Calumet Visitor Center - Keweenaw National Historical Park

We continued our July 2016 trip to Lake Superior with a visit to the Keweenaw National Historical Park. The park currently consists of twenty-one heritage sites on the Keweenaw Peninsula. Instead of being run by the park service, most of the heritage sites are operated by cooperating organizations that have varying admission fees.

Our first objective was to find the Calumet Visitor Center. Is is located in the historic downtown district and not on the highway. This wouldn't normally be a problem, but the park service signs directed us to a road that was closed for reconstruction. After wandering around the beautiful town for a bit, we found the visitor center and lots of free parking next door.

The visitor center is located in the historical Union Building in Calumet. Besides the usual information desk, bookstore, and restrooms, the visitor center houses a three story museum that does a fantastic job of explaining the history of the copper industry on the peninsula. An elevator is available for visitors that need it. An excellent 14-minute video entitled Risk and Resilience plays in a small theater on the second floor. The video explores the rise and fall of the copper industry and the resilience of the people then and now to make a living on the Upper Peninsula in general and on the Keweenaw Peninsula specifically. In my opinion, this is one of the best visitor centers in the entire park system.

Visitor Center from 5th and Scott Streets

Visitor Center from 5th Street

Bookstore

First floor exhibits

Second floor exhibits

Third floor exhibits and meeting room

Exhibit Hall

1908 YMCA building is now a parking lot

Auditorium on the third floor

Stairs retrofitted into the building

Entry to the Calumet visitor center is free. However, many organizations partnering with Keweenaw National Historical Park have admission fees for their sites.

The park website is https://www.nps.gov/kewe.

Houghton Visitor Center - Isle Royale National Park

The Isle Royale National Park visitor center in Houghton, Michigan is unique in that is is more than 50 miles from the park. Situated on the Portage Canal, the visitor center is part of the winter headquarters complex for the park. The summer headquarters is on Mott Island about four miles southwest of the Rock Harbor Lodge. While the island and park is closed from November 1 until April 15, the headquarters staff and year-round rangers relocate to Houghton. The home port for Ranger III is also at Houghton, just across the driveway from the visitor center.

Although housed in a double-wide office trailer, the visitor center contains most of the usual amenities including restrooms, information desk, bookstore/giftshop, and a small seating area for viewers of the park's video presentation entitled An Island Wilderness.

Some of the unique signage style of Isle Royale

Exterior information kiosk

Visitor Center

Bookstore and information desk

Supplies for rebuilding boardwalks

Park offices

NPS Barge Beaver

Buildings across the Portage Canal in Hancock

Entry to Isle Royale National Park is free. However, the park charges a daily user fee of $4 per adult (over 11 years) per calendar day. This fee is not covered by the Interagency Annual Pass, Interagency Senior Pass, or the Interagency Access Pass. In addition, this is the only national park that completely closes for the winter. The island is closed from November 1 through April 15.

The park website is https://www.nps.gov/isro.

Return to Copper Harbor on the Isle Royale Queen IV - Isle Royale National Park

Our July 2016 visit to Isle Royale National Park concluded with a return trip to Copper Harbor aboard the Isle Royale Queen IV.

Rock Harbor Lodge

Another view of Rock Harbor Lodge and Isle Royale

Cloud patterns above Lake Superior

The Keweenaw Penninsula comes into view

Cirrus clouds above the lake

Clouds and light

Cumulonimbus clouds above the penninsula

Placid water as we near the penninsula

Channel marker

Lighthouse and radio beacon

Entry to Isle Royale National Park is free. However, the park charges a daily user fee of $4 per adult (over 11 years) per calendar day. This fee is not covered by the Interagency Annual Pass, Interagency Senior Pass, or the Interagency Access Pass. In addition, this is the only national park that completely closes for the winter. The island is closed from November 1 through April 15.

The park website is https://www.nps.gov/isro.

Rock Harbor to Tobin Harbor - Isle Royale National Park

The roundtrip walk from the Rock Harbor Visitor Center to the Tobin Harbor seaplane dock and boat rental area is about 0.3 miles. We walked over to Tobin Harbor just to see what was there during our July 2016 visit to Isle Royale National Park. Tobin Harbor is the quieter side of the Rock Harbor area as the low ridge blocks most of the noise of the passenger ferries and supply vessels. It is also much more sheltered from the weather than Rock Harbor.

A single-lane paved road leads up the hill from the visitor center

To reach Tobin Harbor, turn left here onto the Tobin Harbor Trail

Follow the wide gravel trail to the first junction...

...and turn right on the obviously more traveled trail

Pass some of the ten cabins that are available for rent

Head down the packed gravel trail toward the water

A kiosk provides information for visitors arriving by personal boat

An unnamed islet west of the dock in Tobin Harbor

An unnamed islet northeast of the dock

Rental kayaks and canoes

The park service has cleared off part of the hillside above the dock

Entry to Isle Royale National Park is free. However, the park charges a daily user fee of $4 per adult (over 11 years) per calendar day. This fee is not covered by the Interagency Annual Pass, Interagency Senior Pass, or the Interagency Access Pass. In addition, this is the only national park that completely closes for the winter. The island is closed from November 1 through April 15.

The park website is https://www.nps.gov/isro.