Trip Reports: Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park Fall 2023
On the afternoon October 2nd, I embarked on another odyssey to Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. After a July visit that wasn’t as spectacular as I envisioned, my sights were set on fall. October 2023 marked my third year dedicated to fall photography in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (U.P.) and my second year solely focusing on photographing the Porcupine Mountains (also known as the “Porkies”). In the months prior to this trip, I scoured over maps, planned backpacking routes, and accumulated the gear needed in anticipation for an exceptional week of fall photography. However, expectations for this visit following a phenomenal 2022 trip were quickly shattered by a plethora of uncontrollable variables. This is a day by day account of my Fall 2023 trip to Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park.
Day One: Tuesday October 3rd, 2023
Day one began after a difficult night at Union Bay Campground. When I arrived at camp in the later hours of October 2nd, I was greeted by temperatures in the low 70’s. This isn’t necessarily the weather I think of when I envision fall in the Western Upper Peninsula. After setting up my tent, I was sweating profusely (reminiscent of my July trip to the Porkies) and finding it difficult to get comfortable. Adding to these existing uncomfortable conditions were raging winds. Of course, the one item I forgot was earplugs to block out unwanted noise. Night one at Union Bay I probably got two hours of sleep. Not an ideal start.
The morning of October 3rd I met fellow photographer Nicholas Albert at the Cloud Peak trailhead hoping to shoot a good sunrise atop the escarpment overlooking the south end of Lake of the Clouds. With the winds still raging and a haze in the sky due to the warmer temperatures, sunrise wasn’t worth shooting. We decided to head down to the Government Peak trailhead and hike towards Trap Falls. Earlier this summer, I did scout a location along the Government Peak trail that looked promising for fall photography. We hiked to this location and were greeted by spectacular conditions along the Upper Carp River. I made one image I am very pleased with during this mid-morning shoot. “Switchbacks” is a intimate look at water weaving through rock and fall foliage along the Upper Carp River.
The rest of day one was spent scouting other previously visited locations within the Porkies. Nick and I did venture out onto the escarpment along the Big Carp River Trail for sunset, but to no avail as sunset was (similar to sunrise) not that spectacular. If you would like to see Nick’s images from this trip and the rest of his work please visit his site:
Route on day one from Government Peak back into the Trap Falls area. (via Gaia GPS).
Day Two: Wednesday October 4th, 2023
On day two of the trip, Nick and I met early in the morning at Union River Campground and headed down South Boundary road to the Presque Isle area. While driving to Presque Isle, Nick commented on the amount of leaves that had fallen off the trees due to high winds. This was the first of many observations about the less than ideal conditions throughout the trip. Once arriving at Presque Isle, we visited Manido Falls, and the Potholes. While the conditions were overcast and suitable for waterfall photography, I had a tough time creating any images I’m overly fond of.
The remainder of day two was spent exploring previously visited locations. During the day the temperatures reached the high 70’s which were (again) very high for the first week of October in the Porkies. Unfortunately, his trip was plagued by less than ideal conditions. For instance, warmer than average temperatures made the fall foliage less vibrant than fall 2022. However, that’s the game you’re playing when it comes to photography. You can never predict the conditions and in this case, the fall colors. To round out day two, I spent the evening at Cloud Peak hoping for good light, but to no avail. I headed back to camp hopeful for better conditions on day three.
Day Three: Thursday October 5th, 2023
Day three started out by being awoken at Union Bay by the sound of rain hitting the exterior of my tent. After tossing and turning, I headed up to Lake of the Clouds hoping to catch sunrise but unfortunately had my camera pointing in the wrong direction at another scene when the light was at it’s best. After sunrise, I headed to the Little Carp River Trail to visit some old scenes I made note of on previous trips. In terms of photographic potential, this area of the park is my favorite. The Little Carp River has waterfalls, cascades, and old growth forest. I made it a point this to go further down the trail than I have in the past, hoping to find more scenes to photograph. I did make one photograph on this outing. “Primeval” is an image of old-growth Hemlocks on a embankment high above the Little Carp River. This image is a great showcase of the Midwest’s largest and best preserved old-growth forest.
Route along the Little Carp River Trail. (via Gaia GPS).
The end of day three was spent exploring the coastline of Lake Superior around Union Bay Campground. Traversing along the rugged, slick shoreline with waves crashing around you is quite the challenge, especially in low light. After walking the shoreline and for some distance, I found a scene that I quite liked. “Razors Edge” is an image that highlights the jagged Lake Superior shoreline.
When I returned to camp after sunset, the only thing on my mind was the weather conditions forecasted for the weekend. For both Friday and Saturday, I had reserved backcountry permits and site(s) to camp at. The forecast called for high temperatures in the 40’s with rain and high winds. The high winds were actually strong enough to issue a gale warning for Ontonagon county. I went to sleep on day three knowing that my plans might need to be altered depending on how the conditions were in the morning.
Day Four: Friday October 6th, 2023
I’ve brought up a few times that this trip was plagued by less than ideal conditions, and day four was no exception. I woke up to the sound of rain hitting the exterior of my tent (again) and began to pack up camp in the rain (which I wouldn’t recommend). With it still raining after packing up camp, I headed into Ontonagon and had breakfast at Syl’s Cafe. I decided at breakfast that I was going to wait until noon to grab my backcountry permits and decide the best course of action for Friday and Saturday.
After some brief exploring, I picked up my backcountry permits from the Visitor Center and headed up to Lake of the Clouds to see what the conditions were like. At this point, the winds were still very strong, and the gale warning was still in effect until midday Saturday. The rains were still present, however now they were very sporadic. Checking the future forecast, temps were supposed to be just above freezing for both Friday and Saturday night, with rain in the forecast for both days. I decided the last thing I wanted was to hike in the rain for two days, have wet gear that wouldn’t dry out, and run the risk of being too cold. I made the decision to forego the backpacking portion of the trip and to leave the Porkies. Sometimes in a scenario when you continually question “is this safe/a good idea” it’s probably neither. With the help of my father, I got a room in Marquette that evening and like that my fall trip to the Porkies was over.
This trip was a great example of expectations exceeding the actual experience. After a great 2022 fall trip I was certain that 2023 would be the same. However, less vibrant fall colors, rain, and strong winds all combined to create less than ideal conditions. Despite this, I still had a great time in the Porkies. I visited new areas, found new compositions that can be refined on future trips, and conversed with a few great photographers. I am looking forward to my next visit to the Porcupine Mountains in February 2024 and beyond.
Thanks for reading and supporting my work,
Josh