Photos taken from two of natural wonders of Michigan's upper peninsula: the pictured rocks and porcupine mountains

Photos From a Trip to Michigan's Upper Peninsula (Pictured Rocks & Porcupine Mountains)

By tych0_21 | MyMycoBlog | 26 Aug 2021

Last week, I took a trip to Michigan's upper peninsula in the U.S. This was my first time making it to the upper peninsula where I had a chance to visit two of the regions most beautiful attractions: the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and the Porcupine Mountains.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore:

Only a few miles Northeast of the town of Munising, MI, the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore gets its name from the vibrantly colors cliffs that line the shores of Lake Superior. These sandstone cliffs consist of layers of sandstone that have progressively weathered along the shores of Lake Superior over the course of the last 12,000 years as the glaciers that once dominated this landscape ultimately receded to form the Great Lakes. The eldest layers visible along these cliffs are estimated to be around 1.1 billion years old.

While the sandstone layers themselves provide a tan background, the colorful streaks that adorn the cliffs walls are the result of minerals leaching from the gaps between consecutive layers of sandstone. More specifically the reds are the result of iron, the greens from copper, the blacks from manganese, and the whites from limonite.

I took two days to explore this geologic wonder, both from the water as well as from the tops of the cliffs as well.

The Grand Island East Channel Lighthouse

The view from the water...

The Caves of All Colors

The site of a recent cliff collapse on June 26th, 2021 (video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-DmwYA3NXI)

Indian Head Point

Rainbow Cave

The Grand Portal

Juvenile seagulls finding shelter along the cliffs

Chapel Rock

The view from the cliffs...

After taking my time to wonder at the stunning cliffs of Pictured Rocks, I made my way to the far western portion of the peninsula to visit another one the region's most stunning natural settings: the Porcupine Mountains.

Porcupine Mountains:

Also situated along the shores of Lake Superior, the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park is a region dominated by old growth forests consisting primarily of sugar maple, American basswood, eastern hemlock, and yellow birch. The mountain range here reaches an elevation of 441 m (1447 ft) and provides habitat for fauna including grey wolves, moose, black bears, cougars, and porcupines among many others.

While boasting miles of pristine backcountry trails, campsites, and cabins, I chose to instead spend my time enjoying two of the park's more iconic sights: the Lake of the Clouds and the Presque Isle River.

Lake of the Clouds