Backpacking the Porcupine Mountains State Park in Upper Michigan



The Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park is a backpacker’s playground in Upper Michigan. 90-Miles of looping and interconnected trails take hikers on challenging courses from the heights of Summit Peak down to the Lake Superior shoreline. This unique park includes 35,000 acres of old-growth forest shading scenic rivers that bash their way through rocky valleys and spill over waterfalls into Lake Superior. Lake Of The Clouds and Mirror Lake reflect starry nights and streaming northern lights off their glassy surfaces. Scenic delights in the Porkies are too many to list, and it’s all only 30-miles north of the Wisconsin border.

There are many ways to enjoy the park, and The Porkies have all the offerings for family camping typical of a state park, but what draws visitors from across the nation and abroad to this northern corner of the Midwest is its unique setup as a backpacking park. Dozens of postcard perfect backcountry campsites are accessed directly along lengthy and challenging hiking trails. It’s easy to make a looping multi-day trip from site to site. And if you’d like to go ultralight, leave the tent and sleeping pad behind and hike from rustic cabin to cabin.


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Presque Isle River in the Porcupine Mountains State Park




Over the years so many friends pestered me about getting up to the Porcupine Mountains that I finally relented. And, by an off chance I ended up taking two trips to the western portion of the Porcupine Mountains in 2022, once in early summer and again in early fall. Now I am singing with the choir about this gem of a wilderness retreat that is just beyond the northern border of Wisconsin.

The Escarpment Trail above the Lake of the Clouds on the eastern end of the park offers the best Instagraming, but for variety of scenic experiences the western end of the park, anchored by the Presque Isle drive-in campground was where I mapped out long-weekend loop routes. Now that I’ve hiked that side of the park thoroughly and am better aware of the park terrain, I’d plan out a different approach.

Climbing uphill on the Correction Line, Cross Trail, or up the escarpment on the Big Carp River Trail requires sweat-drenching-effort. You can shave off some of the steep grades by hiking the park from top-to-bottom.

Start at Summit Peak at the South Mirror Lake Trail parking area. Hit the Summit Peak observation tower and you’ll survey the forest that you’ll spend a few days hiking through below you. Then proceed downhill to Mirror Lake. Camp at Mirror Lake for a Northwoods lakeside camping experience. Then breeze down the steep and muddy Correction Line to reach the Big Carp River Trail. Take a left turn and you’ll ford a couple streams before reaching the cascading Big Carp River and its many picturesque waterfalls. The Lake Superior campsites are inferior to others in the park, so instead camp at BC-7 above Shinning Cloud Falls or continue on and see Lake Superior and turn back into the woods along the Little Carp River Trail and camp at LC-9 overlooking Explorer Falls. Then huff it uphill on the Little Carp River Trail to the Lily Pond Trail and back to the parking lot.

If you prefer point-to-point hiking, you can head downhill starting at either Summit Peak or Lake of the Clouds Overlook and then take the Big Carp River Trail to the Lake Superior Trail and finish out at Presque Isle Campground. Just be aware, the Lake Superior Trail is deceptive, its ups and downs and uneven trail tread makes it among the most challenging hikes in the park.

A grand loop of the park would traditionally start at the Government Peak Trail lot and follow counterclockwise up the Escarpment Trail, then down the Big Carp River Trail to Lake Superior and over to the Little Carp River Trail up to Mirror Lake and then up and over the Government Peak Trail. You can throw in a bifurcation up to Summit Peak to get all the major points of the park into one loop that should be spread over four nights to fully enjoy the trip without overextending all the members of your party.

CABINS (IF YOU CAN GET ONE)

Backpacking to backcountry cabins is an amazing experience. Forget about storms and rain, you’re protected. Tired after a full day of backpacking? Just drop your backpack and climb into bed. Worried about bears and wolves at night? Worry not. The cabins make backpacking easy and carefree. But, reserving one is next to impossible.
You can reserve cabins online 6-months in advance of your trip at 8am Eastern time / 7am Central Time. Michigan residents can reserve 6-months plus 1 week in advance giving them a head start. So, if you know a Michigan resident have them make the reservation for you. But, remember, the person named on the reservation must check-in in-person to get a key from the main Visitor Center on the day of your first reservation and the rangers will ask to see ID. … so make sure this Michigan resident is indeed joining your group for the trip.

Don’t count on getting a cabin reservation, but try anyways because you might just get lucky. I got cabins for both my trips in 2022, and by a stroke of luck was able to score an extra night in a cabin by asking at check-in if anyone had canceled their cabin reservation for a night.

