Porcupine Mountains Ultimate Travel Guide
The Porcupine Mountains are a pretty underrated spot in the Midwest if you ask me! They’re located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and truly a nature lover’s paradise filled with forests, hiking trails, cascading waterfalls, and breathtaking views of Lake Superior. I lay out tips for exploring the Porcupine Mountains, also known as The Porkies, hikes, and a few extra things to do in the area!
Know ahead of time:
The Porkies requires you to have a Michigan Recreation Pass. Depending on if you are a Michigan resident or non-Michigan resident, or if you want daily versus yearly passes, it can range from $12 – $42.
You will need cash or check to enter the Porkies. There’s no way to purchase an entry fee online. I was there one day before anyone was working the entry station so I left cash in an envelope. The only entry area that takes credit cards is the station near Lake of the Clouds so make sure you have some cash on you!
I went during the Fall time so I can’t speak for every season but the traffic got really hectic by early afternoon. There was a crazy line to get into the Lake of the Clouds area that a lot of people just started parking outside of it and hiking up the road. I would suggest visiting Lake of the Clouds before 10am or later afternoon.
There is barely any service in the Porkies. I would recommend downloading offline maps and downloading trails you plan on doing before reaching that area.
Plan at least 2 days to explore The Porkies.
Where to Stay
I stayed in a cheap Airbnb in Bessemer, MI that was a good middle point to get to everything that I wanted to do. There are tons of campgrounds, cabins, hotels, motels, and Airbnb’s in the area but you do need to book pretty far in advance for a lot of the nicer places or good camping spots. My recommendation is to stay in an area that makes it easy to access the mountains. Good cities include: Ironwood, Bessemer, Wakefield, Bergland, White Pine, or Ontonagon.
Hikes
Escarpment Trail
This is hands down my favorite trail in The Porkies. You get stunning views most of the way of Lake of the Clouds and Carp River! You can start this trail at Lake of the Clouds or at the Government Peak Trail entrance. It’s an in and out trail that’s got a decent amount of up and down elevation.
I started this trail at Lake of the Clouds and would recommend that route. I did complete the full in and out trail but if you want to make it a little shorter and avoid some of the toughest elevation, you could skip the last mile and turn around to head back to Lake of the Clouds. The last mile is woods with no views and when you start from Lake of the Clouds, it’s all downhill for you to just turn around and then do a bunch of uphill back. I wanted to complete the full trail but in the future I’d probably skip that last part.
West & East River Trail Loop
If you love hikes surrounding water, this is the one for you! It loops around Presque Isle River, with lots of waterfalls and views of Lake Superior. The Presque Isle River Trail just runs you along the West side and is shorter but I think it’s worth doing the loop of the West & East side because some of the views are better on the East side in my opinion!
Summit Peak Observation Tower
If you want the best overlook of the entire Porkies then this is the trail to hit! You’ll see acres of forest with Lake Superior popping out in the background. There’s quick elevation with this one but it’s so short that it’s not too bad. If I had more time I would have added on either doing the whole Summit Peak Trail loop or the South Mirror Lake Trail.
Union Mine Trail
I did this trail to see the Little Union Gorge Falls, unfortunately there were no falls when I was there because it hadn’t rained enough recently, BUT the quick little hike was a ton of fun because it had little placards that followed journal entries from the 1850s of the original miner. I also really enjoyed the river that was one of the clearest/cleanest rivers I’ve seen! Although the Little Union Gorge Falls was nonexistent, there were other baby falls along the way that made this hike surprisingly fun!
Other Things to do in and around the porkies
#1 – Visit Porkies Winter Sports Complex
Mostly known as a ski resort The Porkies Winter Sports Complex offers plenty of other options! If you’re visiting during the Fall, you can ride the ski lift to the top. I didn’t end up doing this because it was raining when I was there. They also have a disc golf course, fat tire biking paths, cross-country skiing, and of course skiing and snowboarding in the winter! More info here
#2 – Get your picture in front of the iconic Porcupine Mountains sign
This one comes with a caveat, the sign was actually stolen the night after I saw it in the flesh (October 3, 2026)! As I write this, there’s a search out for it right now, but hopefully it is found and restored soon and if so, make sure you get a picture in front of it! This sign is (was) located along Union Bay, near the road that takes you up to Lake of the Clouds.
#3 – Drive Black River Road
This road will have you pass multiple easy trails to see waterfalls like: Potawotomi, Gorge, Rainbow Falls, and more. At the end of the road you’ll reach Lake Superior! You also pass Copper Peak which was under construction when I was there but it’s the world’s largest ski jumping hill!
#4 – Black River Harbor Recreation Area
This area offers a great spot for lunch, a sweet lift bridge, hiking, access to Black River Harbor Beach where you can hunt for agates and more! I thought this was going to be a quick stop but I ended up spending a decent amount of time here! There is a $5 daily fee and you need cash here too!
#5 – Big Powderhorn Mountain
Since this was a Fall trip, nothing was open when I was there but it was so fun to check it out and see the Fall colors from the road! I do want to get back to snowboard here in the winter sometime!
#6 – Interstate Falls
These waterfalls are right on the border of Michigan and Wisconsin with a very easy 0.7 mile trail. The trail takes you along a river with a few baby waterfalls along the way until you get to the Interstate Falls. Trail info here
