Hogback Mountain, photo by Chelsea Graham
Shots like these help me remember that behind every great photo, there’s someone who went through all the time and effort to get out there and take it.
Thanks so much to all of you photographers who share your work with me – there’s no way I could do what I do without all of your time, effort and love of Michigan.
View Chelsea’s photo background big and see more in her Michigan slideshow.
More fall wallpaper on Michigan in Pictures.
Turbulence (Manido Falls, Porcupine Mountain), photo by Jiqing Fan
The Waterfall Record’s entry for Manido Falls says:
Manido Falls did not impress me at first, at least not as much as the downstream Manabezho Falls. After seeing the pictures I had taken, though, I discovered what an amazingly beautiful waterfall Manido Falls is. Its beauty comes from its complexity. The waterfall itself is not very tall at all. It is wide, though. As the Presque Isle River tumbles down toward Lake Superior, it comes to this set of rocks that create a beautifully cascading waterfall. I think what makes me like Manido Falls so much is that the water has taken such an interesting course here, erosion taking its effect in an oddly unique way.
Add to it that the just as spectacular Manabezho Falls is only hundreds of yards away, and Lake Superior not much more distant, this makes for one of the most beautiful waterfall stretches in the Upper Peninsula.
Visit #2: When my father and I visited Mandido Falls in late September 2010, the falls looked completely different due to the significant amounts of rainfall in the weeks previous.
Read on for directions and some photos.
View Jiqing Fan’s photo bigger and see more in his Houghton & UP MI slideshow.
More black & white photography and (many) more Michigan waterfalls on Michigan in Pictures!
Sunset over Lake of the Clouds, Porcupine Mountains, photo by John McCormick
USA Today is polling their readers to see what they think the 10 best state parks in the nation are. The entry page for the Porcupine Mountain Wilderness State Park says:
The Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, or the “Porkies” as its known to frequent visitors, encompasses 60,000 acres of lakes, rivers and virgin forest. The park offers camping on the shores of Lake Superior, 90 miles of hiking trails, kayak rentals, mountain biking and, in the winter, access to the Porcupine Mountains Ski Area.
Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park – Mich. is currently ranked #2 of 20.
You can click here to vote if you’re so inclined.
John took this evening shot in October 2014 near the east end off the Lake of the Clouds. View it bigger on Flickr, see more staggering photos in his Autumn in Michigan slideshow, and definitely follow him on Facebook at Michigan Nut Photography.
You can click to visit the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park website and get all kinds of Porcupine Mountains rivers, falls and views on Michigan in Pictures.
Quiet water of the Presque Isle River. Porcupine Wilderness State Park, photo by Linda Carter
The Porcupine Mountain Wilderness State Park is the area of Michigan where I haven’t yet visited that I’m most fascinated with. One of the cool things for me about putting Michigan in Pictures together is learning new things about places, and Linda’s photo showed me something new about the Park! She writes:
The Presque Isle River (French explorers named it for the little island at the mouth of the river) is the largest and most dangerous flow through the Porcupine Mountains. The 3 waterfalls near its mouth are some of the most scenic in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The river forks at the end as it flows to Lake Superior. This picture is the right side, which is quiet and peaceful.
View her photo bigger and see more (including some of those waterfalls) in her Porkies slideshow.
Lake of the Clouds from the Escarpment Trail, Porcupine Mountains, photo by Linda Carter
Linda writes that this photo is taken about 400 feet above Lake of the Clouds on the Escarpment Trail, which starts at Lake of the Clouds Overlook. She says that if you go the whole loop it’s 8 miles, but 2 or 3 miles along the trail you get the most beautiful views of the Lake.
Agreed!
View her photo bigger and see more in her Porkies slideshow.
There’s at the Porcupine Mountain State Park website including a map of the Escarpment Trail & Lake of the Clouds area and more Lake of the Clouds on Michigan in Pictures!
A Stream of Ice and Fire, photo by posthumus_cake (www.pinnaclephotography.net)
Fall color is everywhere this weekend in Michigan – get out and get some before the ice gets louder than the fire!!
About this photo of the Carp River in Porcupine Mountains State Park from five years and one day ago, Matthew writes:
Autumn in the Porcupine Mountains, from a few years ago…arguably one of the most bizarre weather experiences I’ve encountered. When I arrived, it was full-on blizzard conditions. The snow only lasted a few hours, but for that time, the forest was utterly surreal.
View the photo bigger, see more more in his Porcupine Mountains slideshow and also at his website, Pinnacle Photography.
More from the Porcupines on Michigan in Pictures including this photo that Matthew took from the Lake of the Clouds overlook in 2009!!
Shining Cloud Falls, photo by Mikeydubz1
GoWaterfalling.com is the premier site for Michigan waterfall information, and they write that Shining Cloud Falls:
…is the largest, and one of the wildest backcountry waterfalls in Porcupine Mountains State Park. You will have to hike at least 5 miles in to see the falls, and another 5 miles to get back. If you are looking for a good long day hike this is a winner. In addition to the main falls there are also a number of smaller cascades, and whatever route you take there is lots of wilderness scenery.
The total drop of the falls is about 20′. The falls consists of two parts, a slide on the left, and a plunge on the right. In higher water the two parts merge, but in lower water the two parts are distinct. Plunge falls are rare around Lake Superior.
They say that the real challenge is reaching this remote fall, but that it’s definitely worth the trip – read on for instructions!
Check Mikey’s photo out bigger and see more in his Porcupine Mountains slideshow.
Many more Michigan waterfalls on Michigan in Pictures!
Happy ending, photo by adonyvan
About this gorgeous shot of the sunrise & fall color in the Porcupine Mountains, Jiqing Fan writes:
Weather.com forecasted that the sky would clear 2 hours before Monday’s sunrise after 3 days rain, so I decided to camp at the Porcupine Mountain to wait for it. Sunday afternoon, dense fog completely obscured the valley and the rain didn’t stop until midnight. My headlamp became completely useless because of the moisture/fog, I nearly got lost from the toilet to my car 100 feet away. I set up my tent at the parking lot in pitch dark and light rain. Apparently, I am not the only one trying to catch the break and photograph the peak color here. People started to show up, at 2am, 4am, 5am and 6am. Needless to say, I could not get a good sleep. I got up before 7am and found out that there were at least 20 cars already.
My miserable night finally paid off and the light was really amazing that morning.
He adds that color is surprisingly late this year with the Porkies likely peaking this week and says that most of Houghton hasn’t turn red a full week later than usual.
You can check his photo out bigger, jump into his slideshow for more photos from the trip, view it on his map and and see more of his work at Michigan in Pictures.
More sunrises on Michigan in Pictures.
![fallen tree [Overlooked Falls 2478 2481]](https://i0.wp.com/farm3.staticflickr.com/2805/9060210773_5fc61a9c22.jpg)
fallen tree [Overlooked Falls 2478 2481], photo by Frank Kaelin (aka Fir Dawg)
GoWaterfalling’s page on Minor Waterfalls has this to say about Overlooked Falls in Porcupine Mountains State Park:
Overlooked Falls is a small falls on the Little Carp River. The scenic falls consists of two drops, each about 5′ in height. This is the most easily accessed of the falls on the Little Carp River, big or small. It is only a few hundred feet from the parking area. The trailhead to the falls is at the end of Little Carp River road. This is also the trailhead to Greenstone Falls, which is about 1/2 mile away. The trail also leads to the much larger Trappers Falls, which is three miles away.
Check this out bigger and see more in Frank’s Mainly Water slideshow.
Many (many) more Michigan waterfalls on Michigan in Pictures!
Michigan in Pictures 