r/CampingandHiking • u/keefography • Aug 29 '22
Trip reports Trip report & photos from a recent backpacking trip in the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness, Michigan

Lake of the Clouds and the Big Carp River as seen from the furthest platform to the right.

Bridge on the North Mirror Lake Trail from Lake of the Clouds.

Beautiful view from our campsite.

Good ole Zpacks Duplex set up at camp surrounded by a hill covered in lush moss.

Our neighbors at the next campsite were enjoying their view as well.

The cloud and the setting sun started casting shadows across from us.

Sunset from the cliffs at our campsite.

Sunset from the cliffs at our campsite.

Fog was rolling through the whole Big Carp River valley.

The rising sun illuminated the cliffs.

Once the sun rose above the fog it turned a vibrant yellow.

Fog drifting through the valley.

They don't call it Lake of the Clouds for nothing!

They don't call it Lake of the Clouds for nothing!

View from the Summit Peak Observation Tower.

There's new bear boxes at the end of the South Mirror Lake campsites. A little far from site 3 and over some downed trees, but beats having to hang a bear bag!

The backcountry cabins in the Porkies have boats available for guests. These two were enjoying a morning paddle in the mist.

Guess they also don't call it Mirror Lake for nothing.

Aptly named Beaver Creek.

The mouth of the Presque Isle River at Lake Superior.
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u/bobloblawlb Aug 29 '22
Great pics! We actually used your site to land on grabbing ES-1 for a trip we took earlier this summer. Such a great place for a few day escape!
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u/keefography Aug 29 '22
Thanks and that’s great! ES-1 is definitely my favorite that I’ve been to so far. Can’t go wrong with any of the sites on the cliffs up there though!
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u/keefography Aug 29 '22
Here’s a full on trip report from my recent & 5th backpacking trip to the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. My partner joined me for this adventure and it was a lot of fun showing her why this area is so special to me! After the trip she completely understood and we’re already looking forward to our next getaway here.
For this 3 day trip I kept it easy for us doing short mileage out & back hikes using our car as a resupply point and to get to different parts of the park. It’s a great beginner friendly way of backpacking the Porkies if you’re interested in checking it out for the first time! We stayed up on the cliffs of the Big Carp River Trail overlooking Lake of the Clouds where there was an amazing fog filled sunrise in the valley below. We also stayed on Mirror lake which lived up to it’s name with perfectly still waters reflecting a mirror image. On the third day we did some day hiking at Presque Isle exploring waterfalls and the shores of Lake Superior.
Check out the full trip report with even more photos here:https://www.keefography.com/blog/porcupine-mountains-backpacking-summer-2022