Great Location!
Located between Munising on Lake Superior and Manistique on Lake Michigan, the Lodge and Cabin are central to many of the Upper Peninsula’s best attractions, each accessible on a day trip from the lake.
Explore the Upper Peninsula
Use the Thunder Lake Lodge and Cabin as a base for exploring Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. You can do that in a day trip: leave first thing in the morning and be home by night. Adventure awaits!
Kitch-iti-kipi
Kitch-iti-kipi, aka the Big Spring, is Michigan’s largest freshwater spring, pours out 10,000 gallons per minute, and is home to impressively large trout. (It’s in Palms Book State Park. No fishing!!) A large raft takes you across the spring pond. [13 miles from Thunder Lake.]
Fayette State Park
Fayette Historic State Park features a recreated iron smelting village and is the state park of the historic town of Fayette on Lake Michigan. Fayette was the site of an industrial community that manufactured charcoal pig iron between 1867 and 1891. The town, reconstructed into a living museum, shows what life was like there in the late 19th century. It is located on the Garden Peninsula and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. [36 miles from Thunder Lake.]
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
The many waterfalls accessed by miles of hiking trails are worth checking out. The best way to see the Pictured Rocks, however, is from Lake Superior: you can get a boat or kayak tour out of Munising. If you bring your own kayak, make sure it is suitable for travel on Lake Superior. [37 miles from Thunder Lake.]
Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island is in Lake Huron, at the eastern end of the Straits of Mackinac, between the Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas. Home to the Odawa and previous indigenous cultures until European colonization began in the 17th century, it was a strategic center of the fur trade in the Great Lakes. Based on a former trading post, Fort Mackinac was constructed there by the British during the American Revolutionary War and was the site of two battles during the War of 1812 before the US gained this island in its territory. No motorized vehicles are allowed on the island (actually, there is one truck!), so horse carriages, bicycles (including tandems) and hiking are your modes of transportation. It’s also known for delicious chocolate treats! [114 miles from Thunder Lake.]
Tahquamenon Falls State Park
Tahquamenon Falls is the second largest American waterfall east of the Mississippi (second only to Niagara Falls!). Bordering on Lake Superior, the Tahquamenon Falls State Park is a 46,179-acre state park, and is the second largest of Michigan’s state parks. There are two falls, or sets of falls in the park and plenty of hiking through the park. The nearest town of any size is Paradise. [102 miles from Thunder Lake.]
Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum
Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum is at the Whitefish Point Light Station, 11 miles north of Paradise, Michigan. The museum tells the story of shipping on the Great Lakes and exhibits artifacts from shipwrecks from the Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve and the bell from the wreck of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald. Admission to the museum includes a tour of historic buildings with displays that interpret the Great Lakes maritime, United States Coast Guard, and US Life-Saving Service history. The light station property was transferred to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, the Michigan Audubon Society, and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in 1996, which share governance of the site. [130 miles from Thunder Lake.]
Other Great Places
Looking for more? Well, the Upper Peninsula still has plenty to offer.
Seney National Wildlife Refuge
Seney National Wildlife Refuge is a managed wetland in Schoolcraft County, Michigan, with an area of 95,212 acres. The refuge contains the Seney Wilderness Area and the Strangmoor Bog National Natural Landmark within its boundaries and is home to many important wildlife species. It is bordered by M-28 and M-77. The nearest town of any size is Seney, Michigan. [56 miles from Thunder Lake.]
The Soo Locks
Soo Locks at Sault Ste Marie are a set of parallel locks, operated and maintained by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, that enable ships to travel between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes. They are located on the St. Marys River between Lake Superior and Lake Huron, between the Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and the Canadian province of Ontario. They bypass the rapids of the river, where the water falls 21 feet. The locks pass an average of 10,000 ships per year, despite being closed during the winter from January through March, when ice shuts down shipping on the Great Lakes. [137 miles from Thunder Lake.]
Lake of the Clouds
Lake of the Clouds is located at Ontonagon, Michigan, within the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. You will have to hike in to the lake, which is situated in a valley between two ridges in the Porcupine Mountains and is one of the most photographed places in the entire Upper Peninsula. Surrounded by virgin wilderness and stunning vistas, the lake is a popular destination for hikers, campers, and fishermen. [218 miles from Thunder Lake.]
Plan your Unforgettable Experience at Thunder Lake Today!
Once you come here, you will want to come back!
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