Grand Island Ice Curtain by Craig Sterken Photography
Craig shared this archive photo of an ice cave on Grand Island on Lake Superior. Follow him on Facebook for the latest and view & purchase his work on his website.
Emerald Ice Cave
Michigan Ice Fest is taming frozen falls in the Upper Peninsula
Michigan Ice Fest is an annual ice climbing event that kicks off today and runs February 11-15, 2026 in Munising in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The event is an annual celebration of the sport of ice climbing with competitions, clinics, and plenty of social fun! National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation has an interview with Michigan Ice Fest organizer Bill Thompson below that you should check out.
James took these photos last January in the Pictured Rocks. See more in his Michigan Waterfalls gallery and visit James Marvin Phelps Art to view & purchase his work!
Measuring Michigan’s Progress
“We should not measure human progress solely on the basis of what we’ve built, but also on what we have preserved and protected.” – Michigan Governor William Milliken
Today is the 189th birthday of the great state of Michigan, and I thought it fitting to share the words of Michigan’s longest serving Governor on what he believed Michiganders were called to do. The Great Lakes State has definitely risen to his challenge with 103 state parks and recreation areas, 140 state forest campgrounds with almost 14,000 campsites & cabins, and 360,000 acres of land within state parks and recreation areas drawing nearly 40 million visitors every year!
Daniel took this back in October of 2017 in the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. Follow him on Instagram for his latest!
One Hundred Years of Flying High at Suicide Hill
Suicide Hill Ski Jump by Ishpeming Ski Club
The annual UP Ski Jumping Tournament is celebrating its its 139th anniversary this year January 16-18, 2026, and aptly named “Suicide Hill”, the longtime site of the tourney, will be celebrating its 100th anniversary!
The competition is hosted by the Ishpeming Ski Club every winter on MLK Weekend at the UP Nordic Ski Complex. It lasts three days and in addition to the marquee event, the club hosts Junior National Qualifiers, a cross-country ski race, and a Target Jump event where competitors try to land as close as possible to a predetermined mark on the hill. They also have bonfires, concessions, beer tent & fireworks show.
The Ski Club has some great information about the colorfully named Suicide Hill explaining:
Suicide Hill got its name when in 1926 Walter “Huns” Anderson was injured on the hill. The local newspaper reporter, Ted Butler, said “Sure it’s a good hill, but why not have a little color about it. I gave it the name a few days before it was used in 1926. Walter Anderson fell in practice a few days before the meet and was badly hurt. In the stories I sent out about him, I called it Suicide Hill and the name stuck”. “We don’t like the name ‘Suicide Hill,” James Flaa, club official protested, “because it keeps riders away. It creates the wrong impression of what troubles await them”. Actually, it’s one of the best hills in the country. Even Johanna Kolstad, the fine Norwegian woman skier, says she has only seen one better hill in the country. But the name did stick, and it has turned out to be a fine, competitive, and safe hill.
Pure Michigan shared some pics and added a reminder that the competition is just a few miles away from the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame and Museum, providing an opportunity to explore and celebrate the history of the sport while visiting the “birthplace of American skiing.”
Happy New Year 2026
“And now let us believe in a long year that is given to us, new, untouched, full of things that have never been, full of work that has never been done, full of tasks, claims, and demands; and let us see that we learn to take it without letting fall too much of what it has to bestow upon those who demand of it necessary, serious, and great things.” – Rainer Maria Rilke
This passage from a 1907 letter from the famed German poet Rilke to his wife Clara is often paraphrased, but even though it is kind of an awkward translation, I thought that it did a better job of conveying the enormity of possibility and urgency of making every moment and every person matter in your year to come. May 2026 bring you health, happiness, and good things that have never been.
Stephen took this photo of the Tobacco River on the Keweenaw Peninsula way back in 2013 and added his wishes for a fresh start and a Happy New Year to all. Check it out on his Flickr photo map and see more in his Geotouring gallery.
Rain & possible “flash freeze” today in Michigan!
