Speakers Cabin Porcupine Mountains

If you want a minimal effort, maximum backwoods fun trip Speaker’s Cabin has you covered.

It’s just under a mile walk to your own private cabin on Lake Superior. You can’t really go wrong with any cabin in the Porkies, but Speakers Cabin, IMO, has the best view, the easiest walk-in, and privacy.

The last time I was here was 6 years ago. For the most part, it’s the same setup. There was a flood of Speaker’s Creek in 2016 which caused erosion along the creek edge. After this, the cabin was moved back 20 feet from the creek to avoid future floods. The great news, the zombie flies I mentioned before have abated significantly. 

This weekend we are here with 2 other friends putting us at the 4 person limit. Speakers is a nice size for 4. Space to cook, a woodstove for heat, a big table, and 4 bunks. Wood for the fire is gathered from around the cabin. Thankfully the last group left us a decent amount of dry wood and we returned the favor for the next group.

Although I've yet to use it, my favorite part is the fire ring overlooking Lake Superior. On a cool night, it would be epic to watch the stars or northern lights around the fire. In the summer, the creek and lake would be great for swimming.

The downside of Speakers is that it’s a bit cut off from the main trail system. It’s possible to hike anywhere in the park from the North Country Trail, the trail running by the cabin, but getting to the heart of the park is a long journey.

On the flip side, Speaker’s Cabin is the closest cabin to the Presque Isle side of the park. Personally, I highly recommend the hike from the cabin to the Presque Isle River and the waterfalls through the Hemlock forest. The trail from the cabin to the falls is lightly traveled through the moody forest. At approximately 5 miles round trip, it's a nice length to pack a picnic and lounge around the falls area.

Links:

• Speakers TH (Google Maps)

• Route to cabin (Gaia GPS)

• Day hike to Presque Isle River (Gaia GPS)

• Permit Pick-up (Google Maps)

• Backcountry Map (MI DNR)

• Porcupine Mts Website (MI DNR)

McKeever Cabin

I’ve been feeling a little stuck in Madison this winter. I’ve been doing a lot of cross country skiing since I (foolishly?) signed up for the 55km Birkie ski race, but I’ve been lacking in backcountry adventures.

Luckily, my uncle suggested we try the McKeever cabin in the UP. It’s only a 1.33 miles snowshoe back to the cabin but it’s a great cure for my backcountry craving. Wide open skies, freshly groomed trails, toasty fires and backcountry bloodies, it’s even better than I expected.

I wasn’t sure what to expect on the ski front, it says groomed on the website but you just never know. Turns out they were excellent! They are groomed approx. once a week. We were lucky enough to have that day fall on our first day there. Not a huge trail system but three nice loops kept me satisfied. The cabin is situated in the middle of them, which means a mid-ski stop for snacks and a bloody mary.

The cabin itself is small, has four bunks and a nice woodburning stove. It’s similar to the ones in the Porcupine Mountains on the other side of the peninsula. The stove is either on full blast or not on so it’s a bit a of a trick getting it just right. The best is there is an old hand water pump that works in the winter. A huge bonus. No melting snow for water. We met a ranger who stopped by to test the water, which they do every month, and she confirmed it was safe to drink unfiltered.

I also go to dust off the pulk I built for a Thanksgiving Hut trip a few years back. It was much easier to pull on the mostly level trail vs up the side of a mountain in Colorado. Shocking.

I credit my uncle for inspiring my love of the outdoors, especially backcountry pursuits. He taught me many skills but also to not to take it too seriously. And never, ever, skimp on food. For this trip we had bloodies, ribs and a smorgasbord of other delights. On past trips we’ve had backcountry surf & turf and tacos. It’s always great to get out there with him (and my cousin!). He’s 68 and still crushing it. Champion.

If you go:

• McKeever Cabin winter TH

• Maps: Caltopo / Gaia

• McKeever Cabin FS info

• McKeever Ski Trail Map

Pictured Rocks Group Trip

The North Country Trail through the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is one of my favorite stretches of trail. Part of that is due to the scenery and part is due to the fact that I’ve been coming up here since before I can remember.  

Last year I did the whole 43 mile stretch in one go for the first time. This year we’re doing 36.4 miles from Miners Castle to Au Sable Falls. There is a hiker shuttle that runs between Munising and Grand Marais, but with a group the car shuttle is pretty easy, the trailheads are only about an hour apart.

We got started just after lunch and headed the 5 miles to Mosquito Beach Campground. The next morning we broke camp and started the walk by climbing to the top of the Pictured Rocks themselves. The forecast called for a front coming in from the north sometime in the late morning. Sure enough around 10am a bank of clouds started building to the northwest. For the next hour we watched the clouds inch closer until suddenly they were upon us. The temps dropped about 20 degrees and the winds picked up to gale force, it was awesome.

