Trip Reports: Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park Fall 2022
On the afternoon of October 3rd I embarked on my annual fall photography trip to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. In 2021, I did this trip a horrible injustice that plagues all photographers at some point throughout their photographic journeys. Fall 2021 was a haphazard quest throughout the whole Upper Peninsula (U.P.), stopping at iconic locations seeking to capture images I had viewed on social media, individuals websites, and in books. It was glorified trophy hunting. Instead of seeking and creating images that meant something to me, I was copying others work just to reassure myself that I had an image from a specific location in my portfolio. I promised myself after returning last year that 2022’s trip would be different. But where to go? I have always enjoyed the UP’s forests, waterfalls, rivers, and lakes. I also desired a wild, rugged location large enough to escape from crowds. After considering all of these variables, there was only one place to go: Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park.
Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park sits along the westernmost edge of the Upper Peninsula. At about 60,000 acres, it’s the largest state park in Michigan and one of the very few large remaining wilderness areas in the Midwest. The park is home to 35,000 acres of old-growth forest, about 90 miles of hiking trails (varying from easily accessible to extremely challenging), roaring waterfalls of various sizes, cascading rivers, and miles of rugged Lake Superior shoreline. My plan was to spend five full days (October 4th-October 8th) exploring the different landscapes of the park while making images that are meaningful to me with no set agenda or planned scenes to point my camera at. This is a day by day account of my Fall 2022 trip to the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park.
Day One: Tuesday October 4th, 2022
On the morning of day one, I awoke at Union Bay Campground ready to go out and explore. The temperature was in the mid-50’s (Fahrenheit) throughout the night and after an eight hour drive up from Grand Rapids the afternoon before, I slept very well. I packed my gear and headed down South Boundary road to the Presque Isle River located on the western end of the park. The park is so large that if you head west down South Boundary road to the Presque Isle River the timezone actually changes from eastern time zone to central time zone. It takes roughly about 40 minutes to get from Union Bay Campground to the Presque Isle area.
The Presque Isle area of the park is unique for a variety of reasons. The Presque Isle River runs through this part of the park and flows over million years-old bedrock which has been shaped through centuries of weathering. This weathering has created numerous cascades, waterfalls, and interesting rock formations that can be viewed from the rivers edge or by carefully venturing out onto the riverbed. I made two images from this area that I am quite satisfied with, both highlighting the unique physical geography of the Presque Isle River.
”Precambrian Presque” (left) showcases the unique rock formations carved through millions of years of continual abrasion/erosion. Manido Falls is featured in the top of the frame. “Presque Power” (right) demonstrates the power of the Presque Isle River as it bends and cascades downstream towards Lake Superior.
Day Two: Wednesday October 5th, 2022
One of the key ideas for this trip was going into the week with no set agenda or planned scenes to shoot. However I did think of a few themes to guide my eye as I explored the park. These themes were designed to help assist my photography and create a more comprehensive portfolio on the Porcupine Mountains area.
Themes:
Fall Color
Moving Water
Old Growth Forests
On the morning of day two I headed up the road from Union Bay Campground to Lake of the Clouds. Undoubtedly the most popular destination in the park, Lake of the Clouds offers stunning views of the Big Carp River Valley. I went and setup my camera overlooking Lake of the Clouds from a cliff edge just off the viewing platforms which were already flooded with photographers. I always hesitate to create images at this location. It’s arguably the most photographed location in the whole UP. “Do I really need this image?” I asked myself. As I stood overlooking the amazing view, I decided against making an image of Lake of the Clouds and moved down the Big Carp River Trail to see what other views I could find.
As the light in the Big Carp River Valley wasn’t too exceptional this morning, I made a few images that I’m not overly fond of. I made my way back to the car, had some lunch, and headed out towards the Little Carp River Trailhead. This trail did not disappoint. The Little Carp River twists and turns through cascades and small sets of waterfalls. However, I found the old growth trees in this area quite interesting. I made a few images of these majestic old growth trees but I wasn’t too excited about any of the compositions (especially when coupled with harsh afternoon light). This will have to be an area I return to on future visits.
While day two ended without any portfolio-quality images, I take solace knowing that during this trip I didn’t feel I had to come back with a plethora of new work. Sometimes the experience is more important than the photography. Couple that idea with being in a location you love and you’ll never be concerned about not making images. I know the Porcupine Mountains will always be there for another return visit.
