Upper peninsula
 

Hi there i like to ride the up but don't know anything about it can someone helppppppppp. i'd like to ride about 11 days .

great riding ...the roads are typically smooth compared to the lower...no traffic. the lakeshore roads have beautiful views

OK, spent my summers in the UP as a kid, which direction ya comin from?? Ya got a passport eh? Are you looking for scenic rides/waterfalls/interesting roadside stops?

it's beautiful part of Michigan although I've only been there in the winter skiing. I wouldn't ride at night with the amount of dear there have up there.

hell deer ain't the problem, ya ever seen a moose trot across a road?

I have been going up to the U.P. for vacation for many years. I usually go up there in mid to late August and I see a lot of bikers. The roads are smooth and much better than they used to be. I recommend seeing the Tahquamenom falls(both upper and lower) and Whitefish Point lighthouse.

Edit: Oh, and watch out for the bears too!

tru dat on the falls and whitefish point. There's a cool shipwreck museum at whitefish point too. copper harbor is another go too for ya. lived in Michigan until 10 years ago, used to fish lil bay de noc and such. there's a lot up there that I never saw though..
enjoy it 11 days sounds like a GOOD start!

I here that the Mich h.o.g. rally is up there this summer. Sponsored by the Lancing chapter. Not sure of the date.

There are probably more rides than listed here, but here's a start - and if you go, would be cool to report it on this site:

http://www.motorcycleroads.us/regions/mi_up.html

If you are into boat rides go to Painted Rocks. We made the loop around Lake Superior great ride.

Those would be the "Pictured Rocks" and the boat ride leaves out of Munising. A very nice boat ride. Another guy just down the road has glass bottom boats and does tours over the many shipwrecks in the area. Shipwrecktours.com. Great people.

I agree that if you have that much time to make the 1400 mile loop around Lake Superior. The ride north of Sault Ste Marie on teh Queens highway 17 through the Lake Superior provincial Park is an awesome ride along some rugged Lake Superior Shoreline. Lots of cool spots to get off and explore. Someone mentioned in another post that if you do go, dopn't drive by any gas stations because they are sparse and you need to plan properly.

We also like the Copper Harbor area very much and we are planning on heading up there again this summer.

UP rides
 

Pick up the book Motorcycling Across Michigan. We do a casino run every year in August across the UP been doing it for the last ten years. From east to west and back again. There's a place by L'Anse called the Hill Top restaurant that has the best cinnamon rolls in the world.

Upper Peninsula
 

We did the UP this past summer. Actually rode around Lake Michigan and then the north shore of the UP. As mentioned stop by L'Anse and have a Cinnamon roll(as big as your head) in between Baraga and Lanse is Bishop Baraga. Check out Pequaming, outside of Lanse, its an old Ford plant, and lots of nice sandy beachs for stopping. Whitefish Point, The Soo Locks in St Sault Marie is cool. as well as the Macinac Bridge.

Also there are hundreds of waterfalls in the UP including the big ones..The Taquamenon falls, near Newberry. Make sure you bring warm clothing as it can be chilly near Superior.

Heres a few pics during the trip.

I have relatives that live right next to that Ford plant and also across the bay from the Bishop Baraga shrine..both awesome areas. if your going pictured rocks route start at the East end in Grand Maris its a great area!
with a cool little brewery/resturant http://www.grandmaraismichigan.com/LSBC/index.html

It's been 30 years since I circled the UP but the things I remember most were;
1. Mackinac Island
2. St. Iroquois (sp?) light station - what a view!
3. H58 across the top - was sand and gravel road but if you're careful it's do-able
4. Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore - the boat trip is well worth it
5. Fayette State Historical Park - I would like to go back there just to see how much more they have done

Have fun

I have relatives in LAnse(Wifes mom and dad) I bet they know each other

I`m sure they do. my uncle owns Baraga County Concrete and cousins live in L`anse and Pequaming

ahhhh the sweet rolls!! http://www.sweetroll.com/

The Agate Ale at LSBC is a great beer. The burgers there are pretty good too.

Last year (maybe the year before) when we were up at Grand Marais they were working on the county road between Munising and Grand Marais. Any idea if they paved that all the way through? That would make the drive through much nicer than that loose sandy trail they had.

You can't go wrong just about anywhere in Michigan's up. Make sure you ride to the Keweenaw Peninsula and ride on Brockway Mountain Drive. http://www.cableamerica.com/Michigan/brock1.shtml Just bring some warm clothes with you because it's cold along Lake Superior.

Let's not forget the black flies, and mosquitoes that are always looking for fresh blood...

X2 on the warm clothing. Lake Superior get's warm enough to wade in about two days out of the entire year....

I'd also recommend taking the boat ride through the Soo Locks.

Bond River Falls is a seldom mentioned area in the western third of da UP. You can spend your entire vacation just visiting the various waterfalls.

Lots of small town bars, etc. You shouldn't go thirsty.

Depending on your taste in camping, there are a number of good USFS campgrounds that offer 'rustic' sites. There is a nice one south of Sidnaw (use to deer hunt out of it).

Trust me: It gets dark at night. Once you leave the 'big city' areas, it can be a bit desolate. Especially if you venture off either 2 or 28. BTW, both of those roads are major truck routes. So along with the pokey RV's, you'll have highballin' rigs to deal with.

Ride safe.

With all thats been said can't add much except defitely have some warm clothes ended up having to buy some Thermals in July.. :icon_omg:

"Yooper" Top 10
 

Being a lifetime 'YOOPER" here is my list of top ten things to see in the UP:

1. Brockway Mountain Drive - North of Calumet
2. Lake of the Clouds / Porcupine Mountains in between Ironwood & Ontonagon
3. The ride between Menominee & Straits of Mackinac using M-35 & US 2.
4. Mackinac Bridge linking Upper & Lower Peninsulas
5. Mackinac Island (Even though it isn't in the U.P., the ferry leaves from the U.P.!)
6. Taquamenon Falls - Newberry
7. Shipwreck Museum - Whitefish Point near Paradise
8. Kitchitikippi (The Big Springs) - Manistique
9. Fayette State Park - Garden Peninsula
10. Iron Mountain Iron Mine - Vulcan

HONORABLE MENTION (In no particular order)
- DeYoung's Zoo - Wallace
- Grand Marais
- Soo Locks
- Big Bay
- City of Calumet
- Seney National Refuge
- Pine Mountain SKi Jump - Iron Mountain
- Copper Peak - Ironwood
- Cornish Pump - Iron Mountain
- SKi Hall of Fame - Ishpeming
- Bishop Baraga Shrine - L'Anse/Baraga
- Sugarloaf Mountain - Marquette

And don't forget, fudge, pasties & the world famous gargantuan sweet rolls at the Hilltop restraunt in L'Anse!

j.

What about the Yooper store in Marquette????There's some interesting things in that place..

oops..I meant Ishpeming..

From what I remember, I think it is best to be up there in August. That is when the bugs are not as bad. Anyway, take some bug spray to put on!

My wife and I had a great tour in the UP a couple of years ago. We kept seeing signs advertising 'pasties'. Well here in Des Moines Iowa pasties are what stripers wear on their nipples, so I was puzzled.
Come to find out, they are food. Well I gues that kind of goes for the ones here also. Anyway, it should be a great trip.
Mike

Da Yopopers Tourist Trap at Ishpeming. A stop here makes your trek to Da U.P. complete...

http://www.dayoopers.com/thetrap.html

+1 all the way up to Copper Harbor!