Sure I’d prefer the warmer, sunnier temps but witnessing the sudden transition really reminds you who is in control. The wind continued through the rest of the day and made for a dramatic sunset over the lake at the Beaver Creek Campground where we spent night 2.

It was a cool and drizzly morning on day 3. Last year I had the pleasure of calm weather and was able to walk a large stretch of twelvemile mile beach along the beach itself. This time around we stuck to the forest.

The highlight of the day was the surprise that I knew was coming. For the most part the trail stays a few miles off the main road through the park but near the Au Sable Lighthouse the trail nears the road. Before meeting with 2 members of our group a friend and I managed to stash some beers under a log just off the trail. Nearing the end of our day the team was tired, hungry and wet. When I told my unsuspecting friend to “see what’s under that log...” I got a death stare. But after some coaxing he obliged me and gleefully pulled the bag of beers out. Definitely a morale booster to walk the last two miles of the day with a beer in hand.

The sun came out for our final day and we had good views climbing up to the top of the dunes and down through the forest to our car at Au Sable Falls. We made a beeline for the Dunes Saloon in Grand Marais for a well earned burger and beer before heading back home.

If you go:

• Miners Castle TH (start) / Au Sable Falls TH (end)

• Trail Map

• Pictured Rocks Backcountry Planner

• Al Train Hiker Shuttle

• Dunes Saloon in Grand Marais

A Short Jaunt on the Lake Superior Trail

Getting into the woods with my uncle hardly ever means roughing it. Don’t get me wrong, we did hike 5 miles in to a spot of Lake Superior, so we did something. And considering the circumstances, I’ve been looking forward to this trip for a while.

My Pictured Rocks backpacking trip last November wasn’t supposed to be a solo trip, but my uncle needed emergency heart surgery (he’s fine now, he’s obviously on this trip). After the surgery he made me promise that we’d do a “consolation trip” as soon as he healed.

It’s been six months but I’m not sure spending 3 days backpacking in temps of lower 40s by day and mid 20s by night (not to mention the wind chill never really getting above freezing) is really doctor approved. But for a guy who was bedridden all of cross country ski season I don’t think no was an option.

So back to roughing it… Food is always central to any trip with my uncle. Night 1 was his meal to cook.

Makes my night #2 fire-cooked tacos look downright pedestrian.

The trip itself was fairly mellow. Walk in to camp on the Lake Superior Trail from the Pinkerton trailhead on day 1, go for a day hike up the Carp River on day 2 and walk out day 3.

The weather up the Carp River Trail was actually very pleasant, near 60 and not windy. Probably would have made the most sense to camp there but there is a certain draw to being near Lake Superior that I can’t shake. The sun was out in the afternoon and even with the wind chill it was nice to look out over the lake, or as my uncle put it “it’s fairly pleasant in the sun, with five layers on.”

I’m not entirely sure what the story is with this, but it makes an appearance at every camp my uncle makes.

If you go:

• Pinkerton TH

• Backcountry Map

• Porcupine Mts Website

New Years in the Porkies

Back to the Porcupine Mountains. Crazy how much difference a month can make. Full winter mode now and today it’s a walk in snowshoes back to the Union River Hut. Not quite enough snow for grooming but more is forecast for tonight so fingers crossed for some good skiing.

Day 2 brings in more snow (yay!) and also the rest of our group for a New Years celebration. Groomers were out rolling (but not tracking) the trails so we have some skiing. Let it be known that the woodstove in the Union River Hut is either on full steam ahead or off. Someone from our group got a little overzealous loading the stove with wood before bed and I woke up in a sauna.

New Years Day the sun was out and we had really nice conditions for skiing. Hardly any activity on the trails besides us and plenty of new snow to ski through. We spent most of the day exploring and enjoying the trails. The West Vista lookout is a tough climb but well worth the views (my phone battery died so no pics).

The last night it was just 4 of us in the hut. Matt and I decided to do one last sunset ski up to the East Vista Overlook. After the sunset we started making our decent back down and stopped outside a warming shelter to get our headlamps out. While we were digging in our packs the door of the warming shelter opened a crack and a man called out “I’ve got a nice fire going in here...” (me: skeptical/possibly creeped out) “...also if you want to help me finish this 6 pack of Hopslam….” Matt turns to me, raises his eyebrow and bolts into the hut. I follow. After a good hour of “helping” our new friend and enjoying the cozy cabin we ski out by moonlight to our hut.