Big Carp River 4 Cabin on the Cross Trail in the Porcupine Mountains State Park State Park


A WORD ABOUT OVEREXERTION

The forest rangers at Porcupine Mountains make frequent trips into the backcountry to evacuate overexerted hikers. Maybe hikers underestimate the challenge of these hikes because this park is in the Midwest and not in the Appalachian or Rocky Mountains. Maybe hikers overestimate their capabilities for mileage and elevation gain. I’m guessing the main reason is because this park draws a lot of first-time or novice backpackers who overestimate their athletic ability.

If you’ve read about thru-hikers on the Appalachian Trail going 22-miles a day but you personally have never backpacked before then you might think that 15-miles-a-day is a good starting pace. But, that’s still about twice the amount of a comfortable day for a novice backpacker. New backpackers can expect to hike at 2-mile an hour, struggle pulling their weight and backpack weight up hills, and should instead max out at 8-miles per day. Four hours of hiking under backpack weight is one hell of a workout for anyone and you’ll expend 4000 kcals on an 8-mile backpacking day in the Porcupine Mountains. And that’s the calorie spend before setting up camp and finding firewood. My advice is to keep the miles between campsites lower than 10-miles and focus less on mileage and more on camping in this extraordinary old-growth forest.
The Lake Superior Trail in the Procupine Mountains State Park


TRIP PLAN A, 23-Mile Loop, Moderate effort, Waterfalls and Lake Superior.



DAY 1, 3-miles: Start at the Mirror Lake Parking Area off S. Boundary Road. The Summit Peak lot is crowded with day-hikers, so make some room for others by parking at the Mirror Lake Trailhead lot instead. Hike 3-miles on the South Mirror Lake Trail and camp at SML-3. This site is semi-private and directly lakeside.

DAY 2, 8-miles: Follow the Little Carp River Trail north beside the shore of Mirror Lake and turn north on the Correction Line. Hike down a steep hill for 3-miles to reach the Big Carp River Trail. Take a left turn to hike northwest on the Big Carp River Trail for 3-miles. Along the way you will ford the Carp River and pass Shinning Cloud Falls and Bathtub Falls. At the mouth of the Big Carp River head southwest for 1.6-miles on the Lake Superior Trail to the mouth of the Little Carp River. Camp at LC-14 on the shore of Lake Superior.

DAY 3, 7-miles: Head south for 5-miles on the Little Carp River Trail. You’ll ford the Little Carp River twice as you hike uphill the entire day. You’ll also pass Trappers Falls, Explorer Falls, and Greenstone Falls. Just after Greenstone Falls veer left to stay on the Little Carp River Trail for 2 more miles. You’ll hike through some mud and uphill to reach a campsite at LC3.

DAY 4, 5-miles: Hike 1.3 miles northwest on the Little Carp River trail to reach the intersection of the Beaver Creek Trail. Take the 2.3-mile steep climb up to Summit Peak to Summit Peak then return on 1.5 miles of the South Mirror Lake Trail.

Campsite along the Superior Trail in the Porcupine Mountains State Park


TRIP PLAN B, 35-Mile Loop, Difficult, Three peaks, waterfalls, rivers and lakes, premium campsites.



DAY 1, 5.5-miles - Moderate: Park at the Government Peak Trailhead off 107th Engineers Memorial HWY. Head a short distance up the Government Peak Trail then veer off to the west on the Escarpment Trail. Hike the Escarpment Trail uphill 4-miles to reach the Lake of the Clouds Overlook. Continue on to the Big Carp River Trail and hike 1.5-miles to reach campsite BC-1.

DAY 2, 6-miles - Easy: Hike the Big Carp River Tail downhill 6-miles and camp at BC-7 above Shining Cloud Falls.

DAY 3, 5.5-miles - Moderate: Hike 1.5-miles to the Mouth of the Big Carp River and then head Southwest on the Lake Superior Trail for 1.8-miles. Turn south onto the Little Carp River Trail and hike uphill 2-miles to reach campsite LC9 above Explorer Falls.

DAY 4, 10.3-miles Difficult: Hike 3-miles uphill to reach Greenstone Falls then veer northwest to stay on the Little Carp River Trail. Hike 3-miles to reach the Beaver Creek Trail. Hike 3-miles steeply up hill to reach Summit Peak. Then descend the Summit Peak Trail to the South Mirror Lake Trail and hike steeply downhill 1.3-miles to reach Mirror Lake and camp at SML-3.

DAY 5, 7-miles Difficult: Hike 1-mile northeast on the Mirror Lake Trail to reach the Government Peak Trail, then turn right to head east on the Government Peak Trail uphill for 2-miles to reach Government Peak. Then continue the Government Peak Trail back to the parking lot.

