53 FALL 2020 ISSUE 01 / VOL . 02
SNOWGOER . COM 54
Richard Krupp ( left ) and friends eagerly await the arrival of winter every year in the U . P ., and their snowman – featured on webcams that riders in the area check often – is somewhat famous .
bridge is still ahead .
“ Probably one of the first things that a new rider will find [ fascinating ] is crossing the bridge between Houghton and Hancock ,” Krupp said . The 500-foot long Portage Lake Lift Bridge is the only connection between the Michigan mainland and the Keweenaw Peninsula that juts into Lake Superior .
Built to handle automotive traffic on a top level and rail traffic directly below , closer to the water , Krupp said , “ since the railroads left the area , the snowmobilers get to use that lower level of the bridge to cross the canal , otherwise it would be a real problem to get to the other side .”
Once across , riders clear Hancock and quickly work their way back into rural land as they head north toward Calumet and beyond . They pass old mine sites and various evidence of an industrious period long-since past and can go site seeing and lighthouse searching in the towns of Eagle River and Eagle Harbor .
“ Then , just before you get to Copper Harbor the trail takes you up over Brockway Mountain , which is a very scenic area ,” Krupp said . Brockway Mountain Drive takes riders 700 feet above Lake Superior , which often has beautiful , deep blue open water as a backdrop .
Once fed and fueled in Copper Harbor , it ’ s time for a trip back down the Keweenaw Peninsula , but first a side trip beckons on a dead-end trail that leads to rugged High Rock Point at the end of the peninsula , which features monstrous , jagged rocks sticking out of Lake Superior , Manitou Island on the horizon and a protected little bay that often freezes crystal clear .
“ It ’ s a very breathtaking trip ,” Krupp said . “ When you get out there on the end , the structures of the rocks and the formations are something to see .”
The trip down the southeast side of the Peninsula takes riders on a twisting route through Lac La Belle and to the town of Gay , where many rider insist on having their photo taken beside the sign for the Gay Bar , just because of its name .
“ Then as you travel back south farther , you go through the historic town of Lake Linden . Then it ’ s back down through Dollar Bay and to Hancock where you cross the bridge again ,” Krupp explained . “ There are some waterfalls that you pass pretty close to that you can stop and look at , and there are all sorts of things to see .”
Since this story first appeared in Snow Goer , some of the trails on the east side of the Keweenaw Peninsula have been washed out by record flooding , but the riding up in this region remains tremendous .
Day 2 : To The Porkies
On his second day , Krupp said he ’ d take his visitors toward the Porcupine Mountains and the fabulous Lake Of The Clouds overlook . It ’ s an area familiar to many riders , but Krupp knows some must-see stops that many visitors probably whiz right past . Krupp ’ s route would take riders southwest on Trail 3 from Twin Lakes through the snowmobile friendly cities