Lake Superior great circle tour
Planning to go around Lake Superior this summer. Was thinking of late August into early September. Other option would be early July to early August. Which would be better? How are bugs, weather and c...
Forum Discussion
We have done the Lake Superior Circle Tour 4 times now and had very few mosquitos etc and there is a lot to see on the Canadian side if you want to. Starting at Sault Ste Marie (The Soo) and going north for instance. Same name for the cities across from each other in the USA and Canada. Need a passport to enter Canada and also to get back in the USA. We always go in August as the skeeters and black flies are way down then.
Just some of the things to see:
Batchawanna Bay area
Montreal and Agawa Bays
Wawa area
White River area and the Provincial Park
Before Nipigon go north about 30 miles or so on 11 to near Macdiarmid (fishing village) and see the very eerie exposed tall pinnacles of some of the oldest exposed rock formations on the planet Earth, a few billion years old and exposed by the last Ice Age only about 10,000 years ago
Continuing SW on 17 to Quimet and go to the big deep canyon which was carved by the glaciers and the later erosion. The bolted to the side of the canyon wall near the top and hanging out over the deep canyon bottom below will give you a real thrill
further on 17 and turn south into Sleeping Giant Provincial Park and go all the south end and you can drive on the smooth bare glacier scrubbed rock for miles over looking the water below. Watch carefully for the moose in the park as hitting one will ruin your day and really mess up your vehicle or RV not to mention your body
BTW, there's over a hundred waterfalls on 17 or just off it
Kakabeka Falls is west of Thunder Bay and is big unless the power dam is closed. 3 time going there it was closed once and it depends on how much rain has fallen and the runoff
At Grand Portage, you can take a fairly short ferry ride to Isle Royal National Park. I can't remember their schedule or cost
Now back in the USA and very scenic going SW to Duluth
East to Bayfield and the Apostle Islands
Then to The Porcupine Mtns (The Porkies) in Michigan, the huge state park, the Lake of the Clouds Overlook on the top of the mountain, and a lot more
On to Keweenaw Peninsula and Copper Harbor and the area taking The Brockway Mountain Drive (beautiful)
Copper museum at Calumet is neat and gobs of history as this is where most of our nation's copper was mined for over a hundred years. Yes, there are copper mine shafts on the peninsula that give public tours and you'll find out what being in the "dark" is really like when they turn off the lights for about a minute or so. Mind boggling! One was in the Atlantic Mine at Hancock
The U.P. of Michigan is simply beautiful and so varied with waterfalls everywhere, mtns, valleys, lakes, rivers and streams, swamps, gorgeous forests, and hundreds of campgrounds too.
Not done yet!
On east to the Ishpeming (The Yoopers) and the Marquette area
Then past Munising and the Pictured Rocks National Park or take the boat cruise to see them. One of a kind!
Next, take H-58 to Grand Marais (so neat and pretty drive. and on to Deer Park (short section of gravel if paving is not done yet) and back on paved beyond it. Or south to Seney and the National Wildlife Refuge
East to Newberry and north to the 50,000 acre Tahquamenon Fall and the big Upper Falls and then the Lower Falls and the 2 paved and with 30/50 amp electric great CG's and relax and enjoy
East to Paradise and north along the lake to Whitefish Point and the Shipwreck Museum
South of Tahquamenon Rivermouth outlet in to Lake Superior there's a paved road going left only named L Curley Lewis Hwy and goes all the way to Brimley, west of Sault Ste Marie, MI. Also called "Lake Superior Shoreline Rd"
These are just some/a small tasting) of what is on the circle tour. It is incredibly beautiful all around on the tour when the leaves have changed to their brilliant colors especially in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota usually peaking very early in October. However, the traffic in the MN stretch can be insane with backups and CG's booked full every day.
Michigan alone has over 11,000 inland lakes and about 40,000 miles of rivers and streams and the state is still 53% forested. As does northern MN and WS have gobs of the same.