Looking down at the Big Carp River from the Lake of the Clouds Overlook






PORCUPINE MOUNTAINS STATE PARK HIKING TRAILS

STATE
MICHIGAN
COUNTY
ONTONAGON, GOGEBIC
COMMUNITIES
ONTONAGON, WHITE PINE, WAKEFIELD
TOTAL MILES
90-MILE NETWORK
DIFFICULTY
MODERATE-TO-DIFFICULT
LOWEST ELEVATION
600 AMSL (LAKE SUPERIOR)
HIGHEST ELEVATION
1950 AMSL (SUMMIT PEAK)

CAMPING
Backcountry wilderness campsites, Union Bay Campground, Group Camp, Union River Outpost, Lost Creek Outpost, White Pine Extension Outpost, Presque Isle Campground

LODGING
Backcountry Cabins, Backcountry Yurts, Kaug Wudjoo Lodge




Directions and Trail Map



If viewing on a mobile device, open the trail map above to load into Google Maps App by touching the expand rectangle in the upper right corner.

VISITOR CENTER Address for your GPS: 33303 Headquarters Rd, Ontonagon, MI 49953
| coordinates: 46.81538874060388, -89.62497529994116 |

From Milwaukee 5.5 Hours
From Madison 5 Hours
From Green Bay 4 Hours
From Wausau 3 Hours
From Minneapolis 5 Hours
From Chicago 7 Hours




Photos


Mouth of the Presque Isle River from the North Country Trail Bridge in the Porcupine Mountains State Park


The North Country Trail Suspension Bridge over the Presque Isle River in the Porcupine Mountains State Park


Presque Isle River in the Porcupine Mountains State Park


Presque Isle River in the Porcupine Mountains State Park


Manabezho Falls on the Presque Isle River in the Porcupine Mountains State Park


Presque Isle River in the Porcupine Mountains State Park


West River Trail in the Porcupine Mountains State Park


Overlooked Falls on the Little Carp River Trail in the Porcupine Mountains State Park


Crossing the Little Carp River  near Memengwa Creek in the Porcupine Mountains State Park


Lake Superior in the Porcupine Mountains State Park


Historic Marker at the mouth of the Big Carp River on the Superior Trail in the Porcupine Mountains State Park


Lake Superior Near the mouth of the Big Carp River


The mouth of the Big Carp River in the Porcupine Mountains State Park State Park


Sunset over Lake Superior at the mouth of the Big Carp River in the Porcupine Mountains State Park State Park


Big Carp River 4 Cabin on the Cross Trail in the Porcupine Mountains State Park State Park


Cabin Reservations are difficutlt to get - especially for out-of-staters. The accomodations simplify backcountry backpacking. No need to set up anything and you can carry much less gear. 


Bunks and picnic table in a typical backcountry cabin in the Porcupine Mountains State Park


Kitchen and stove area in a typical cabin in the Porcupine Mountains State Park State Park


Firewood and tools in a typical backcountry cabin in the Porcupine Mountains State Park


Bathtub Falls on the Big Carp River along the Big Carp River Trail in the Porcupine Mountains State Park


Campsite SML-3 off the South Mirror Lake Trail in the Porcupine Mountains State Park


Campsite SML-3 off the South Mirror Lake Trail in the Porcupine Mountains State Park


Bear bins near the South Mirror Lake Campsites


Bridge at the Lily Pond on the Little Carp River Trail


Lily Pond on the Little Carp River Trail in the Porcupine Mountains State Park


Summit Peak Overlook in the Porcupine Mountains State Park


Campsite SML-3 off the South Mirror Lake Trail in the Porcupine Mountains State Park


Campsite SML-3 off the South Mirror Lake Trail in the Porcupine Mountains State Park


Mouth of the Presque Isle River in the Porcupine Mountains State Park


Sunset on Lake Superior at the Presque Isle Campground in the Porcupine Mountains State Park


Little Carp River Trail in the Porcupine Mountains State Park


Campsite LC-7


Along the Little Carp River Trail in the Porcupine Mountains State Park





Campsite LC-9 on the Little Carp River Trail. This amazing site sits right above Trappers Falls 


Explorer Falls on the Little Carp River Trail


Little Carp River in the Porcupine Mountains State Park


Campsite LS-5 on the Superior Trail in the Porcupine Mountains State Park


Campsite LS-6 at the mouth of Toledo Creek on the Superior Trail in the Porcupine Mountains State Park


The Superior Trail in the Porcupine Mountains State Park


The Superior Trail in the Porcupine Mountains State Park


The Superior Trail in the Porcupine Mountains State Park


Looking down at the Big Carp River from the Lake of the Clouds Overlook


Lake of the Clouds from the Lake of the Clouds Scenic Area Overlook in the Porcupine Mountains









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