The Keweenaw Peninsula: Michigan’s Best Kept Secret for Outdoor Lovers

The Keweenaw Peninsula is that little fang of Michigan that jabs up into the cold blue waters of Lake Superior. You’d be forgiven for thinking that this is a barren stretch of land, abandoned by the civilized world.

 Yet in truth, it’s one of the best examples of human beings living connected to nature and modern convenience. Major towns like the sister cities of Houghton-Hancock and Copper Harbor are filled with friendly people and revitalized industrial eras transformed into cultural centers. Yet just a few minutes outside of town unspoiled stretches of mother nature beg for you to explore them. 

There’s not a ton of travel information out there about the Keweenaw. The local tourism boards are woefully underfunded and can only target specific groups of skiing and mountain bike eco-tourists. Otherwise, internet searches will likely return information about the area’s copper mining history.

Yet when you get boots on the ground, you instantly realize that the Keweenaw is more than just rusty pickaxes, skiing, and mountain biking. So, I thought I’d uncover some of the Keweenaw Peninsula’s hidden gems. 

Houghton-Hancock Gateway to the Keweenaw

These are two old mining towns at the base of the Keweenaw Peninsula. They share a canal, and there’s a classic lift bridge connecting them. The waterfront district of Houghton used to be an industrial eyesore, but it’s been reinvigorated into a cultural center that demonstrates what gentrification looks like when done right.

The Perfect Keweenaw Homebase

I honestly think Houghton is the perfect home base for exploring the Keweenaw. There are tons of hotels down by the waterfront. A few are even dog-friendly. The waterfront offers beautiful sunset walks, and it’s festooned with awesome restaurants and bars.

Krestner Park on the far western end of the waterfront district has public beaches, water rentals, an ice cream shop, and a massive chutes and ladders playground. It’s the perfect place to let kids blow off some steam in the morning or a place to chill out for an entire afternoon when you need a rest day.

One of the other big reasons I prefer Houghton as my home base for exploring the Keweenaw is that it’s within an hour of everything. You can shift gears to tour the nearby Porcupine Mountains, the area’s boundless waterfalls, or bounce around the Peninsula without ever being within an hour or so of your home base.

You can learn more about Houghton-Hancock here. 

Best Places to Stay Near Houghton Michigan

The Houghton-Hancock area has some great hotels to stay when exploring the Keweenaw Peninsula. If possible, I recommend staying near the waterfront, which offers spectacular evening views and cultural activities.

Copper Mines of the Keweenaw Peninsula

The area surrounding Houghton and the Keweenaw Peninsula is festooned with abandoned copper mines. A few still offer guided tours, which can be a great activity to fill time on a rainy day.

Quincy Mine - Hancock, MI

As part of the Keweenaw National Historical Park, Quincy Mine provides guided tours that include a walk through the hoist house, a cog-rail tram ride, and an underground mine exploration. You can’t miss the giant gray building as you leave Hancock, and it’s one of the best places to learn about the Keweenaw’s historic copper mining boom. 

Adventure Mining Company - Greenland, MI

This company offers various underground tours, ranging from easy guided walks to more adventurous experiences like rappelling down a mine shaft, providing a glimpse into 19th-century copper mining. There are a few different options here and they claim some of them are “Dog Friendly” but I chose to leave my golden retriever in the car.

Delaware Copper Mine - Mohawk, MI

An authentic historic mine that operated from 1847 to 1887, offering self-guided walking tours 100 feet below ground to explore early mining operations. This is an easy tour to add into a Keweenaw day tour itinerary.

Caledonia Copper Mine - Mass City, MI

This is the only place I know of where you can dig through their own private ore pile. The experienced staff are on hand to help you connect with the copper mining experience. There’s even an option to take home copper and mineral treasures. My daughter was an industrious 9-year-old at the time and loved the experience.

Keweenaw Peninsula Attractions

Whether you’re staying in Houghton-Hancock, Copper Harbor, or one of the many small resorts in the area, there are tons of gems to add to a day trip itinerary in the Keweenaw. You could potentially cram all of these into two days, but I think three days will do you more justice.

McClain State Park

This is a gem of a state park and some of the cleanest bathrooms in the Keweenaw. There’s a campground, but not a lot of staff. So, be prepared to figure things out on your own. I appreciate that there’s a dedicated dog beach, which was a great place to let my golden retriever blow get a little exercise.  

Calumet Waterworks Beach

The name is dissuading, as it makes you think that it’s some sort of wastewater treatment plant. When really, it’s a remote rocky beach, and one of the least picked-over spots for rock hounding left in the UP.

There are agates to be found, rocks with copper and malachite deposits, and even a few elusive “Yooper lite” fluorescent rocks.

Just bear in mind that GPS is terrible at finding this place, and if you get to the cemetery, you’ve gone too far. There are pit toilets that are sometimes closed. So, be prepared for a truly primitive experience.

Fitzgerald’s Restaurant

This is arguably the best restaurant in the Keweenaw outside of Houghton-Hancock. It’s located in Eagle River and has limited hours. So, it’s best to plan to stop here for supper rather than lunch.

Jacob’s Falls & The Jam Pot

Jacob’s Falls is honestly just a dribble of water coming down some rocks. It’s when you stop to see it that your realize you’re parking in the Jam Pot’s parking lot. It’s run by an order of monks who fund their minimal lifestyle by selling artisanal jams and bread that transport you back in time to an age when quality truly mattered. The hours are limited, but it’s worth a stop.

