5-Day Itinerary in the Keweenaw Peninsula

In July 2022, we were fortunate to spend three weeks in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. For five days, we camped in McLain State Park in Keweenaw Peninsula. This leg of our trip was especially fun because we camped with 19 friends – two families from Michigan, one family from Colorado and a friend from Northern Kentucky. Camping is such a great way to connect and reconnect with friends and family. We spent a bit more time at the campground than we typically would. But it was time well spent recharging at the beach, relaxing around the campfire and creating memories with our kids and friends. But, we still managed to get out to see and do quite a bit around the area. We’ll tell you our family’s 5-day itinerary in Keweenaw Peninsula.

Based on what we did and saw, we’ll tell you what we think you should add to your Keweenaw Peninsula itinerary. We’ll then tell you what we loved so much, we’d love to do it again if given the chance. And, finally, we’ll tell you what we missed but would want to do if we go back. Here’s how our family spent five days in Keweenaw Peninsula.

Day 1: Leaving from Union Bay Campground in the Porcupine Mountains, we only had to drive about two hours to get to McLain State Park. We stopped at a Wal-Mart in Houghton, Michigan to restock before completing our journey. Once we crossed the Portage Canal Lift Bridge from Houghton to Hancock, our GPS took us on a bit of the scenic route through Calumet. Though it added time to our drive, Calumet absolutely screamed history from every inch of essentially every building. After arriving at McLain State Park Campground, we made our way to our site, which was paved and pretty level. This was super exciting given our trouble getting level in the Porkies.

Nearly as soon as we got our site set up, our friends started to show up. I can’t tell you how excited we were, especially the kids, to see families we hadn’t seen in one to two years. They immediately ran off to make a hammock village with their friends and then to head to the beach in the campground. We spent the rest of the day just hanging out, and it felt amazing.

Day 2: After breakfast, most of us drove to the Hungarian Falls trailhead on Golf Course Road. If you hike to the falls, make sure you have a map of the trail, because there are no markings at all on the trails. The trail measures 1.7 miles in and out. It is a bit difficult due to the 269 foot elevation gain. Our four-year-old did it, but we took it very slow. We stopped at the Middle Falls, making our way down into the gorge. It’s a steep climb down and out, but doable if you take your time.

Once in the gorge, we let the kids wade in the pool at the bottom of the falls. The gorge also contains many large boulders. We used the large rocks to eat our packed lunches. The kids splashed. They jumped off the rocks. They even swam a little. The water temperature was a bit a too cold for me, but somehow the kids don’t seem to mind at all. To be honest, Middle Falls seemed to be the best falls at the time we visited. I’m not completely sure we saw Lower Falls. If we did, we likely could not see them clearly or they had lower flow. We definitely did not see anything as impressive as you see in the pictures. Even so, we immensely enjoyed the hike and recommend it to those visiting the area.

After we completed the hike, we headed back to the campground. The kids made a run for the beach. I even ended up floating in Lake Superior. It seemed like a good idea when I decided to it, because it was pretty warm out. Truthfully, the frigid water made it impossible to get in completely. But I lounged on an inflatable ring, which made it tolerable. Some of the kids swam while others played on the sandy beach. It was a fantastic way to decompress after our hike. Later, we made dinner and talked around the campfire.

Day 3: On our third day, we woke up to cloudy skies. The group decided to take the fairly short drive to Houghton to spend the day. Houghton is known as the “Gateway to the Keweenaw” and overlooks the Portage Waterway. A town built for the copper mining industry, it now boasts several cute shops and boutiques, a handful of restaurants, some bars and breweries, Michigan Technological University and a ferry port to cruise to Isle Royale National Park. There are also several parks and a couple of museums. Houghton is an adorable little town that you should peruse as part of your Keweenaw Peninsula itinerary.

For our group, we chose to meander along the streets of the historic downtown. We ducked into several stores. We ate a fantastic lunch at The Ambassador. Walking into The Ambassador feels like taking a step back in time. Unique murals cover the walls. The bar, tables, ceilings and walls are made of dark wood. Green lantern-esque light fixtures hang from the ceiling.

