G6AdventuresIf you have been following along, Manistique was our last stop in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. We spent two days in Manistique. Our campground sat beautifully along the beach of Lake Michigan. Though I unfortunately did not take enough pictures or notes to properly write a campground review of Manistique Lakeshore Campground, we highly recommend it. It had perhaps the nicest bathhouse we’ve seen of any campground across the country. You couldn’t ask for a more picturesque setting. The sites were plenty big enough. Wild blueberry bushes largely surrounded ours, which our girls loved. For full hook-ups, the price is very reasonable as well. The only downside about the campground is that it has a very unforgiving cancellation policy, so keep that in mind when booking.
Manistique provided the perfect backdrop for our last two days in the Upper Peninsula. Lake Michigan’s waters felt almost warm after spending over a week on Lake Superior. Plus, we were able to check off a few more fun stops before we left for home. Though we only spent two days in Manistique, you could easily stay longer and combine it with some of other day trips. For us, it worked out great to sort of break up our drive from Keweenaw Peninsula back home and let us ease our way out of Michigan.
Day 1
On our first day, we traveled from Keweenaw Peninsula. We quickly set up the camper and explored the campground. The campground is small, but the beach is spectacular. We wandered along the beach for a while and picked wild blueberries and raspberries. Warning: make sure you know what you are picking before ingesting it. We learned from park rangers earlier in the trip what berries we could safely eat.
Once we explored the campground, we set out to explore Manistique. Driving through, you quickly realize just how quaint and historic Manistique truly is. We parked near the Manistique Boardwalk and walked along the shores of Lake Michigan for a bit. The boardwalk covers nearly two miles. We did not cover nearly that much ground, but we enjoyed the portion we walked. Then, we made our way out to the Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse.
Since we had visited the Upper Peninsula’s smallest souvenir shop in Grand Marais, the kids got a kick out of signs we saw for Treasure City. It claimed it is Upper Peninsula’s largest souvenir shop, so, of course, we had to go. For the U.P., it likely fits the claim to be the largest, but if you’ve traveled to Florida (or really any other beach town), the size is not terribly impressive. Admittedly, we were a bit turned off by it. It contains numerous signs about kids needing to be fully supervised and not being allowed to touch anything. There were also signs that you needed to take items you want to purchase to the register while you continued to shop. While I understand that theft certainly occurs and some people let their kids run amuck, it frankly seemed a bit like overkill. It definitely was not terribly welcoming.
After perusing Treasure City, we set out to find dinner. Being such a small town, the dining options are very limited. After driving around a bit and reading some Google and Yelp reviews, we ended up at The 40 Bar & Grill. The atmosphere is a bit dark and nothing to write home about. But, we were able to sit right away, and our waitress was very friendly. We ordered a pizza and cheesy bread. Mayson ordered a salad, and Eric ordered a reuben and fries. I’m kicking myself that I didn’t take any pictures here. Everything was fantastic. The pizza and cheesy bread came out piping hot with tons of gooey, delicious cheese. Mayson’s salad was enormous. Eric said his reuben may have been the best reuben he’s ever had. And it came with hand-cut fries that were to die for! So good!
After dinner, we went back to the camper for an evening walk on the beach and a campfire. Our first day in Manistique was somewhat low key for us but in an awesome, gorgeous way. We certainly did not follow this slower pace on Day 2!
Day 2
On Day 2 in Manistique, we drove nearly 40 minutes to Fayette Historic State Park. You need a Recreation Passport to enter the grounds. Much earlier in our trip, we had purchased a non-residential annual passport for $36. The parking lot is plenty large enough, even if you were traveling in an RV. We parked and started at the Visitor Center. Though small, the Visitor Center displays a fantastic interactive miniature version of the historic town in its hey day. It also explains the unique geological properties that made the industrial town successful for nearly 25 years.
After exploring the Visitor Center for a bit, we took the paved trail down a hill where it intersects with another paved trail. Taking a left leads you to the town. Taking a right leads you to the Overlook Trail. We took a right, which leads you to the unpaved trailhead. We found a rock wall on the trail overlooking Snail Shell Harbor, where we sat to eat our picnic lunch. Then, we continued on the 2 mile looped trail. Unfortunately, the trail didn’t have the best markings, particularly once you reached about 3/4 of a mile in. And it was fairly overgrown. We actually ended up turning around and coming back out the way we came, but it was a gorgeous hike nonetheless.
