Copper Harbor, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is located at the northern tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula and is considered the northernmost town in the state. It is no secret that Copper Harbor is known for some of the best mountain biking in the Midwest and therefore it was the destination of our most recent vacation.
But first there was a stop on the way. To break up the drive time, we decided to get a membership to Harvest Hosts. Billed as "unique, safe, convenient RV Camping", Harvest Hosts gives unlimited overnight stays at 5,245+ farms, wineries, breweries and attractions with no camping fees (though you are encouraged to patronize your host). Our chosen host was a private hobby farm of 160 acres and provided just the stop we needed.
The next day we headed out early to Fort Wilkins State Park. We set up camp in the rain and then spent the next few hours planning our adventures.
Our first full day we stopped in the local bike shop, Keweenaw Adventure Company, for a map (because cell service was essentially nonexistent) and then headed up to the Brockway Mountain trails. We rode Berry Picker to Daisy Dukes and back down The Flow.
We then drove the truck up Brockway Mountain Drive and dropped off Alex, Liam and James who rode the top section of the The Flow, Raptors Ridge, Woopidy Woo and Garden Brook down into town where Gavin and I were checking out the visitors center and the town playground.
We then hiked out to Hunter's Point with Lake Superior views to one side and harbor views to the other.
That evening we drove back up Brockway Mountain after dark to check out the night sky. It was an extra special treat when driving back down (exhausted at 1230am) we saw momma and baby black bears cross the road right in front of us. All too tired and too shocked, there were no pictures taken.
The next day we rode the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge "back 9" trails and then headed further north, past the campground, to the East Bluff Mountain Bike Park. We rode up Summer School and the Magic Carpet to take Flo’Rion down to Whipsaw. Alex rode up magic carpet again to do Flo’Rion all the way down while the rest of us cruised back down Summer School. After we had a picnic lunch, we took Early Riser over to Bluejay Picnic, which was an awesome flow trail. Then we realized we didn't have to do the climb trail, we could use the new road of the campground to access Bluejay picnic trail! Which we did over and over...
After we left East Bluff, we stopped to hike the trail out to Horseshoe Bay.
Our final day in town was a bit soggy, but we wanted to ride Daisy Dukes again, so we all went up but unfortunately, the wooden feature was too slick and the bike slid right out from under James, who sprained his wrist pretty badly. With James down for the count we decided to head back to the camper and play Uno, Slapzi and other games.
When we woke on departure day the weather was great again, so Liam, Gavin and I rode The Flow top to bottom. We then hooked up the camper and headed back down the peninsula. In Houghton we grabbed some sandwiches and had a picnic lunch to check out the Chutes & Ladders playground. We then stopped to ride the trails near the University (Michigan Tech). There was a pretty sweet dual slalom and also a cute pump track.
Our final day in town was a bit soggy, but we wanted to ride Daisy Dukes again, so we all went up but unfortunately, the wooden feature was too slick and the bike slid right out from under James, who sprained his wrist pretty badly. With James down for the count we decided to head back to the camper and play Uno, Slapzi and other games.
We used Harvest Hosts again, to stop mid point in the small town of Pound, WI where we camped in a church parking lot! We played plenty of music and car games to pass the time, one of our favorites is drawing on the erase board. The scenes below are each boy’s interpretation of the subject “the ocean”:
We arrived home safe and sound on the 4th of July, to celebrate with family and friends.
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