Day Three: Thursday October 6th, 2022
Day three was filled with clouds and intermittent rain. One of the locations I wanted to visit was a waterfall just outside the park in Ottawa National Forest. With the slim chance of a sunrise, I headed into Ontonagon for breakfast before heading down a dirt road to the GPS location of the falls. I bushwhacked my way through the woods towards a gorge where I followed a small stream to the base of a waterfall littered with freshly fallen leaves. “Autumn Amphitheater” (left) is one of my favorite images made during this trip. I waded into a pool of water (thanks Muck Boots) to capture “Fall Fluidics” (right) which is an intimate view of one of the fall’s small, trickling cascades. This was the best morning of the whole trip. I had this area to myself for close to an hour and a half where I was free to photograph to my hearts content.
After returning from an amazing morning shoot, I decided to visit the Union Gorge area of the park. I was hesitant to visit this location, as all I knew about is a interpretive trail that guides you through the area. I’m very glad I decided to check out this unique location. The Union River flows through old growth forests, old mining sites, and numerous cascades. It was one of the more memorable hikes during the trip, as the landscape was supplemented with signs describing the historical significance of the area during the mining period of the late 19th century.
I made one image from this area that I am very pleased with. “Union River Medley” showcases the loose rock located along the banks of the Union River and the leaves that have gently carpeted the riverbed throughout the fall season.
Day Four: Friday October 7th, 2022
The rain continued through the night into day four. I wanted to capture a different view of the Presque Isle River than that I captured on day one, but when I arrived the recent rainfall had made the water levels in the river too high, which wasn’t conducive to making a good photograph. Walking back to the parking lot, it began to hail. I took refuge under the suspension bridge at Presque Isle and thought “only in Michigan could it be hailing when it was 65 degrees two days ago”.
After visiting Presque Isle, I drove the short distance to the Pinkerton Creek trailhead. My goal for today was to get to Shining Cloud Falls. This would be a long hike of about 12 miles going through sections the Pinkerton Creek Trail, Little Carp River Trail, Lake Superior Trail, and the Big Carp River Trail. I packed my gear, carefully rationed out food for the day, and filled the water bladder of my Katadyn Befree filter.
I managed to make a few images throughout this hike, but I never really did get to see Shining Cloud Falls. What I did see was the crest of the falls through the tree canopy, as Shining Cloud Falls are located in a gorge below the Big Carp River Trail. I backtracked along the Big Carp River and realized I could walk around the rocks on the rivers edge to the base of the falls. However, due to the recent rains the rocks were still quite slick and I realized no photograph is worth getting seriously hurt in a remote area that would take hours for help to arrive so I opted out of that plan.
I made the image below during this hike which ended up taking close to 12 hours (due stops for photography and lunch) and near 36,000 steps. “The Gates of Autumn” (below) was captured during the hike to Shining Cloud Falls along an embankment on the Big Carp River. This image meets the criteria of what I was trying to capture on this trip and I’m quite pleased with it despite not ever making it to Shining Cloud Falls.
Day Five: Saturday October 8th, 2022
On the final morning of the trip I woke up around 3:00am to find myself shivering in my tent. I desperately tried to fall back asleep after waking up but the 37-34 degree low temperatures where too cold for my sleep system (sleeping pad and bag) to handle. I decided to go and try to sleep in my car. This also didn’t work, as the inside of the car was just as cold as the air outside. Realizing I had planned to go up to Lake of the Clouds anyway for sunrise, I left camp around 3:30am to go sit with my car running in the Lake of the Clouds parking lot to warm up. I did eventually warm up, then somehow managed to get a few more hours of sleep. Needless to say on the final night in the park, I did not sleep exceptionally well.
Venturing out to the overlook, the sunrise this morning over Lake of the Clouds was better than the previous visit, but still not worth making an image of. I did capture an image of what was the only directional light I saw in the Big Carp River Valley all week (during my three visits to the location). After leaving the Lake of the Clouds overlook, I hiked down to the bridge that connects Lake of the Clouds and the Big Carp River. Here I found my last image of the trip. A maple tree with red leaves overlooking the Big Carp River. I did visit the Presque Isle area one more time before packing up camp at Union Bay Campground but it turned out to be a perfectly clear, blue sky day. As all photographers know, these aren’t ideal conditions. I knew my time in the park was over.
Below are the two images referenced above. Both made on the final day of the trip. “Escarpment Light” (left) captures the light in the Big Carp River Valley hitting the escarpment. “Ablaze” (right) showcases a maple tree in full autumn color.
After leaving the park, I stayed in an AirBnB in Ontonagon. It was a nice change of pace to sleep in an actual bed, get some food at a local bar, and reflect on a very productive trip. Overall, this was the best photography trip I have ever had. I think switching mindsets to capturing images of what stands out to me and not trying to emulate the work of others allowed me to freely explore the park and photograph what I enjoy. I’m looking forward to further exploring Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park and other wild areas of the Upper Peninsula on future trips.
Thanks for reading and supporting my work,
Josh