Designated in 1940, the Isle Royale National Park is an island surrounded by Lake Superior’s choppy waters. By boat, it’s about 55 miles from Copper Harbor to Rock Harbor on the island and about 73 miles from Houghton Michigan.
It’s only appropriate that exploring the MotorCities National Heritage Area requires a road trip — it stretches across 16 counties, spanning over 100,000 square miles.
The North Country National Scenic Trail was designated in 1980 and is the longest designated national scenic trail in the United States. It spans 4,600 miles through eight states from North Dakota to Vermont, 1,150 miles of which are in Michigan.
Established in 1992 to preserve heritage sites on the peninsula, the 800,000-acre Keweenaw National Historical Park takes you deep below the ground to hear the echoes of miners’ picks resonating through the ancient mine shafts filled with shimmering copper.
The Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore set the bar as the first designated national lakeshore in 1966. More than 73,200 acres and 42 miles of coastline await — 15 of those miles include sandstone cliffs that rise above the rugged waters of Lake Superior.