Initially a tap bar that opened in 1874, The Ambassador started serving pizza and sandwiches in 1965. We waited a bit to get tables, but given we had 25 people in our party, that is no surprise. We ordered a variety of pizzas to share. The Ambassador makes the thin crust pizza dough in house using the same recipe for over 50 years. Everyone loved the pizzas. Eric ordered a meatball sandwich that he honestly didn’t love. I’d recommend sticking with the pizzas! As a bonus, we ran into friends from home that we had no idea would be in the same town, eating at the same restaurant, at the exact time we were. How fun is that!!

After lunch, we sent the 16 kids in our group on a city-wide scavenger hunt. While they ran all around town snapping pictures of sites from their list, we settled in to sample a couple drinks at The Library Restaurant. Another incredibly historic building from the late 1800s, this restaurant and bar boasts gorgeous brick walls, a large bar area lined with both bottles and odd books, and even a somewhat hidden dining room upstairs. The adults enjoyed some fun drinks and flights while the kids literally raced around town trying to win the scavenger hunt. The winning team won the ability to go to the store to pick out toppings for an ice cream bar later that evening. Fun for everyone!

Despite ominous skies threatening rain all day, by the time we arrived back to the campground, the clouds parted and sunny skies made an appearance. While exploring Houghton, Eric left a sirloin tip and brisket in the Green Mountain Davy Crocket smoker to smoke all day. Too gorgeous of an evening sky to pass up, we packed up the food and walked it over to the lakeshore to enjoy.

We ate by the water. Some of the craziest of the kids swam. Some of the kids played in the sand. We played cornhole. Then, we watched the sunset. Later, we set up the kids’ hard-earned ice cream bar. Some in the group searched for Yooperlites. Back at the campsites, we started a fire. There was a chance to see the Northern Lights so a handful of us went back to the shoreline. The aurora didn’t make an appearance but we did see the moon set and watched several shooting stars. Plus, we laughed, talked and had an altogether amazing evening.

Day 4: We planned a full day for our fourth day in Keweenaw. Our large group started off by heading straight to The JamPot in Eagle River. Made by monks from the Catholic Monastery of the Byzantine Rite, The JamPot sells homemade breads, muffins, cookies, jams, jellies, preserves, and even fruitcakes. Lines typically form before the bakery even opens at 10 a.m. We arrived just after 10 a.m., there was already a fairly sizeable line outside door. The building itself is quite small so only a handful of people can fit inside at a time. Despite its length, the line moved pretty consistently.

Before we made it inside the bakery, I decided we were only getting a jar of thimbleberry jam and nothing else. By the time we made it to the register, we had a fruitcake, lemon pound cake, three muffins, a package of cookies and a few different jars of jellies and jams. Be warned, the prices at The JamPot are not for the faint of heart. Our bill rang up at nearly $120. We ate some of the muffins right away, which were delightful but gigantic. We did NOT need three of them! Two would have been plenty for us to share. Later, we sampled the cookies, which were also delectable. Eric continues to enjoy the jams. However, we simply did not like the fruitcake or lemon pound cake, much to our dismay.

After our sugar-fueled stop at The JamPot, we walked probably not even 50 feet to Jacob’s Falls, which you can see from the road. Just to the left of the falls, you can start the Monk Trails Loop to the old Arnold Mine. You begin this 2.5-mile loop trail with an incredibly steep climb up a nearly 20 foot tall embankment. From there, you follow along the river for a bit. In early August, the trail was lined with thimbleberries, huckleberries and wild blueberries. Before you eat anything growing in the wild, make sure you know what it is. A state park ranger taught us the various berries we could eat in the area. Plus, we had pictures of them on our phones to ensure we only ate safe berries.

Once you get to the portion of the trail that sits on property owned by the Monks, you will find hand-carved benches and a backcountry campground. Continuing on, you will pass a serene stream, a small waterfall, and even a table with stools that also appears to be handmade. Eventually, you reach the old Arnold Mine. Located on the Monks’ property, they maintain this cool piece of history and permit the public to enjoy it as well. The remnants of the old copper mining operations were really fun to explore. The Monks even provide picnic tables near the mine ruins, which we used to eat our packed lunches. Mosquitos were vicious, so we explored, ate and continued on the loop and back to the trailhead. This was a super fun trail, and I definitely recommend adding it to your Keweenaw Peninsula itinerary.

