create account login
|
Welcome to thebackpacker.com create account login |
|
trips - Porcupine Mountain Wilderness, UP MichiganTrip Info
DescriptionThis is a backpacking trip to the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park near Ontonagon, MI. I called the Park Headquarters today (4/4/06) to get an update on the trail conditions. The snow has been melting and hikers in the area have been reporting a fair amount of snow in the backcountry. Trail conditions are pretty wet and muddy. This is to be expected. There is a higher than average amount of water being seen from the snowmelt that is expected to continue through April. Registration is done on the day of arrival at the Park Headquarters this time of year. On Friday the Park Headquarters is open until 4:30 pm. Self registration is available at this location after hours. The cost is $14/night per group of up to four people. The park permits a maximum of 12 people at a camp site (3 groups of 4 people). If we park at the Whitetail Cabin parking area there is no vehicle permit we have to pay for. M-107 will still be closed during the weekend of the trip. The closest parking to the interior is the Whitetail Cabin parking area just past the ski area. This is just west of the turn-off for the Visitors Center (where the Park Headquarters is located). This is an 8 hour drive from Chicagoland. I’ll be driving I-90 W to I-39 N where I will pick up US-51N and work my way to the park (US-2 to US-28 to MI-64 to MI-107 probably). I am hoping to leave around 6 am CST and arriving around 3 pm EST. Let me know if you need a ride and are near my route. Note: Local time at the park is EASTERN TIME. The moon will be waning gibbous (68% illuminated). Sunrise is around 6 am and sunset is around 8 pm. If I can get there by 3 pm I am fairly confident I can get the group registered and have plenty of time to make it to the first nights camp. Temps have been historically in the mid 50s with lows in the 30s. It will be nice during the day and cold at night. It will probably rain and it could rain the entire trip, the average precipitation is 2” in April. It will be very muddy. It is remotely possible it could snow. There possibly will be places where there is a lot of snow on the trails. 4/19 - Weather Update: It will probably rain over much of the weekend. Bring good raingear and dress in layers. There will still be snowpack on the higher elevation trails. Runoff from snowmelt and rain will make for very muddy conditions on the trails. Day 1: Drive day - ~6.5 miles * Register and get camping permits at Camp Headquarters * Park at Whitetail Cabin (just past ski area on M-107) * M-107 West to Escarpment Trail (~2 miles) * Escarpment Trail to Camp Site at Lake of the Clouds (~4.5 miles). Day 2: 5 miles+ depending on what people want to do * North Mirror Lake Trail to Government Peak Trail (~3 miles) * Hike out-and-back on Little Carp River Trail (~?? miles) * Government Peak Trail to Camp Site at Government Peak (~2 miles) Day 3: Drive day - Early start - ~7.5 miles * Government Peak Trail to M-107 (~5.5 miles) * M-107 to Whitetail Cabin Parking Lot (~2 miles) ROUTE  http://www.michigandnr.com/Publications/PDFS/RecreationCamping/Porkies_bcmap.pdf <-- Full map of the area Note: Bears are everywhere up here and generally fairly active. Most of the camp sites now have bear poles but a good food hanging system is a must. Bears used to be a major problem in the Porkies but with the installation of bear-proof trash cans and bear poles I am told things have greatly improved which is good news for the bears. 4/19 - Update: The park says that bear canisters and use of the bear poles are both approved and effective ways to keep the bears out of your food.
 = Yes,  = Maybe
Trip Attendees
Picture Albums Porkies April 2006 (35 pics) - jflotsamPorkies - Trail Talk 2006 (63 pics) - Jimmy san
Threads
|
SearchReady to Buy Gear?Sponsored Links
Great Outdoor Sites |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
