Keweenaw Peninsula 2021 

Was born and raised in Michigan, grew up in the 50s and 60s, mastering the skills of hunting, fishing, all season camping, hiking, swimming, canoeing, skiing (cross country), skating, hockey, baseball. We all did the same. If you stayed away from Detroit and Chicago life was grand. Educated at PennState and after a 24 yr career in the US Army I ended up in retirement in Washington State. In recent years I’ve seen the power and greed of land developers tied with corrupt government officials and dishonest politicians virtually destroy tens of thousands of acres of natural pristine environments in the foothills and valleys west of the Cascades to the Sound and peninsula. The purpose is to build new communities, homes, massive warehousing, and shopping centers to accommodate arriving new populations. It is not at all ending well here. I hope the good people of Michigan’s UP will be able to push back the greed and power of land developers!

Thanks this monologue has more information than Four years of any college in any faculty!

I took an impromptu, unplanned trip up by myself to the Porcupine Mountains/Ontonogon then the Keweenaw back in October of 2019. Just packed up after work one Thursday and started driving north. It was the best trip I ever took. The fall colors were the most incredible I'd ever seen and all the little towns seemed abandoned as most residents had fled for the winter, which I had no idea how much snowfall they get. I stopped at Great Sand Bay, Eagle Harbor Lighthouse, Brockway Mountain overlook, and I drove as far out to the tip of the peninsula on the dirt road past Copper Harbor as I possibly could. Just blown away by the scenery and the tranquility.

The UP as a whole is amazing. My whole family is originally from there. ☺️

What a fantastic presentation!

Thank you for creating, and sharing, this informational piece about this special place. I love this area, have explored it a bit, and am eagerly looking forward to returning.

This is positively phenomenal! THANK YOU!

The Keweenaw needs to be protected from being “discovered” again. The 19th century discovery deforested and mined the land to scar it forever. It’s still quite a beautiful place as you have presented here. I’ve been there several times a year since 2005 and still barely know it.

This brings about strong feelings of nostalgia. I'm a Michigan Tech alumnus and I fell in love with the area during my time there.

Beautiful presentation of wonderful information and gorgeous sights! Thank you for this! ❤️🌲🌊 🌬🍃☀️❤️

beautiful views and great presentation. thank you for putting this together.

Beautiful country been all over the UP of Michigan. Spent a lot of time in Ironwood cross country skiing at ABR. Perfect snow conditions and grooming for the perfect Skiing. Collected copper from mine tailings. Lake superior was almost all frozen one year but there was open water between Marquette and Munising. It was 10 below and a conveyor belt lake affect snow dumped over 2 feet of snow in Munising. All roads were closed I was stuck for three days and hung out with the Rangers and had a lot of fun. Best way to get around was with a fat bike. Excellent video thank you and love the Geology.

Thanks so much for doing this incredible video! My husband and sons and I did the Circle Tour of Lake Superior several years ago, and spent 2 unforgettable days and nights in Copper Harbor, exploring the area a little bit. We loved it so much that we were really upset at having to leave. My husband and I were born and raised in Superior, Wisconsin, and grew up hearing the weather reports about the Keweenaw Peninsula and seeing it on the weather map all through our childhood. When you live anywhere on that Great Lake, weather reports are extremely important, lol! We’ve never been back, bc we know how hard it is to leave, and living there, or even near there, just isn’t in our cards. I’ll never forget it, ever.

Far out man! What a great report. It's good to know the rock we stand on, thank you!

Having spent a summer working as a Ranger Interpreter, on Isle Royal, I have a very dear love for this area and appreciate this great video.

Thank you so much for this video. In 1991 I moved to the UP allowing for easier access to the northern reaches of Michigan and Canada. I love the Keweenaw and am interested in anything I can learn about the geology of this beautiful and fascinating place. I am actually glad it is not better known and that it takes extra effort to get to. I hope it can remain pristine. It is full of treasures. I may yet drive up there again before the snow flies this year.

