Day trip to the U.P.
 

We'll be at a family camp in Northern Wisconsin in the middle of June. We have a couple of open days to travel around, and would like to see some of the Upper Peninsula. Does anyone have suggestions for a day trip?

topping

The Porcupine Mountain region of the western UP is beautiful and isn't too far from Lac du Flambeau.
Of course--WI has plenty to see and do too!

This is a nice place to stop, http://www.uppermichiganwaterfalls.c...chitikipi.html
You can walk around, use the bathrooms, buy ice cream, and ride across the lake. The platform that goes across has a covered opening so you can see down into the bottom of the lake. The water is crystal clear, there are huge fish and the whole geology of the area is pretty interesting. You can see the whole thing in less than an hour. But if you are close, it is worth the stop.

I strongly agree with both the porkies and kitchitikipi, another really cool place is Fayette State park. (if you like history)

They have reconstructed a old iron village. Really neat place to walk around.

You could see Fayette in about 3-4 hours if you wanted. Kitchitikipi takes about an hour. The porkies are really worth an entire day or two,(we usually stay 4-5) but you could see the highlights (lake of the clouds and a couple other small walks) in an afternoon.

If you get a chance to venture out for lunch; Syl's Diner in Ontonagon is has great pasties and other diner food.

If you want to venture farther east Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is my very favorite, but that would be 1/2 day drive.

One note to make searching easier: Kitchiktkipi is called Palms Book State Park. Wilbur's link will take you straight there.

The Keewenaw Peninsula is gorgeous and there's lots to do too. You can tour a copper mine, go to Copper Harbor and visit Fort Wilkins; the Brockway Mountain Drive is very beautiful. The food specialties are whitefish of course and Cornish pasties. Might be too far for a day trip depending on where you'll be in WI., but the drive alone is worth it.

It's been crazy at work so I haven't had time to check here for new replies. Thank you for all of the suggestions. I'm looking forward to spending some time working out more of an itinerary this weekend.

A few hour drive away for possibly:
Oswald's Bear Ranch.
Supposedly the complex is the Largest (bear only) Bear Ranch in the entire United States
And: nearby Tahquamenon Falls State Park
The second largest waterfall east of the Mississippi, with Niagara being the largest.
Waterfalls and Bears say UP not counting the trees of course.

http://www.superiorsights.com/oswald...nch/index.html
http://www.superiorsights.com/inform...lls/index.html

PS not counting SNOW either which say UP big time!

I appreciate the great suggestions. I have a good idea of what to do while we are in N.Wisconsin and the UP. Now I have more questions. We are driving up through the middle of the state to get to our destination more quickly. When we head back to Chicago, should we come back down the western or eastern side of the state? We have one day for this drive and then will stay a final night someplace relatively close to Chicago. Let me know if you have a good place in mind. Our flight leaves at about 2PM the next day (Sun.) so the traffic won't be quite as bad, hopefully, but we do have a rental car to return so I want to allow plenty of time.
Also...I've been hearing reports of the cicadas imminent arrival. For those of you who have seen this before, how bad is it? I'm a little creeped out thinking about it. We'll be there June 15-24.

Forget the bugs
"Cicadas are harmless. They do not bite or sting defensively, nor do they attack people. If a cicada lands on you, it is only because it finds you to be a convenient place to land -- unless you happen to be using a lawnmower or weed-whacker, in which case it might be attracted by the sound! Basically, periodical cicadas can hurt you only if they mistake you for a tree branch and try to feed, something that can happen only if you hold a cicada in your hand for a very long time (eventually this makes the cicada hot and thirsty). Such rare mistakes feel like a brief pinprick and cause no damage. When handled, both males and females struggle to fly at first, and males make a loud defensive buzzing sound that may startle but is otherwise harmless. Periodical cicadas are not poisonous to animals or humans, nor are they known to transmit disease." http://insects.ummz.lsa.umich.edu/fa...cal/Index.html

Do you prefer people\civilization or nature. If people come back the east side. If nature come back the west to include the Coulee Region http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coulee_Region

Okay, I won't use a lawnmower or weed-eater on this trip, so I should be okay:). I know the cicadas aren't supposed to be harmful, but they are sooo big!
We enjoy both nature and civilization, but for this trip I think we'd like to focus on nature. Thanks for the links.

If the UP includes the UP of MI this may be somewhere you would like to see.
http://www.nps.gov/piro/ .. may be a long day.