Northern

Northern Michigan covers the Upper Peninsula — the rugged forest-and-lake country separated from the Lower Peninsula by the Straits of Mackinac. The terrain runs heavily forested and ancient — the Porcupine Mountains along the Lake Superior shore in the west, the Pictured Rocks sandstone cliffs along the central Superior coast, and rolling hardwood-conifer country across the interior. Lake Superior dominates the climate; winters are long and snowy, summers cool. Fifteen counties cover the region. Marquette holds Marquette, the largest city; Chippewa holds Sault Ste. Marie and the Soo Locks; Houghton holds Houghton and Hancock (and Michigan Tech); Mackinac holds St. Ignace and Mackinac Island; Delta holds Escanaba; Gogebic holds Ironwood; Keweenaw holds Copper Harbor at the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula. Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Isle Royale National Park, Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Tahquamenon Falls State Park, and Hiawatha National Forest cover most of the public lands. Most trips here run wilderness-outdoor focused. Pictured Rocks pulls the most visitors — boat cruises out of Munising, kayaking the cliffs, and hiking the lakeshore trail; Tahquamenon Falls anchors the central UP; Isle Royale and the Porcupines draw serious backpackers; Mackinac Island runs the carriage-and-fudge tradition.