Wanderlust World Wanderlust World Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (U.P.) offers scenic vistas, miles of non-motorized trails and an environment that invites visitors to relax, unplug and explore. Take the family, a camera, some outdoor gear and your sense of adventure. Your visit to some unusual places in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula will whet your appetite to come back and explore again.
Located near Wallace in the southern U.P., the DeYoung Family Zoo provides natural habitat for 400 animals from around the world and serves as an animal refuge. About an hour’s drive north of Green Bay, Wisconsin, the zoo claims the largest population of big cats in the Midwest, including lions, lynx, leopards and four species of tigers. A hippo joined the zoo in 2010. The reptile and fish menagerie includes a 300-gallon aquarium, and a petting zoo allows youngsters to meet llamas, farm animals, feline cubs and reptiles. The zoo is open from March through October; the hours vary by season.
U.S. 41 ends in Copper Harbor, the northernmost town in Michigan. The nearby Estivant Pines Sanctuary offers hiking trails to view 600-year-old virgin white pines rising as high as 150 feet, with trunk circumferences requiring three people to reach completely around one tree. The sanctuary provides year-round access for hiking, snow-shoeing and cross-country skiing. Trails cover varied terrain and pass the workings of hundred-year-old copper mines. Visitors should have a map, compass or GPS in hand if exploring off the trails. The sanctuary prohibits motorized vehicles, pets, camping or collection of animals, plants or seeds. Strenuous hiking requires caution with young children or people with mobility challenges.
Located on the north coast of Upper Michigan between Munising and Grand Marais on the shore of Lake Superior, the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore offers boating, hiking trails and paved and gravel roads, with year-round access to many areas. Winter recreation includes snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and ice climbing with the annual Michigan Ice Fest every February. In Munising you can catch daily summer boat cruises to view miles of spectacular sandstone formations rising hundreds of feet from Lake Superior. Waterfalls, dunes, beaches and back-country campgrounds offer something for everyone.
A partially-restored ghost town on a harbor lined with limestone cliffs, the Fayette historic town site at Fayette State Park offers a glimpse into life in a small rural town during the late 1800s. Located on the Garden Peninsula in the southern U.P. between Escanaba and Manistique, the town of Fayette thrived for only 24 years while the massive kilns smelted pig iron. Visit with costumed interpreters during the summer months, check out several restored buildings, scuba dive in Snail Shell Harbor and enjoy miles of nearby hiking trails. Cross-country ski trails offer winter accessibility.