Munising, MI
Population: 2,309
Munising was one of the stops on my trip that I hadn't originally planned on going. I intended on camping somewhere for a couple of nights as I crossed Michigan's Upper Peninsula, or "U-P" for short. However, I first heard of Munising as I was about to leave Saugatuck, and again when I was in Arcadia, and one more time in Charlevoix. It was clear that if I was to go to one town in the UP it should be Munising. Let me just say I am glad I went and explored. There are enough things to do to keep you busy for 24 lifetimes let alone 24 hours of one amazing day.
1-2-3-JUMP!
Lots of families vacation to Munising. They drive pontoon boats from other parts of the Great Lakes system or pack up in an RV for the week. Many of the beaches in the Munising area have cliffs with sloping ledges that you can jump from and into the cold water of Lake Superior. This ledge was one of the higher ones that these boys saw, "we need our man trunks today!"
Munising's Backwoods and Lakseshores
There are 100's of miles of backcountry and wilderness in the UP. Munising is home to some of the best hiking, kayaking, fishing, climbing, and mountain biking in all of Michigan. I spent hours wandering through the woods, and probably spent more of it lost than not. However that was fine with me, you often find unexpected and amazing things when you get the right amount of lost. The shot on the left is taken from where I ended my hike and features Downtown Munising where I started. The photo on the right shows a kayaker enjoying one of the lakes.
East Channel Brewing - Itchee's IPA
Founded in 2016, East Channel only sells in house draft and take home cans and growlers. They pride themselves on being locally owned and ran; just a group of buds working together. The bar was small, yet cozy and inviting. One of the cooler things they do is a mug service for locals. They pay for a personal mug and drink out of it each time they go to the Channel.
Munising Falls
These falls drop about 50 feet over a sandstone cliff. During the winter it freezes and forms an ice columm, but you can't ice climb in this part of Munising. The water from the Falls has been carving out the Munisng area for hundreds of years drop by drop and grain by grain.
Miners Falls
Another one of the falls in the Munising and Picture Rocks area, Miners Falls has a great trail leading up to it that is accessible by both kids and pets. The water is loud as it rushes over the crest of the waterfall. It reminded me how powerful water can be.
Munising, MI
I wish I had more time for Munising. I mean that both in terms of my visit there, and for the length of this post. I was sad to leave Munising, I kept pushing back my departure by "oh, just one more hour," just five more "one more hour"s later I left Munising well past midnight. The drive out of Migchigan and into Wisconsin was one of the longest that night. But come the next morning I was excited to find myself in a new town once again. I knew since day 1 that there were going to be towns I would miss and wanted to stay at longer, but I had to keep on moving.