15 Stops on a Keweenaw Peninsula Road Trip in Michigan

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The Keweenaw Peninsula is a remote area within the western section of the Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan. The Upper Peninsula itself is much less populated than the lower peninsula, and the Keweenaw Peninsula is even less populated! The Keweenaw Peninsula is a small section of land that juts out into Lake Superior, with Copper Harbor being at the far tip and the northernmost town.

Where to stay:

I’m not going to get too detailed on this and list a bunch of hotels that you can easily find on booking, but if you’re trying to figure out what would be a good town to ‘base’ yourself in when visiting this area, I definitely suggest Houghton. In Houghton, you’ll find all the amenities you’ll need – lots of hotel options, shopping, and plenty of restaurants to choose from. I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Houghton and thought it was a great place to use as a base here.

Of course, some of the small towns you’ll find along the peninsula will work too – Copper Harbor is a cute town with a handful of lodging options, and Calumet also looked like a nice place to stay. You just won’t have as many choices as you would in Houghton.

Where to stop on a Keweenaw Peninsula Road Trip through Michigan

I’m going to list these sites out going counter-clockwise from Houghton, Michigan, making a loop around the peninsula. Here we go!

1.) Bridgeview Park / Portage Canal Lift Bridge

This lift bridge takes drivers across Portage Lake, which is a waterway that connects into Lake Superior. The bridge is very photogenic, so if you want to snap a picture of it, stop off at Bridgeview Park in Houghton.

2.) Quincy Mine – Hancock, Michigan

This can be a quick stop, or it can be a 1/2 day stop, depending on what you want to do. You can walk around the old, abandoned mining structures for free, or you can tour the Quincy mine and go underground. For my trip, I only had time to take a look around the old mining structures and buildings.

3.) Keweenaw National Historic Park & Visitor Center

If you love National Park sites, you’ll want to stop in at the Keweenaw National Historic Park in downtown Calumet, Michigan. Here you’ll find a few museums and a visitor center, where you can learn about the copper mining history of the area. Quincy Mine is part of the National Historic Park but doesn’t have the passport stamp. You will have to go to the visitor center to get it. Visit the NPS site for hours – if you’re visiting in the fall, like I was, visitor center and museum have extremely limited hours/days – unfortunately they were closed during my visit.

4.) Downtown Calumet, Michigan

I thought this was a really cute town – it’s very small, but there are a handful of shops and restaurants to check out, plus the beautiful ANne’s Church is located here as well.

5.) Phoenix Church

A very quick stop along your Keweenaw Peninsula road trip, the Phoenix Church is a beautiful Carpenter Gothic-style Catholic that is on the National Register of Historic Places. Visitors are not allowed inside the church but they do open the small vestibule during operating hours for visitors to get a peak inside. The church was closed during my visit.

6.) Eagle River, Michigan

A small town on the shores of Lake Superior. Here, you’ll find an cool waterfall, the Eagle River lighthouse (this is an Airbnb on private property though and it’s difficult to get a good photo), and the famous Eagle River Store. Unfortunately, it was closed during my visit (we’re starting to see a pattern here, right?!).

7.) Eagle Harbor Lighthouse

A must-see lighthouse on your Keweenaw Pensinula road trip – this is classic Michigan. Michigan is home to hundreds of lighthouses, and the Eagle Harbor Lighthouse is one of its most famous. This lighthouse is still operational and sits on a rocky cliff along Lake Superior. Free to look around, but paid tours for the four buildings on site are available during the summer and early fall season.

8.) Esrey Park

A free roadside park on the shores of Lake Superior, this is a perfect spot for a picnic lunch or for photographing the rugged shoreline of Lake Superior. If you’re into agate hunting, this is a great spot to find some of those famous Lake Superior agates! Tons of parking is available and they have restrooms.

9.) Hunters Point Park

Another free park to visit! At this park, you’ll find lots of hiking trails and an amazing beach with “pink” rocks. You can get some amazing photos of the Lake Superior shoreline from here, and you can swim here too. Just remember that the beaches are agate beaches, and not sand! If you have to chose one park to visit, I’d pick Hunter’s Point over Esrey Park.

10.) Brockway Mountain Lookout

Take a quick drive up Brockway Mountain Drive and stop at the overlook – you’ll get a great view of the Lake Superior and the town of Copper Harbor below.

11.) Astor Shipwreck Park / Copper Harbor Lighthouse

Another beautiful Michigan Lighthouse, although you cannot tour or get close to the lighthouse, as the road leading here is on private property. However, if you go to Astor Shipwreck Park (part of the Fort Wilkens State Park system), you’ll be able to get a great view of the lighthouse from afar. (Also, there is no visible shipwreck here; it’s all underwater!).

Read more on the Copper Harbor Lighthouse

12.) Fort Wilkens State Park

I did not visit this park, but it’s another item you can add to your Keweenaw Road trip. You’ll be able to tour the 1844 fort buildings, and several miles of hiking trails are available.

13.) The Beginning of US Highway 41 sign

This is one of those quirky roadside attractions that every road tripper loves. It’s just a sign noting that US Highway 41 starts here and finishes up 1900 miles south in Miami, Florida! The highway dead ends here in a cul-de-sac, and there is plenty of room to pull over and park. This stop will be your northernmost point on your Keweenaw road trip; from here, we’ll work our way back to Houghton, Michigan.

14.) Delaware Copper Mine

Copper mining is a huge part of this area’s history and the Delaware Copper Mine offers up another chance to go underground and visit a mine. Unfortunately, they were closed for the season during my trip, but it looked really interesting.

15.) Quincy Mine Stamp Mill and Dredge

Located just outside of Linden, Michigan, you’ll find the remains of the Quincy Mine Stamp mill buildings and the Dredge #2. There is no tour here; the buildings are completely abandoned right off the side of State Route 26. I thought the dredge was pretty cool to look at, but all of this has been completely covered in graffiti. From here, you’re just a few minutes away from your lodging in Houghton!

So how long to spend on the Keweenaw Peninsula?

Obviously, it’s going to depend on what you want to do. If you just want to drive around and see these sites I’ve listed, it’ll only take a day (I did all of this in one day). But if you want to do mine tours, hiking, mountain biking, etc., you’re definitely going to need more time.

When to visit the Keweenaw Peninsula?

For the best chance of everything being open, you’ll want to visit during the summer and early fall. Go too late in the fall, and you’ll find some things completely closed for the season or operating on limited hours/days. I visited in mid-October (around the 16th) and ran into lots of things being closed, but I still had a great trip, since the fall colors were beautiful! This area gets a ton of lake-effect snow in the winter, but there are plenty of outdoor winter activities, such as cross-country skiing, snowmobiling and snowshoeing.

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