Michigan's Upper Peninsula

Wild &
Untamed Where the North Breathes

A land of ancient forests, copper-stained shores, thundering waterfalls, and skies that dance with emerald light.

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🌿 Spring May — Waterfalls Peak
☀️ Summer June–Aug — Lake Days
🍂 Autumn Sept–Oct — Color Peak
❄️ Winter Dec–Feb — Aurora Season
The Upper Peninsula

A wilderness
like no other
in America

Separated from the Lower Peninsula by the Straits of Mackinac, the Upper Peninsula is Michigan's great wilderness — a land of superlatives spanning 16,000 square miles of raw, boreal beauty.

From the sandstone cliffs of Pictured Rocks to the root beer-colored falls of Tahquamenon, from Porcupine Mountains old-growth forest to the haunting shores of Lake Superior — this is the UP.

16K Square Miles
4 Great Lakes
150+ Waterfalls

Iconic Places
to Discover

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National Lakeshore Pictured Rocks Mineral-stained sandstone cliffs rising 200 feet above Lake Superior, painted in surreal blues, greens and reds.
State Park Tahquamenon
Falls The UP's most beloved waterfall — 200 feet wide, tinted amber by tannins from cedar swamps.
Inland Sea Lake Superior
Shoreline The world's largest freshwater lake by area — cold, vast, and humbling in every season.
Wilderness State Park Porcupine Mountains One of the largest remaining tracts of old-growth northern hardwood forest in the Midwest.
Heritage District Copper
Country Ancient mines, ghost towns, and a billion-year geological story written in native copper.
Night Sky Aurora
Borealis Dark skies and high latitude make the UP one of America's finest spots to witness the northern lights.

"The Upper Peninsula is not a place you visit — it is a place that finds you, and then stays with you forever."

— A Yooper Saying

Ways to Experience
the UP

01 🛶 Paddle the Pictured Rocks Sea kayak beneath mineral-painted sandstone arches on the greatest lake in the world.
02 🥾 Hike the North Country Follow the North Country Trail through cedar swamps, ridge tops, and ancient forest cathedral.
03 🎿 Ski the Porkies Backcountry and downhill skiing through old growth — the most underrated ski in the Midwest.
04 🌌 Chase the Aurora Under some of the darkest skies east of the Mississippi, the lights come alive in winter.
05 🍄 Forage & Fish Morel mushrooms in May, wild blueberries in summer, brook trout in cold clear streams.
06 🏕️ Camp Lake Superior Sleep on beaches of rose quartz and agate, woken by waves on a sea-sized inland shore.
07 🦅 Watch the Migration Hawks Ridge in fall hosts one of North America's most dramatic raptor migrations.
08 🍺 Eat Like a Yooper Pasties, cudighi sausage, and freshly fried smelt — a culinary heritage as rugged as the land.
Plan Your Visit

Find Your Corner of the UP

The Upper Peninsula stretches 334 miles from end to end. Every region holds its own character, its own wild personality.

  • Eastern UP — Tahquamenon, Sault Ste. Marie
  • Central UP — Marquette, Pictured Rocks
  • Western UP — Porcupine Mountains, Copper Country
  • Keweenaw Peninsula — Isle Royale access point
  • Hiawatha National Forest — Interior wilds
LAKE SUPERIOR Copper Country Marquette Pictured Rocks Tahquamenon Porcupine Mts LAKE MICHIGAN LAKE HURON Straits of Mackinac ≈ 50 mi

The Wilderness Dispatch

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