S.S. Badger, Mi upper lower, through the UP trip/loop suggestions?

(I know the Badger is currently under repairs)

I was debating a family vacation/loop from central Wisconsin, to the Badger and up through lower Michigan through the UP and back down. Crossing on the ferry and then going over 'the bridge' have been on my bucket list. Any of you Wisco/Michigan folks know a good route with 'tourist' stops on the way (Michigan and UP side)? Keeping it interesting/fun for the 13 year old daughter will/would be a challenge I'm sure...

 

Get the stateroom on the ferry. Worth it to get some real sleep.

I went up US 31 on the Michigan side.

as to where to stop, no clue. I did it in a semi for work.

 

Lots of touristy type stuff along the west coast of the lower… and also US 2 in da UP…

I would say start with the Sleeping bear dunes area, then hit Leggs Inn for a true Polish meal, then the bridge, the mystery spot, then stop by the big springs to see the 40’ deep spring with trout…. Then…. Oh soo many things to do. Should only take 2-3 months to do it all.

 

The Sleeping Bear Dunes area looks pretty dang neat. I had never heard of it till now. Thanks

And by 'touristy' stuff that's what I was looking for. Not the yuppy touristy shopping crap..

 

Tahquamenon Falls

 

How much time ya got? As mentioned above, 2-3 months and you can see much of the UP, but not all.

Here are some ideas of the easy to get to places:
Soo Locks
Tahquamenon Falls (upper and lower)
Whitefish Point
Lake MI sand dunes near Brevort
Pictured Rocks (easy 2-3 days here. Take a boat tour to get the best views)
Presque Isle Park in Marquette
Bond Falls
Agate Falls
Brockway Mtn
Porcupine Mtns
Lake of the Clouds
Mt. Arvon
Mine tours all over the west half (Quincy Mine and Adventure Mine come to mind)

There are tons of waterfalls, beaches, lighthouses, mines....miles and miles of hiking trails. If you are flexible and aren't in a hurry to get to the next major stop, you can find tons of shorter things to see and do right off the road.

If your daughter likes nature / adventure stuff, there is a 100% chance that she will enjoy it.

 

Can anyone recommend a good place to rent and ride snow machines in the UP? A couple friends and I have been kicking it around for a couple years. Maybe next year is the year.

 

We almost did it three years ago, but one ended up having an obligation interfere. I had done some reseach looking for a place to stay that either rented machines or was in close proximity to a rental and trail head. Dunno what I did with all that info now. Kinda a bucket list item for me to spend a couple days on a snowmobile touring the countryside. I just think it'd be a neat experience.

 

RCBS You can probably start here. Some outfitters listed.
Map - Michigan Upper Peninsula Snowmobile Association

We were in Houghton last week. We probably saw a dozen sleds all week...including those we saw while driving on 28/41.

Trails exposed to the sun were hitting dirt in many parts.

I agree with Backwoods Savage ....best to wait until next year. Forecasts above freezing for the next 2 weeks.

 

Thank you for the handy link! Ya, this year is out anyways. We all have time off around the holidays usually.

 

Those aren't Gnome/Mushroom houses.....they're nothing more than standard housing for all of you trolls!


There used to be three sets of falls at Tahquamenon. The third set of falls were blown up during the haydays of logging to prevent log jams on the river!

 

Softwood don't forget your bug dope if you're planning on walking around in the U.P. Depending of what time of year and just where you are, you will need it or not.

As far as 13 year old daughter, if she doesn't like nature/scenery it may be a trying trip for her. Maybe have her invite a friend along? That way there'll be two of them to deal with!

 

I had never heard that before about the 3rd set of falls. Got any info or links on it? If no, I can dig into it.

 

Well, I stand corrected! I called the park and spoke with someone that straightened me out.

Years ago, there was a log jam at the upper falls. "They" tried blasting it to get the logs moving once again. This resulted in altering the upper falls. My bad.

 

Thanks for the update....I would have lost half a day scouring the internet for info. I was already scratching my head thinking of where they could have been.

 

I have nothing to add here other than I’d like to check out the Badger. Only learned of it here recently. Cool history.

 

Copy that on the bug dope! My #1 goal in the summer is to not get carried away buy those sob's when I'm out training the dogs. I would think if we did the trip it would hopefully be early enough that it would be before they got too bad..

And yeah, we usually do the 'bring a friend' with the daughter on the few weekend camping trips we do each summer. Sure cuts down on the number of times we have to hear her say, "I'm bored" !

I will do some looking into the places you posted, thanks. I would be hoping to take a weekish off from work so we'd have 9ish days to make the loop and back down home. I know that isn't near enough time to do/see a lot of the stuff there is to do though. I also don't want to try and cram so much in that it feels like a race to do everything..

My kids kind of grew up outdoors so I would think they would enjoy it(even with the daughter being 13, going on 17....)

 

It would definitely be cool to do/see. The 4 hours across the lake might seem a little long by the end though..