Liked and subscribed from California. Your content is first rate !

I live half an hours drive from the Columbia River Gorge and I'm jealous of what you guys have in your backyard, just beautiful.

Thank you for the excellent video. It's been over 60 years since I was last up there - hard to believe!

Thank you for this wonderful piece. My wife and I honeymooned along Lake Superior in the UP more than 25 years ago, and took our kids for a tour just a few years ago. The Keweenaw is a wonderful place with so much to explore.

Thank you very much. This is a wonderful presentation.

You just convinced me to ride with my beloved ADV bike to that peninsula someday from Quebec City. I want to reach out to Duluth - Sup and back via Two Harbors, Thunder Bay and the northern shores.. Had the chance to ride Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island on great Huron, but Superior is… superior! Great great geological insight and superb footage.

Wonderful video, amazing geology! Great job

I want to see the rest of the peninsula now. Wonderful geology. I never knew of the mid-continent rift. The St. Croix River flows right through it.

Grew up in Thunder Bay. Now live near Chicago. I’ve been thinking of visiting this area. Thanks for the informative video and the drone video as I have one myself.

As a child I spent many summers on the Kiweenaw at Bete Gris. The sand on the beach " sings," when you walk on it. In the early 1960's there still were operating copper mines when I was there. We would search the huge piles of mine tailings for nuggets of pure copper with some success.

Very concise, kudos. I like the visual aspect of this video as it mirrors the stories my aunts and uncles would tell of their life as children in Douglas County, Wis, early 1900's, before moving to Oregon; harsh - indeed. I'm truly blessed to be standing on basalt rock layed down 6,700 years ago.

Great video...good drone footage, gives a bit more perspective. Would love to have had one in the 70's when I was studying the geology of the UP

Exquisite production. Thank you for sharing this priceless work.

Stumbled across this video and RU-vidr today. Excellent content. Subscribed!

Thirty years aga, I ventured north from Chicago to discover Lake Superior and was enchanted by it. The journey was long and the opportunities few both on account of work and weather, but the pristine nature of this location should not be lost to development. The harshness of the winters will probably protect her. Together with my wife, we camped at a camping place on the shore. I brought my windsurfer from Lake Michigan to a part of the world that had never seen that kind of craft. A boat or two curious over the craft followed me, but what enthralled me was the clarity of the water as I could easily see 100 feet to the bottom if not more!

Great geological video, spent several trips there over the years. Saw my first timber wolf near Copper Harbor. Collected nineteenth century bottles in the old mining dumps and float copper and maul stones in the ancient Native American mining pits. Enjoyed visiting Fort Wilkins and its 1840s history. I recommend it highly for a vacation destination. Houghton Michigan is a great town to explore as well. Mine tours were excellent and copper specimens are beautiful to collect.

A wonderful history lesson! A former resident of Marquette.

Fascinating video. Well done! Thank you for posting it. My Wife and I recently visited the peninsula for a few days that book-ended a trip to Isle Royale. We visited the top of Brockway mountain, a copper mine and of course Fort Wilkins. This video makes me want to plan another trip!

Cool video. Never knew about the old shorelines in Bete Gris.

Packed with great info and killer shots! Thank you kindly for taking the time to make this. Cheers from upstate NY

I really enjoyed this video, thank you.

Stunning documentary !!! as a kid we sailed all the peninsula alot , and couldn't get enough of the diverse ecosystems and beaches , from Saxon bay to copper harbor... the copper harbor marina was cozy when that lake got silly , also nice people of course .. Went into a few copper mine tours , simply amazing . Maple syrup spots , big deer too. Being from Minnesota , Michigan's upper peninsula definitely a two thumbs up , although the apostle island's are probably the best for boat adventure and anchorages on the big lake .

Great presentation. Going to plan a trip. Keep up the great work

Thank you for sharing such a beautiful place.