Great Sand Bay Beach of the Keweenaw

This is a beautiful sandy beach that looks like a Caribbean postcard photo. It’s not a popular stop, which makes it a great place to let your kid build a sandcastle or perhaps let your dog splash around off-leash. There are well-maintained pit toilets. There’s also a hiking trail that looks tempting at first but will just take you deep into a mosquito-infested forest.

Eagle Harbor

The town of Eagle Harbor, Michigan, and its historic lighthouse isn’t going to blow you away. It has a nice little beach, to let the kids play on without worrying about any big waves swamping into the harbor.

The true gem here is the Agate Shop souvenir shop. It arguably has the best-priced souvenirs in the Keweenaw, and the people there are extremely knowledgeable about the area’s geology. If you’re a rockhound, this is a must-stop opportunity.

Brockway Mountain

One of the other things about stopping off in Eagle Harbor is that it allows you to drive up the south side of Brockway Mountain. This is a much less used, and fairly unknown road with its own vistas you don’t usually see on the usual Instagram posts.

The view from the top of Brockway Mountain is impressive in the summer. You can see the vastness of Lake Superior to the west, which makes for an impressive sunset view!

However, the fall colors of late September are the true gem of Brockway Mountain. If you love a good color tour, this needs to be on your bucket list.

The road to the north is also a fun biking coast road. You just have to figure out how to get your bike to the top or a way to go back for your car.

Brockway Mountain Drive & Copper Harbor Overlook

This is the much more well-known part of Brockway Mountain. It’s halfway up the north face of Brockway Mountain and overlooks Copper Harbor. It’s a great view that’s worth a stop, but it’s only a fraction of the experience Brockway Mountain has to offer.

Mount Bohemia

Despite the name Mount Bohemia isn’t exactly a peak jutting up into the sky as much as it is a slope down to Lake Superior. In the summer it’s a nice view and there are modest waterfalls in the area that make for a nice picnic.

In winter, it’s an epic ski resort that simultaneously transports you back in time, while also offering you a modern convenience. They have classic yurts you can rent for reasonable rates, while the resort itself has an outdoor hot tub looking up at the majestic slopes.

Bete Grise Beach

This serene, sandy beach on the Keweenaw’s south side is known for its fine, white sand that "sings" when you shuffle your feet. It’s a perfect spot for a quiet, scenic Lake Superior escape. This is another beach remote enough to let your dog off leash for a fun splashing romp. The waves here are usually minimal, so long as the wind isn’t out of the east.

Hungarian Falls

In all honesty, Hungarian Falls is harder to find than internet tourism sites would have you think. If you can’t immediately find it, you’ll have to ask one of the locals. It’s worth seeing if you’re in the area, but don’t break your neck looking for it.

Also pay attention to the tracks, as there are a lot of black bears in the area. Often females with cubs. So, bring bear spray just in case.

Copper Harbor: The Tip of the Keweenaw

Copper Harbor is a hiking and mountain biking mecca. When people think of the Keweenaw Peninsula, they think of Copper Harbor first and foremost. It’s honestly a nice little town, but in the summer it’s rife with tourists and high prices.

It’s absolutely worth seeing. I think it’s worth staying for a night if you want to explore the area. Maybe even two nights if you want to bike and hike the area. Yet it’s not my top pick for a “Home Base” to stay at for multiple days.

Copper Harbor Trails

A paradise for outdoor enthusiasts, this world-class mountain biking and hiking trail system winds through rugged terrain, and dense forests, and offers stunning views of Lake Superior. The trails cater to all skill levels, making it a must-visit for adventure seekers.

Keweenaw Peninsula's Fort McClain State Park

On the one hand, I’m not all that impressed with Fort McClain State Park for its historic value. My daughter enjoyed the displays for an hour. The real value here is camping. It’s an affordable, easy way to camp near Copper Harbor.

If you’re lucky enough that the northern lights are glowing that time of year, you can easily drive up the north face of Brockway Mountain for a one-in-a-lifetime aurora borealis experience!

Schlatter Lake Dispersed Camping on Keweenaw

If you’re into dispersed, primitive camping, Schlatter Lake at the very tip of the Keweenaw peninsula is a true gem. Some years the road connecting it to Fort Wilkins is too rough to drive. Even for my 4-wheel drive SUV.

Yet that’s sort of a good thing. The hike from the parking area is just short of two miles, which is more than the average person wants to do with a heavy pack. If you’re willing to make that slog with all your gear, you can have this gorgeous, dispersed campsite at the end of the Keweenaw all to yourself!

Estivant Pines Nature Sanctuary

Home to Michigan’s last remaining old-growth white pines, this sanctuary is a peaceful and pristine hiking destination. Walking among the towering 300-year-old trees offers a glimpse of what the Keweenaw looked like before the logging era.

Laughing Loon & Steve Brimm Photography

This is a secret gem that will make you want to blow out your budget on a once-in-a-lifetime souvenir. I honestly admit that I don’t know these people, nor have they paid me one red cent to sing their praises.

I was just honestly blown away by their prints and the glass-printed photographs they offered. I just didn’t have the money left in my budget at that time to buy one of their stunning images. If you are somehow standing around with an extra $200 burning a hole in your pocket, and you’re looking for a conversation starter to add to your living room décor, this is the place to get it!

Lake Fanny Hooe

Just outside Copper Harbor Lake Fanny Hooe is another great place to camp in the summertime. If you’re planning to stay in the area on the cheap I think this is the place to pitch your tent or park up your RV.

However, the real secret gem to Lake Fanny Hooe is ice fishing in the winter. If you’ve got the stones to make the drive and weather the snow, this is a great winter angling experience.   

If you want to learn more about the Great Lakes Region and other amazing adventures, you should follow Eric Beuning's Author Page.

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