Two-Day: Porcupine Mountains

Visitors have a menu of tour options to choose from at the Adventure Mine.

NPS Photo: Nathan Miller

Distance: 100 miles
Drive Time: 7-9 hours

From Calumet, head south on US-41. After crossing the bridge from Hancock to Houghton, keep right onto MI-26 south. Stay on MI-26 to Greenland turning right on MI-38 (Greenland Rd) to Ontonagon. The historic Adventure Mine will be on your left, follow the signs. A variety of tours are offered ranging from 45 minutes to several hours long. Allow for plenty of time for a visit to Adventure Mine, they also offer free access to hiking and mountain biking trails.

 

The Ontonagon County Historical Museum has a wide variety of curatorial and archival items on display.

NPS Photo: Nathan Miller

Continue on M-38 to Ontonagon. Keep right onto Greenland Rd in Ontonagon. It will turn into River St and the Ontonagon County Historical Museum will be on your left. The museum is open year round with exhibits featuring mining, logging, farming and much more. Be sure to give yourself time to include the lighthouse tour.

 

The trail to the Nonesuch Mine is one of many that lets you explore the Porkies' wilderness.

NPS Photo: Nathan Miller

Head back down River St and bear right onto Rockland Rd. Turn right on M-64 to Porcupine Mountain Wilderness State Park. In addition to numerous historic copper mining sites, this nearly 60,000 acre park offers summer and winter recreational opportunities and some of the best views of Lake Superior around.

 

Visitors can explore four restored log cabins, which are still located at their original remote location.

NPS Photo: Nathan Miller

Take M-64 back to Ontonagon and turn right on US-45 South. In Rockland, turn right on Elm St. This becomes Victoria Dam Rd. Old Victoria Restoration will be 3.5 miles down on your right. The hand-hewn logs cabin at Old Victoria provide a glimpse into the past of what miners homes might have been like at the Victoria Copper Mine.

 

The Copper Range Historical Museum examines life in the Range towns of the copper district in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

NPS Photo: Nathan Miller

Return to US-45 and turn right. At the Junction with M-26, stay straight onto M-26 north to Houghton. As you enter South Range, turn left on Trimountain Rd. The Copper Range Historical Society will be on your right. This museum provides explores of the lives the people who built the towns and villages of Atlantic Mine, South Range, Baltic, Trimountain, Painesdale, Winona, Toivola, Donken, Redridge, Beacon Hill, Edgemere, and Freda. Return to M-26 north towards Houghton; merge with US-41 back to Calumet.