Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TOP OF CHAPTER
Upper Peninsula
Rugged and isolated, with hardwood forests blanketing 90% of its land, the Upper Penin-
sula (UP) is a Midwest highlight. Only 45 miles of interstate highway slice through the
trees, punctuated by a handful of cities, of which Marquette (population 20,000) is the
largest. Between the small towns lie miles of undeveloped shoreline on Lakes Huron,
Michigan and Superior; scenic two-lane roads; and pasties, the local meat-and-vegetable
pot pies brought over by Cornish miners 150 years ago.
You'll find it's a different world up north. Residents of the UP, aka 'Yoopers,' consider
themselves distinct from the rest of the state - they've even threatened to secede in the
past.
Sault Ste Marie & Tahquamenon Falls
Founded in 1668, Sault Ste Marie (Sault is pronounced 'soo') is Michigan's oldest city
and the third oldest in the USA. The town is best known for its locks that raise and lower
1000ft-long freighters between the different lake levels. Soo Locks Park & Visitors
Center ( 9am-9pm mid-May-mid-Oct) is on Portage Ave downtown (take exit 394
off I-75 and go left). It features displays, videos and observation decks from which you
can watch the boats leap 21ft from Lake Superior to Lake Huron. Pubs and cafes line
Portage Ave. The Sault CVB ( www.saultstemarie.com ) has all the lowdown.
An hour's drive west of Sault Ste Marie, via Hwy 28 and Hwy 123, is eastern UP's top
attraction: lovely Tahquamenon Falls , with tea-colored waters tinted by upstream hem-
lock leaves. The Upper Falls in Tahquamenon Falls State Park ( 906-492-3415; per
vehicle $9) , 200ft across with a 50ft drop, wow onlookers - including Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow, who mentioned them in his Song of Hiawatha . The Lower Falls are a series
of small cascades that swirl around an island; many visitors rent a rowboat and paddle
out to it. The large state park also has camping (tent & RV sites $16-23) , great hiking and -
bonus - a brewpub near the park entrance.
North of the park, beyond the little town of Paradise, is the fascinating Great Lakes
Shipwreck Museum ( 888-492-3747; www.shipwreckmuseum.com ; 18335 N Whitefish Point
Rd; adult/child $13/9; 10am-6pm May-Oct) , where the intriguing displays include items
trawled up from sunken ships. Dozens of vessels - including the Edmund Fitzgerald that
Gordon Lightfoot crooned about - have sunk in the area's congested sea lanes and storm-
tossed weather, earning it such nicknames as the 'Shipwreck Coast' and 'Graveyard of
 
 
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