Thank you for such a great video, your voice and speech is perfect for the video. It reminds me of the great speakers we all once had doing the news during the years of Walter Cronkite and the like.

Beautiful film. Thanks for sharing!

I loved this. I’ve been to the Keweenaw Peninsula a few times, but your video draws me there again. Perhaps this summer…

Great video. I love that area.

Excellent video! As a native Michigander, I really miss the UP and the Lakes.

Thanks, great video and narration. I find your video to be an educational mini vacation.

The late Detroit weatherman Sonny Elliott use to "tweak" the Keweenaw Peninsula sometimes during his nightly broadcasts.

I've lived in the UP most of my life and have worked in the Keweenaw (known locally as the Copper Country) for over 30 years, so I really enjoyed this. A few helpful corrections in the interest of accuracy, if I may: * Houghton is pronounced "HO-tun" * The road over Brockway Mountain is not the highest in elevation between the Rockies and the Alleghenies. The Black Hills are the highest mountain range between them and there are plenty of roads over 5000 feet. In fact every road in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico east of the Rockies is higher than Brockway Mountain Drive. The highest point in Michigan is Mt Arvon, which is southeast of the Keweenaw in Baraga County and is 1979 feet high. * Isle Royale is part of Michigan and is a US National Park. It's pronounced as if it were spelled "Isle Royal." Fantastic drone footage of our beautiful UP! Thanks for posting.

Marvelous! Thank you for posting

To get there from Fort Myers, Florida, take route 41 (Tamiami Trail) north all the way to the end. Also check out the fort. Don't forget your bike. There are great areas to cycle. Maybe just do the entire route...

If I really wanted to live in the middle of nowhere, Northern Wisconsin would be high on my list, but not without good insulation and very reliable generator. It's truly awesome country and I really appreciate it, but at heart I am a city person.

This 14 minute video tells the story along with stunning drone photography. When relaxing check it you’ll see why I love it 👍

Good content, thanks!

Brockway Mountain is far from the highest elevation roadway between the Rockies and Alleghenies. There are many areas in the western UP and the arrowhead of MN that are higher than Brockway not just on hilltops but broad areas with highways running through them. Not to mention the great plains slope gradually upwards to about 5,000ft before they hit the rockies. Brockway is 1,320ft.

My dad is from the Keweenaw. I’ve been there many times on snowmobile trips and dirt bike rides. It is fascinating and beautiful.

That was very good, thank you! In my tour around the Keweenaw, I noticed many types of beaches, sands and shorelines. So interesting! I hope you do a Part 2 🤞I was glued to my screen 😂

Thanks so much for this wonderful vid. My paternal line comes from Keweenaw. My great grandfather, grandfather and great uncles worked in or about the Calumet and Hecla mines. My great grandfather Theodore Krogh emigrated to the area in the 1870's. I live in Pennsylvania but I've visited the peninsula several times and have also been to Isle Royale a number of times, once traversing Supeior from the upper inlet to the island in a 24 ft boat. Quite an adventure! My two brothers and a niece graduated from Michigan Tech. Again, thanks.

Very beautiful area; video well done. Keweenaw had a launch site for sounding rockets from 1964-1971. I believe a few of the remnants of this facility (launch pads) are still there; but overgrowth has reclaimed most of this.

Isle Royale is a US National Park in Michigan. It is pronounced royal, due to the British occupation replacing the French. I backpacked there in 1972. We camped at the F.J. McLain State Park on the shore of Lake Superior in Hancock, MI, near Houghton.

Excellent video! I thoroughly enjoy this region and it's an incredibly unique place.

Great video,,,,,THANX!!!! 👍👍👍

Don't take this the wrong way. When I first heard your voice, I thought this might be a snoozefest. But I was captivated by your use of maps, charts, pics and videos. And I liked your narration as it was clear and concise. Also loved the use of your drone. My grandfather grew up in Mass City and I remember it as a child. I'd love to come back and explore this peninsula. Can't wait for your Keweenaw Peninsula 2022 video, haha!

