8 Days Jeep Camping on Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

The start of the west or the end of the east? As the long days of summer arrive, I drive my '22 Rubicon 800 miles from Westchester County, NY to Michigan's Upper Peninsula, exploring the back country and shoreline of the Great Lakes. In the evening, I cook and pop the camper top when it's time to drift off.

Jeep camping in a thunder storm on Lake Michigan, digging for copper in the Keweenaw Peninsula, and kayaking Pictured Rocks on Lake Superior are all part of the adventure. So is a respiratory bug and fever, which adds more challenge.

Summer in northern Michigan is paradise and I'm happy I had the chance to live it for a few days. Hope you join me!

Places:
Mosquito Lake Campground, Ohio
Bay County Pinconning Park, Michigan
Lake Michigan dispersed camping, Michigan
Perkins Campground, Michigan
Caledonia Copper Mine, Michigan
Bay Furnace Campground, Michigan
Baraga Lakeside Inn, Michigan
Pictured Rocks Kayaking, Michigan

Gear:
Dometic GO Hydration Water Faucet

Music:
Selah/They Dream By Day
Pllars/Hushed
Southern Sun/Walt Adams
Tranquility Sphere/Francis Wells
Findings/August Willhelmsson

[billclisham]

The UP is one of those places that creep into your soul and make you never want to leave again.

[clockbuilderhg]

I grew up camping in the UP, and still do solo trips up there several times a year. It's where I find my adventure. I never get tired of it. Thanks for checking it out!

[hendu]

I like the mouth of the 2-Hearted River. Its back in off the paved road and went thru a pretty substantial forest fire years back but man, once you get there, its pretty epic.

[ictre]

Make sure and go all the way up the Keweenaw when you’re there next. The northern half is very special. Houghton/Hankock, Copper Harbor, Fort Wilkins, High Rock Bay dispersed camping, Jampot.. the list is huge. Take the road that hugs the NW shore of Superior on the way up, through Eagle River and Eagle Harbor. On the way back take the state highway that runs right through the spine - it is a dark canopy of trees the last twenty or so miles into and out of Copper Harbor.

Farther west the Porcupine Mountains and Lake of the Clouds are must-sees, but that’s the far west end of the UP.

[timw]

I went to college in the U. P. and live it. Brought back a lot of memories! Great documentation of your trip. Except…it’s “pasty”, like “nasty” ( but they are so good! - and pasties are an entirely different thing 😁), and it’s “L’anse”, and “Munising”, like…you-uh-sing. Thanks for the video!

[AChildofLightHEATHER]

Well, I've lived in MI all my life, been all over the lower and upper parts, saw many beautiful spots, and I have to say for an outsider you did a great job showing her off 😊God bless

[livingthebetterway]

Thanks for the video. We are planning a trip next summer to the UP - towing our Jeep with our motorhome. We will be hitting the Jeep Badge of Honor on Drummond Island and then spending a week or two touring the UP.

[timdogg]

Great video! Glad you enjoyed our beautiful state!

[IdleOutdoors]

Loved this video. Being in the UP has always been a different feel than anywhere in the state.

[luketdrifter]

Welcome. Love your set up. Perfect for this place. So many amazing places to see.

[AngelaJoyAdventures]

Wow, VERY nicely done video. Sorry you were sick for part of it. Even though I live here, I still enjoy watching other people's videos and sometimes find new places to explore. :)

[TonyStark-orer]

Beautiful! Great cinematography…thanks for sharing! Looks like an amazing place to explore.

[marjpatten]

God bless you for taking me back to my up of Michigan

[kentonseydellaolcp]

Thanks for the tip on turning off the headlights and horn. Nice to be nice to other campers and the stealth aspect.

[sappervet]

I love living im michigan for the beauty. Getting ready to go on another trip again soon

[TheZipeedoo]

Nicely edited video. As others have mentioned, you missed some of the more spectacular spots, especially in the northwest portion of the UP.

Linguistic tip from a lifelong Yooper: "Pasty" rhymes with "nasty", not "hasty". And a true Yooper would NEVER ruin a pasty with gravy. Ketchup, or nothing. The classic combo is a pasty (with sides of coleslaw and a dill pickle), and a 6-pack. It's called a "Yooper 7-course meal". As a kid growing up in the UP, the pasty is an all-purpose food. Boy scout or youth group outing? Mom throws a pasty in a bag with some cookies and a bottle or two of water and you're fed for a day. Kids eat them at ambient temperature, meaning even in winter we eat them.

The Big Two Hearted River is lovely, and of course Hemingway wrote a short story using that name as its title. But a bit west and south you'll find the Fox River, which flows south (Big Two Hearted flows north). It passes under M-28 at Seney. In the early part of the season when the water is high you can canoe it all the way to Manistique. Locals know that Hemingway actually fished in the Fox River, not the Big Two Hearted. He used the Big Two Hearted in his short story title because it's more poetic sounding, but also because he didn't want people finding out his fishing spots.

As you learned, "L'anse" rhymes with "schwantz", not "chance". It has French Canadian roots. Though the largest ethnic group in the UP generally is Finnish, there is a sizeable French Canook presence in the UP. My neighborhood had a lot of Finn names like Aartilla, Maki, Sampala, Lahti, Rintomaki, Rajala, Lahtinen, Pelto, Aho, etc., but we also had French Canadian names like L'Hillier, Lancour, DesJardins, etc.

[UBDSLO]

Wow, what a great video of your adventure to the UP of MI!!! I live in the lower Northwest MI and tend to take the area for granted. Thank you for sharing your trip!

[bethbmcg]

Epic journey! Such a beautiful area and so many great shots. Great video!

[shepherdsvoice]

Thats quite the set up you have going with your jeep! Great videos of the area that you took to adventure in! Next time, you need to stop and see the Tahquamenon (Tah-kwah-meh-non) Falls! An absolute must see when exploring the U.P.! They are between Newberry and Paradise. There is an Upper and Lower falls and there is a place to camp there as well! With a nice Brewery/eatery with excellent food!
There were also some pretty cool Falls in Munising as well. The Horse Shoe Falls are pretty neat! Lots to expore up here in what we call "God's country"!😊

[theconsultant]

Best White Fish Dinner I ever had was in Grand Marais Michigan. The little bar there in town has the best Ice Cold Beer/Soft Drinks, and fresh white fish. I love it up there.