 35,000 acres and considered by some to be the biggest and best stand of virgin Northern Hardwoods and Hemlock in North America. This forest makes for some particularly attractive color during the fall. Here you can get some of the best fall foliage pictures in the Upper Peninsula, in fact probably in the whole of Michigan.
See our links to other Porcupine Mountains attractions at the bottom of this page.
(click on small pictures for a larger view)
Fall Color from Summit Peak of Porcupine Mountains State Park
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Summit Peak Trail & Observation Deck
The Summit Peak trail head is reached from the South Boundary Road. The hiking trail to the observation tower on Summit Peak is a half-mile walk uphill with some rest benches along the way. I've seen motorized wheelchairs negotiate the trail, but unfortunately the last part of the trail is a boardwalk with some stairs so some on-foot travel is required to get to the top of the peak, as well as to climb the tower's stairs. There is an intermediate observation deck before you get to the top giving a nice view (see picture above) prior to reaching the peak. At 1958 feet elevation, it offers quite a panoramic view of the area.
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Here I'm holding a small sample of the colorful leaves Jo couldn't resist collecting.
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Some views from the top of the tower at Summit Peak
See more pictures and information on Summit Peak Here
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More Fall Color in the Porkies
Fall color along the South Boundary Road of the park.
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Tim Zheng of Milwaukee, Wisconsin caught some great fall color at the Porkies in the first week of October. Some great photos Tim. Thanks for sending these four to us.
Fall Color Views - Lake of the Clouds Overlook
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These three pictures (above) were from the Lake of Clouds Scenic Overlook (see more Lake of the Clouds photos here)
Here's a shot from the Summit Peak tower I took on October 2, 2013. Peak color had arrived in some parts of the Porkies, mainly higher elevations away from the lake. But peak color was still yet to come closer to the lake and in the eastern portions of the park.
View from Lake of the Clouds
See our annual Fall Color Schedule & Report for the Porkies and the Western UP.
Porcupine Mountain Pages & Links
Porcupine Mountains - Summit Peak, Union Bay Campground
Hiking and Back-Packing in Porcupine Mountains Wilderness Park
Lake of the Clouds Scenic Overlook
Camping and Campgrounds - Porcupine Mountains State Park
Porcupine Mountains - Fall Foliage Color (this page)
Waterfalls, Presque Isle River & Campground
More Scenic Porcupine Mountains Pictures
Porcupine Mountains - Winter Attractions
Hiking Trail Map & Facility Info on the Porkies
More Porcupine Mountains State Park Resources
Here's a full map you can print out showing the campsites, back-country rustic cabins, hiking trails, waterfalls, and other points of interest within Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park.
Here's a link to a publication with more info on visiting the Porcupine Mountains - Porcupine Mountains Visitor.
More Links
Michigan Upper Peninsula
Lake Superior Circle Drive Attractions
Going east towards Marquette, Munising and Pictured Rocks . . . More waterfalls, hiking pages, and scenic attractions from Munising through Tehquamenon Falls to Sault Ste. Marie.
Going west towards Black River Scenic Area . . . waterfalls, hiking, camping, rock picking.
Copper Harbor & Keweenaw Peninsula
Directory Upper Peninsula Travel Pages . . . on SuperiorTrails
See our winter porkies page for maps, pictures and info on downhill skiing, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing in the Porcupine Mountains.
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Upper Peninsula Michigan
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Winter - Michigan UP
Winter - Wisconsin Winter - Minnesota
Winter - Sault Ste Marie.
Best Upper Peninsula Campgrounds
Lake Superior Camping
& Campground Directory
Best Camping along Lake Superior.
Tahquamenon Falls State Park and Waterfalls.
Fall Color at Porcupine Mountains State Park
Black River Harbor
Scenic Byway - Fall Color
Michigan Upper Peninsula Waterfalls
Travel Information |
Motels & Hotel Directory |
Lake Superior Circle Tour Road Map & Guide to Travel Attractions around Lake Superior.
Identifying Lake Superior Agates and Beach Rocks.
Black River Harbor
Scenic Byway - Fall Color.
Best Rock Picking and Agate Hunting Beaches in the Upper Peninsula. 
Upper Peninsula Fall Color
Tour Map
Hiking Michigan's Upper Peninsula
See Eric Hansen's guide to hiking the Upper Peninsula and other guides for best hiking in the Upper Peninsula [More info]
Porcupine Mountains State Park was voted #2 Best State Park in the U.S.
See our Reviews of Michigan Upper Peninsula Golf Courses around Lake Superior.