Very interesting! I hope to visit next summer or fall.

Not sure how l got here but really informative. I wish more RU-vid videos were like this

Thank you for this very interesting video.

Hi from New Zealand!🇳🇿Very interesting doco!

Excellent video!! Very informative

Thank you for the information you've shared in this video.

Fantastic, I found that very interesting thank you

Isle Royal is actually considered a National Park in Keweenaw County, Michigan not Ontario Canada. This is a great video of my native Yooperland aka God’s Country. I miss scuba diving in Lake Superior, going up to Copper Harbor, Brockway Mountain and Porcupine Mountains towards Ontonagon.

I grew up just a half hour south of copper harbor. Live the place. Could easily move back. Caught many a fish and hunted many of.the ridges in the video. FYI...isle Royale is a national park, part of Michigan , not Ontario. My grandpa owned a charter boat in copper harbor itself, probably in the 50s thru 70s. I got back at least once a year. This makes me a bit homesick👍

Awesome video!! I've only seen it in the winter. I love the UP

My son and I go to the Keweenaw every year on the Wednesday of Christmas Break. In 2020, there was very little snow that week--around 5 inches. In fact, the snow gauge was untouched by snow because it starts at 8 inches.

Nice work on the video Sir. Many thanks.

I was born and raised in the U.P great place to live.

Fascinating stuff. I'd love to see you do a video on the north shore of Superior.

very interesting and well done

Nice job! Perfect voice for narration

Very informative video, thank you!

Thank You very much. I learned a lot.

Pretty cool history lesson!! Thanks so much! I wonder if one can camp along the beach there. Looks so wonderful😀

Wow, thank you for showing us the beauty and explanation of the unusual geology in my home state! The formation of the Horseshoe Harbor makes me think of another meaning to the currently popular phrase from the movie "Tenet;" another example of a "temporal pincer."

My family started there in the 1870's some are still there. Interesting to note they weren't Finnish but Welch.

Nice and informative, although correction is needed if I heard correctly, Isle Royale is part of Michigan, U.S. not Ontario. Also absolutely the thimble berries that grow there. Believe the berries only grow in a few stated, UP in Michigan and top northwest and northeast.

My family is from this region and it is so strange to see it spoken about so scientifically haha. I have never been to Bete Grise Bay and now I really want to go.

Great vid. We spend time every summer up there. Quick correction though. The Black Hills … and countless other roads in other areas between the Rockies and Appalachia are at a higher elevation than anything in Michigan. Brockway Mountain has an elevation of 1328ft (and is not even the highpoint of Michigan which is Mt Arvon: 1979ft … and you can drive to the top) the city of Sioux Falls, SD for example.sits at 1470ft.

Very informative. Thank You!

So beautiful.

Well done!

Isle Royal is not in Canada, it is part of the same Keweenaw County that is in the state of Michigan.......same as the peninsula this video is all about!

An additional 50 videos can be seen on the Northern Forest Atlas website here: northernforestatlas.org

Great job!! Thanks!!!

We base camp at van ripper state park and daytrip in all directions. They have family friendly facilities. Great area to get out and explore

I live down state it's my wish to learn more about the u.p.

This was a treat

God's country greatest place on earth.....

Michigan lost out on claiming Toledo and the skewy southern border with Indian and Ohio (supposed to be a straight line drawn across the lowest of Lake Erie and Lake Michigan). Well Michigan won out with the UP as a consolidation prize. The then territory of Wisconsin probably felt this was their land.

Excellent video!!

Just as a quick correction: the largest city on the Keweenaw is pronounced "Hoe-ton," not "Haw-ton," named after Douglass Houghton, the "father of copper mining in the United States." Isle Royale is also pronounced "Isle Royal" and not "Isle Royalle."

What is a "harbor of refuge?" This was a fantastic production. I really enjoyed it!