We've been married for almost 55 years now (52 years with our RV's) and every year have gone to the U.P. (almost 400 miles away) at least once for a few days to 3 weeks and always for Fall Leaf Peeping and we won't be quitting until they plant us. Many times in the winter also with our TC RV's (always had at least on TC since 1965) as I don't want to pull our 5th wheels or drive the MH's we had on snow or icy roads. Tahquamenon Falls upper CG at the lower falls is open and kept plowed all winter and the electric is on. It's that gorgeous 12 months a year!
Just some of the things to see:
Batchawanna Bay area
Montreal and Agawa Bays
Wawa area
White River area and the Provincial Park
Before Nipigon go north about 30 miles or so on 11 to near Macdiarmid (fishing village) and see the very eerie exposed tall pinnacles of some of the oldest exposed rock formations on the planet Earth, a few billion years old and exposed by the last Ice Age only about 10,000 years ago
Continuing SW on 17 to Quimet and go to the big deep canyon which was carved by the glaciers and the later erosion. The bolted to the side of the canyon wall near the top and hanging out over the deep canyon bottom below will give you a real thrill
further on 17 and turn south into Sleeping Giant Provincial Park and go all the south end and you can drive on the smooth bare glacier scrubbed rock for miles over looking the water below. Watch carefully for the moose in the park as hitting one will ruin your day and really mess up your vehicle or RV not to mention your body
BTW, there's over a hundred waterfalls on 17 or just off it
Kakabeka Falls is west of Thunder Bay and is big unless the power dam is closed. 3 time going there it was closed once and it depends on how much rain has fallen and the runoff
At Grand Portage, you can take a fairly short ferry ride to Isle Royal National Park. I can't remember their schedule or cost
Now back in the USA and very scenic going SW to Duluth
East to Bayfield and the Apostle Islands
Then to The Porcupine Mtns (The Porkies) in Michigan, the huge state park, the Lake of the Clouds Overlook on the top of the mountain, and a lot more
On to Keweenaw Peninsula and Copper Harbor and the area taking The Brockway Mountain Drive (beautiful)
Copper museum at Calumet is neat and gobs of history as this is where most of our nation's copper was mined for over a hundred years. Yes, there are copper mine shafts on the peninsula that give public tours and you'll find out what being in the "dark" is really like when they turn off the lights for about a minute or so. Mind boggling! One was in the Atlantic Mine at Hancock
The U.P. of Michigan is simply beautiful and so varied with waterfalls everywhere, mtns, valleys, lakes, rivers and streams, swamps, gorgeous forests, and hundreds of campgrounds too.
Not done yet!
On east to the Ishpeming (The Yoopers) and the Marquette area
Then past Munising and the Pictured Rocks National Park or take the boat cruise to see them. One of a kind!
Next, take H-58 to Grand Marais (so neat and pretty drive. and on to Deer Park (short section of gravel if paving is not done yet) and back on paved beyond it. Or south to Seney and the National Wildlife Refuge
East to Newberry and north to the 50,000 acre Tahquamenon Fall and the big Upper Falls and then the Lower Falls and the 2 paved and with 30/50 amp electric great CG's and relax and enjoy
East to Paradise and north along the lake to Whitefish Point and the Shipwreck Museum
South of Tahquamenon Rivermouth outlet in to Lake Superior there's a paved road going left only named L Curley Lewis Hwy and goes all the way to Brimley, west of Sault Ste Marie, MI. Also called "Lake Superior Shoreline Rd"
These are just some/a small tasting) of what is on the circle tour. It is incredibly beautiful all around on the tour when the leaves have changed to their brilliant colors especially in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota usually peaking very early in October. However, the traffic in the MN stretch can be insane with backups and CG's booked full every day.
Michigan alone has over 11,000 inland lakes and about 40,000 miles of rivers and streams and the state is still 53% forested. As does northern MN and WS have gobs of the same.
We've been married for almost 55 years now (52 years with our RV's) and every year have gone to the U.P. (almost 400 miles away) at least once for a few days to 3 weeks and always for Fall Leaf Peeping and we won't be quitting until they plant us. Many times in the winter also with our TC RV's (always had at least on TC since 1965) as I don't want to pull our 5th wheels or drive the MH's we had on snow or icy roads. Tahquamenon Falls upper CG at the lower falls is open and kept plowed all winter and the electric is on. It's that gorgeous 12 months a year!