After leaving The JamPot parking lot, we made a quick stop at The Jam Lady to grab some more homemade jams (as if we didn’t have enough already). The Jam Lady has a room attached to an old post office containing all varieties of jams, jellies, syrups and Chow Chow. This family business started over 200 years ago on a roadside table! You can peruse all of the goodies, choose what you want, and leave your payment in a can on a small table. We loaded up on more thimbleberry jelly and set off for Eagle Harbor.

Driving along M-26, it took about 15 minutes to get to the Eagle Harbor Lighthouse. The brick lighthouse sits on the gorgeous harbor. As we still had quite a bit on our list to cross off for the day, we didn’t get out an explore the lighthouse. But, you can visit the lighthouse and museum from mid-June to early-October. Admission costs $8 per adult. Children are free.

After our lighthouse drive-by, we continued on M-26 to the Brockway Mountain Drive. This scenic 8.8 mile road takes you to approximately 1,320 feet above sea level on Brockway Mountain. 720 feet above Lake Superior, you can see breathtaking panoramic landscapes of Lake Superior, Copper Harbor and the dense woodlands that meet up to the town’s perimeter. You then continue down the mountain toward Copper Harbor. For mountain bikers, there are popular trails down the mountain into Copper Harbor. Friends in our group rode them several days we were in Keweenaw and really enjoyed them. This scenic drive should also be on your Keweenaw Peninsula itinerary. It is just stunning.

Once we got to Copper Harbor, we let the kids play at the Copper Harbor K-8 School playground for a bit. Next, we drove to Hunter’s Point Park. But, we mistakenly parked in the wrong lot. We parked at the Copper Harbor Marina and hiked the S. Shore Trail to Plimpton Point. Then, we took the North Shore Trail until we reached a beach to relax while we waited for our friends to finish mountain biking. The beach is a mix of sand and rocks. The kids swam. They climbed the rocks. They explored. After our friends returned, they explained that we parked in the wrong place and moved our cars to the trailhead parking lot. That way, when we left, it was a much easier walk along the North Shore Trail to the lot.

At this point, some in our group wanted to check out the brewery in Copper Harbor. We decided to head back to the campground to start making dinner. We used the M-26 scenic route to get back. Once we reached McLain State Park, we decided to head over to the park store, seawall & fishing pier, and lighthouse. The store was pretty well-equipped and served ice cream. We walked out to the beach to see the pier and lighthouse but did not go any further out. After exploring this part of the park for a little while, we drove back to our campsite to make dinner. We finished our last night in the park by playing some board games and hanging out with our friends.

Day 5: Knowing that we had a four or five hour drive ahead of us, we did not plan anything for our last day in the area. We ate breakfast and cleaned the rig. Then, we spent our last couple hours with our friends and saying our goodbyes. Then, we headed out to our last stop on our three week Michigan adventure in Manistique.

We loved Keweenaw Peninsula. There is really something for almost everyone. Staying at McLain, you are close to towns so it is not completely isolated. But, there is wilderness everywhere. The trails were challenging but beautiful. Everywhere you looked, you saw crystal clear water, lush forests or fascinating historical structures. I think if we could only choose one place to return to in the Upper Peninsula, it would probably be Keweenaw Peninsula.

What Should Be on Your Itinerary. Here’s what we recommend you include in your Keweenaw Peninsula itinerary based on what we did:

What Would We Do Again. There are some things that if we go back to Keweenaw Peninsula, I would do them a second time. We’re always looking for new things to try. But, we would include these on our Keweenaw Peninsula itinerary again:

What We Wish We Would’ve Done. Because the focus of this leg of our trip was to spend time with our friends, we did not cover everything we typically would have during these five days. There are things we would add to our Keweenaw Peninsula itinerary and suggest you do as well:

We only scratched the surface of the beauty and the historical story of Keweenaw Peninsula. I would love to make it back to this part of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Have you been to Keweenaw Peninsula? Leave us a comment with what you think needs to be included in a Keweenaw Peninsula itinerary. And, if you’d like to see the rest of our Michigan adventures, click here. Or to see any of our other adventures, click here.