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Schoolcraft County
Located along the sandy shores of Lake Michigan, Schoolcraft County stretches north past Indian Lake (the second-largest inland lake in the U.P.), almost to Lake Superior. From misty sunrise to constellation-glimmering night, this is a natural playground for the wave wader to the most avid outdoors enthusiast.
ANIMAL KINGDOM
You don’t have to go far from the charming shops of historic downtown Manistique to find the wild side of Schoolcraft County. A nearly 2-mile boardwalk takes you along Lake Michigan with its abundance of shore birds. Your walk will end at Manistique East Breakwater Light and fishing pier where you can cast your line for steelhead and salmon in the spring and fall or watch some of the most stunning sunsets all year. Or choose to go north from Lake Michigan and explore thousands of acres teeming with wildlife. It’s enthralling to watch otters slide down riverbanks, osprey soar across azure skies, or to spy elusive wolves, minks or beavers. Hike, paddle or ride an ATV in spring, summer and fall. Cross Country ski, snowshoe or snowmobile on trail systems from Indian Lake State Park to the Hiawatha National Forest. And while every season uses a palette of colors, fall drenches the landscape in the most brilliant golds and reds imaginable.
BRAGGING RIGHTS
Ripley’s “Believe It or Not” once featured the county’s amazing “Siphon Bridge,” which at one time crossed the Manistique River below water level. Read about the ill-fated “Christmas Tree Ship” whose last port-of-call was Manistique. Or join the fun at the county’s delightful music, classic car and food festivals
Seul Choix Pointe Lighthouse in Gulliver has been guiding ships since 1895. This working lighthouse also functions as a maritime museum with early 1900s furnishings, maritime artifacts and, some say, ghosts.
One of the Upper Peninsula’s major attractions, Kitch-iti-kipi or “The Big Spring” bubbles up 16,000 gallons of water per minute. A paved path meanders through pines and cedar trees to the shoreline where you see the beautiful emerald green pool. It is told that a young chieftain met his demise trying to prove his love to a maiden.The site has inspired many a legend and once you visit you will surely understand its power to ripen the imagination. A glass bottom observation raft allows you to gaze 45 feet down through the crystal clear waters of this “Mirror to Heaven.” Kitch-iti-kipi maintains a year round water temperature of 45 degrees, so winter visitors can ski, snowshoe or snowmobile into Palms Book State Park during winter to experience silent and glittering seasonal scenery surrounding the bubbling spring.