The Department of Natural Resources developed a park plan which has made this area a model for multiple use management. That is, it is designed to accommodate the backwoods hiker, wilderness camper, RV, camper and day use visitor. It also has a complete winter skiing complex and snowmobile trail system.

It is 92 square miles big, with virgin forest, scenic waterfalls, rugged Lake Superior shore line, remote rustic cabins, 87 miles of hiking trails, and virtually no roads.

In this era, a true wilderness needs to be big in order to escape the inroads of civilization. This one is big with nearly 59,000 acres of brawling mountain rivers, lakes and dark stands of virgin hemlock, pines and hardwoods, the largest virgin hardwood-hemlock forest in the United States. Some of these forests monarchs are 200 years old.

The Porcupine Mountains consist of a series of undulating, irregular ranges whose slopes are covered with stands of virgin forest of the hardwood-hemlock type, with maple, birch, and basswood on the upper slopes through hemlock mixtures on the lower areas. Nestled within these ridges are the beautiful Lake of the Clouds and Mirror Lake. From these lakes flow the Big and Little Carp rivers down deep cut gorges. These rivers rush through a series of rapids and falls to Lake Superior.

Visitors will find a new wooden boardwalk that leads from the parking lot on M-107 to an overlook at Lake of the Clouds where the picture below was taken. The boardwalk has a gentle slope, handrail, and benches along the way.

Lodging in the Area

Lake of the Clouds	Carp River Trail

For Camping Reservations at PORCUPINE MOUNTAINS STATE PARK,
CALL 1-800-44-PARKS.

 

For Information contact:

PARK MANAGER

PORCUPINE MOUNTAINS STATE PARK

412 5 BOUNDARY RD.

ONTONAGON, MI 49953

PHONE: (906) 885-5275

FAX: (906) 885-5798

TDD: (906) 885-5278

Enjoy the Porcupine Mountains Music Festival the end of August at the ski hill and chalet in the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. Enjoy folk, jazz, bluegrass, and some contemporarty music presented by local and touring artists. Daily or 3 day tickets available. Phone 1-800-344-5355 or purchase on site.

Copper Country Road Trips: Enjoy Keweenaw History From The Comfort Of Your Car, by Lawrence J. Molloy. Guide book for tours of mainly mining locations, sites and ruins plus other historical sites. Includes maps, pictures, historical information and precise directions. Published and printed by Great Lakes GeoScience, Hubbell, Michigan.

Upper Peninsula State Parks
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Travel and vacation at the Porkies (Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park) near Ontonagon, MI and Silver City, MI in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, downhill skiing, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, sightseeing, exploring, and photography.