Lake Superior: The Greatest of the Great Lakes part 1
Peninsulas and Mining History
Technically, I started my tour around Lake Superior as soon as I crossed back into the US after visiting Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. I spent two days camping on the Keweenaw Peninsula before Isle Royale. The Keweenaw is essentially the peninsula on the Upper Peninsula if you look at a map—a peninsula on a peninsula, if you will.
It was famous for copper mining back in the day, and you can still see remnants of that history everywhere. My first stay was in the village of Lake Linden. I was really looking forward to it because the campground was right on a lake, and I wanted to get my kayak out.
Unfortunately, once I got there, I found the lake completely fenced off. A sign indicated that the surrounding soil was contaminated with lead and arsenic from the area's mining past. This felt like a very good warning to heed.
After Isle Royale, I drove up to Copper Harbor at the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula and spent two days at Fort Wilkins State Park. This park was amazing: heavily treed, great separation between campsites, and situated on a beautiful lake. I honestly considered coming back after Voyageurs and spending a week there, but they didn’t have a two day opening left in July, let alone a weeklong one.
Amazon Runs and Sourdough Scores
After my visit to Voyageurs, the easier way to loop around Lake Superior would have been to go clockwise and head up through Minnesota. But why do things the easy way?
I actually had to go back to Michigan because I had a few Amazon packages delivered to a Michael's in Marquette.
On the way, I spent one night in Bayfield, WI—definitely not enough time there. Bayfield is the launch point for the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, and it has a super cute downtown area that was running a farmer’s market while I was in town. After scoring some homemade sourdough and homegrown lettuce, I headed back to Michigan for a night at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, complete with a campsite right on the water.
Heatwaves, Heavy Thoughts, and Lessons on the Road
Waking up the next day, the peaceful rhythm of my journey took a bit of a turn. The heatwave blanketing most of the US did not spare the Yoop. This meant I had to find camping with electricity so I could run my AC. That might sound a bit princess-y, but I’m traveling with a 15-year-old dog, and my top priority is keeping him safe and comfortable. I booked a spot at a KOA for a few nights and hired a dog sitter for Baxter on a day I had plans that would require leaving the van in a hot parking lot.
The heat was oppressive. The van's AC struggled to keep up, and I spent a couple of days barely doing anything, which took a real toll on my mental health.
At the peak of my athleticism years ago, I once told a friend that I had to force myself to work out because my "natural state" was a couch lounger. I don’t think that’s actually true, but two days stuck inside made me feel that way—and that, in turn, made me feel bad about myself. At times like these, I start feeling like I’m squandering my time. If I’m just going to sit around all day, I should just go get a job.
But this is an important lesson I’m learning on the road: every day, I need to do something that brings me some kind of joy. I had to remind myself of the things I set out to accomplish during this season, and while this is still a work in progress, I've been much better about taking steps toward those goals since.
Shipwrecks and Plan B in Pictured Rocks
It probably helped that on day three of the heatwave, I had a kayaking tour booked.
The company, Pictured Rocks Kayaking, takes you out toward Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on a larger boat that launches the kayaks directly into the water. High winds prevented us from doing the normal route, so we took a tour around Grand Island instead.
Their Plan B did not feel like a downgrade at all. We got right up close to the cliffs and even kayaked into sea caves. The contrast of the towering granite rocks next to the crystal-blue water of Lake Superior was astoundingly beautiful.
Our guide explained that the water stays so insanely blue because it's so cold that debris sinks instead of floating. It’s why Gordon Lightfoot sings, “The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead,” in The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. If you drown in a shipwreck in Lake Superior, you stay down with the ship. A little macabre, I know.
Smoke on the Horizon
When I woke up the day after kayaking, the sky had an eerie color to it. What I initially thought was heavy morning fog turned out to be wildfire smoke. A couple of days prior, fires had broken out in the Boundary Waters between Minnesota and Canada.
Having lived in Colorado for several years, I’m all too familiar with wildfire damage and the heavy smoke that comes with it. It breaks my heart—not just for the destruction of natural beauty, but for the devastating losses these communities suffer.
This is the appropriate response to these situations: grief and support. Not threatening tariffs on a country that literally sends firefighters across the border to help us contain our own fires, all while promoting a climate-denying agenda that only makes these disasters worse.
Okay, that’s probably enough time on my soapbox for now.
Looking Ahead
And so, under a smoke-filled sky, I made my way back up to Canada to complete the northern half of my Lake Superior loop. I’m taking things day-by-day and skipping advance reservations this time around. In part because the weather has been unpredictable and in part to see how traveling this way feels.
That’s where I’ll pick up in Part 2—stay tuned!