After our short hike and lunch, we followed the paved trail into what remains of Fayette. Fayette’s history as a town from the 1860s to the 1890s is fascinating. It was built by an iron company as a largely self-contained industrial community built to smelt iron. The town featured its own hotel, market, school, blacksmith shop and even printed its own “money” for the residents to use. While some of the original structures no longer stand, many do. You can walk inside most of them and get a sense of what the once-teeming town might have been like. There even stands their community center where traveling shows performed.
We followed the trails through the town reading about the blacksmith shop site, the machine site, and the company store. We walked through the company office, the hotel, the school and a home. Then, we continued to follow the trail through the woods (where we startled two deer running across the trail) to the doctor’s house and the Superintendent’s house. Next, we followed the trail back the long way through what would have been the middle class neighborhood to a laborer’s cabin and over to the Town Hall. Finally, we explored the furnace complex and kilns.
I’m not sure if our kids appreciated this park as much as I did, but I loved it. We spent a few hours here and still did not explore it in its entirely. It requires a bit of walking, and there are some hills. But, the paths are paved, so that helps in terms of mobility. The history is so rich. Plus, it has breathtaking views of the Snail Shell Harbor and Big Bay De Noc. Even if the kids didn’t love the historic town, they did love the ice cream sold back at the Visitor Center, which is how we ended our visit here. One somewhat interesting note about the visitor center is that you must buy certain shirts and stickers with cash only.
Next, we traveled about 20 minutes northeast to Kitch-iti-Kipi, located in Palms Book State Park. Again, you need a recreation passport to enter. “Kitch-iti-Kipi” means “big cold spring” in the native Ojibwe language, which is a perfect description of Michigan’s largest natural freshwater spring. The spring measures 200 feet across and 40 feet deep. Despite its depth, you can clearly see the bottom even at the deepest point. While there is not a typical Visitor Center here, there is a gift shop. From the parking lot and/or the gift shop, it is a short walk to the site’s star attraction-a self-guided observation raft.
The wooden raft holds between 40 and 50 people. When we visited, there was a line from the loading dock along the trail. A park ranger assisted with loading the raft but did not load it to its capacity. I think she let between 20 to 30 people on it per ride. Frankly, that was perfect. Though you may wait a little longer in the line, the ride itself is much more comfortable. The raft includes a viewing window in the middle of it. You can observe the crystal clear water through this window, over the sides of the raft, or, as we did, both. The raft operates by way of a cable pulled across the spring by one or more people on board. Our littles enjoyed their turns at pulling it across. The ride lasts about 15 or 20 minutes in total.
Despite the fact that we didn’t spend a lot of time at Palms Book State Park, Kitch-iti-Kipi is a must-do in the U.P. A short 15 minute drive from Manistique, you simply should not miss out on seeing this jaw-droppingly gorgeous spring. After we left Palms Book, we drove back to the campground, where we made our dinner. We also enjoyed Yoo-Par Scoops ice cream, which was delicious! Finally, we enjoyed some the beach one last time before heading home.
While, admittedly, the town of Manistique is somewhat limited in terms of things to do, we still really enjoyed our stay there. Our campground provided a gorgeous place to spend our last few days in Michigan. We were able to visit some fascinating and beautiful sites. Plus, if you stayed longer, you could easily visit other places near Manistique, including Seney National Wildlife Refuge, Rainey Wildlife Area, Indian Lake State Park, and Hiawatha National Forest. Plus, you can easily build several day trips using Manistique as your base camp for places such as Tahquamenon Falls (1 1/2 hours), Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (1 hour), and even Iron Mountain (2 hours).
Either way, we loved our stay. We would include Fayette Historic State Park and Kitch-iti-Kipi on every Upper Peninsula must-do list, and we would do both again if we returned to Manistique. Also, if we returned, we would definitely seek out more hiking in the state and national areas. Have you visited any of these sites? Leave us a comment if you’ve visited any of these attractions and let us know your thoughts! If you want to follow more of our Michigan adventures, click here. Or to follow our other adventures, click here.