If you go:

• Trailhead and Permit Pick-up

• Backcountry Map

• Porcupine Mts DNR Website

Speakers Cabin - Porcupine Mountains State Park

[Read about my 2021 trip to Speakers Cabin here]

The hike into Speakers Cabin is hardly constitutes a hike (it’s about a mile), but the cabin has arguably the best view of Lake Superior of all the cabins in the Porcupine Mts. It also sits on the Lake Superior Trail making for nice day walks in either direction.

About a foot of snow fall near Summit Peak a few days before had us daydreaming about some snowshoeing, but other than the drive from ranger station to the Speakers Trailhead there was no snow at lake level. (We did learn that our little 2WD RAV4 can power through the snow surprisingly well, yay!)

Arriving at the cabin in late afternoon we cranked up the woodburning stove and got it nice and toasty. Then, glancing through the log book, we noticed multiple warnings to NOT get it too hot. Why? If it gets too toasty hundreds of flies resurrect and delight in the warmth… It was already too late, the buzzing had begun. We spent the rest of the weekend trying to find the sweet spot of keeping warm but not so warm that the flies would come back to life.

After the fly drama we settled into a relaxing night looking at the many guidebooks left in the cabin and a few board games we packed in (the luxuries of a one mile hike).

On day two we did the short 2-ish mile hike to the Presque Isle scenic area. It was fairly flat and had a decent amount of water on the trail, likely from the storm that dumped the snow higher up. The hemlock trees lended a spooky ambiance on an overcast day.

Had lunch at the falls, ambled back to the cabin and were treated to a gorgeous sunset before heading back in to a warm (but not too warm) cabin. The next morning we headed back to the car and back home.

If you go:

• Permit Pick-up (Visitor Center

• Speakers TH

• Backcountry Map

• Porcupine Mts DNR Website

43 Miles in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

I’ve been coming to the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (PRNL) since before I could walk. Over the years I’ve hiked most of the Lakeshore Trail, the 43 mile section of the North Country Trail that runs from Grand Marais to Munising, but this will be the first time I’ve done it in one stretch.

I drove up early to meet the hiker shuttle at the Munising Falls parking lot. After the 45 minute shuttle ride I was dropped off at the Grand Sable Visitor center with a friendly midwestern goodbye paired with the comment “people who hike out here alone are crazy”. Gee thanks…

Two miles in I passed a group of 4 heading back to the Visitor Center. They would be the last people I saw until Munising Falls.

What I’ve always liked about PRNL is the variety of scenery packed into the park. Heading east to west I start in a forest before weaving in and out of view of the sand dunes. At the old log slide the trail follows the ridge down to Au Sable Lighthouse with sweeping views of Lake Superior along the way. Just before dusk I reach the Au Sable East campsite and make camp.

Day 2:

I wake up to a cool damp morning. Skies are still overcast. After a warm breakfast I pack up and head out past the lighthouse. This time of year it’s deserted. I pass through two car campgrounds (the first empty, the second has a single RV but no signs of life as I walk past) before starting the section along Twelvemile Beach.

The trail technically is just inland from the beach but it can be quite soft with sand so I chose to walk on the packed sand near the water. The lake is calm and the walk to the Pine Bluff campsite goes by quickly.

Day 3:

Much sunnier today. I finish the last few miles of the beach and get to the Coves section of the trail. I love this section: lots of secret coves and rock lookouts a short scramble off the trail. I spend way too long sunning myself here and drinking a mid-morning coffee.

Now the trail heads on top of the Pictured Rocks and then down to Chapel Beach. The sun is out and the lake is perfectly still. It’s gotta be 50 if not 55. I can’t resist a swim (it’s Nov 3rd!).

The trail heads back up on the rocks and I catch the sunset there before heading to the (eerily creepy) Mosquito campsite in the dark.

Day 4:

I wake up before sunrise and can’t get back to sleep so I pack up and decide to have breakfast on top of the rocks about two miles into my hike. A bit hazy at the start of the day but hopefully that burns off soon.

On Miners Beach the sun starts to shine and the view through the wild blueberry bushes is stunning. Heading up to Miners Castle I expect to see a few people but the area is empty. From here the trail stays slightly inland and I get only occasional views of the lake. The walking is easy but it’s the most boring section of the trail.

Mid afternoon I reach Munising Falls and soak my feet in the (cold!) stream before heading back home.

If you go:

• Munising Falls TH

• Grand Sable TH

• Hiker shuttle, $25/pp. Best to reserve in advance. I called the day before and they were nice enough to accommodate me but a week notice is recommended.

• Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Backcountry Planner - Great resource for backcountry campsites (with pictures!), trail mileage and general information.