Winter Water Drops by Superior Seasons
The folks at Michigan Storm Chasers share a detailed statewide Michigan weather forecast every morning that you should definitely incorporate into your daily feed. On Facebook they share that although we will see temps above freezing for most of the state, even topping 50 degrees in southern Michigan, temps will drop later in the day, potentially precipitously in what is known as a “flash freeze”. A flash freeze happens when rain has fallen, completely stopped, and then shortly afterward air temperatures drop from the 40s or 50s down into the 20s or colder. Ryan explains is all in their excellent video.
Michael shared this photo 13 years & one day ago on December 17, 2012, remarking that it was strange to see rain in December in the UP. Here are a couple more he shared to our Absolute Michigan group on Flickr, and you can see more in his The UP Eh! gallery.
Mark your Waterfall Wednesdays on a Craig Sterken calendar!
Manabezho Falls on the Presque Isle River by Craig Sterken
I feature a lot of waterfalls on Michigan in Pictures. Because I’m a sucker for alliteration, many of them are shared on “Waterfall Wednesdays”. This tasty shot of Manabezho Falls in Porcupine Mountains State Park is one of three waterfalls in the 2026 Michigan Four Seasons Wall Calendar from Michpics regular Craig Sterken.
Follow Craig Sterken Photography on Facebook for his latest and view & purchase his work on his website!
Check out more Michigan photo calendars on Michigan in Pictures.
2025 was a great year for Michigan cougars!
Baby Cougar via DNR Michigan Cougar Page
EDITOR’S NOTE: This was originally shared on Leelanau.com & Michigan in Pictures concurs that there unquestionably are breeding cougar populations south of the Bridge. If you have seen one, please share in the comments here on on the Michigan in Pictures Facebook page!
mLive reports that with a month remaining, 2025 is already the third consecutive year of record-setting cougar sightings:
The state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) confirmed there have been 26 confirmed cougar sightings in Michigan so far this year, surpassing last year’s record by three … In a unique data point, those 26 cougar sightings this year in the U.P. added up to 27 animals because a pair of cougar cubs were spotted at the same time March 6 in Ontonagon County.
Here are some pics & info from the DNR’s Michigan Cougar page where you can also share photos & report cougar sightings!
More Michigan cougars on Michigan in Pictures!
The Gales of November Remembered
“And the iron boats go as the mariners all know, with the gales of November remembered” – Gordon Lightfoot
Every Michigander knows that the winds of November are to be respected and even feared on the Great Lakes. The State of Michigan says that an estimated 6,000 vessels were lost on the Great Lakes with about a quarter of these canoes, sailing ships, ferries, steamers, and modern ore boats like the mighty SS Edmnd Fitzgerald still remain on Michigan’s 38,000 square miles of the Great Lakes bottomlands.
Michigan in Pictures has a lot of these stories from the Edmund Fitzgerald to the Christmas Tree Ship to the Freshwater Fury aka the White Hurricane of 1913 that happened 112 years ago today. See them all in Michigan shipwrecks on Michigan in Pictures.
Yolanda took this photo a memorial at Whitefish Point Lighthouse to few of those lost aboard the S. S. Edmund Fitzgerald. More in her excellent Somewhere in Michigan gallery.
Waterfall Wednesday: The trips you don’t take…
Canyon Falls – October 24 by Karl Wertanen
Karl shared this photo the other day saying “I always ask myself… Which trip is going to cost more..? The one I take or the one I don’t take. Then I know for sure.”
Pure Michigan says that Canyon Falls aka the “Grand Canyon of the UP” is an easy to visit falls with a gorge that is quite impressive, at least by Michigan standards. A scenic trail along the Sturgeon River leads to a series of rapids and small waterfalls before you reach Canyon Falls where the river slides nearly 30′ over a large chute of smooth black rock into a box canyon.
In addition to wisdom, Karl also shares a lot of awesome photos. See lots more at Michigan Film Photographer Karl Wertanen on Facebook!
Michigan in Pictures 