Houghton: Nature, Trails and Mining History
Accommodation in Houghton
Houghton combines the landscape along Lake Superior with extensive forests, diverse trails and a formative mining history. Houghton County has 51 miles of shoreline along Lake Superior and more than 900 miles of rivers and streams. Northern hardwood forests cover approximately 338,155 acres, or around 50 percent of the county's area. Lakes and streams provide habitats for freshwater fish such as lake trout, walleye, perch, pike, whitefish and salmon. When choosing a vacation rental, it is therefore particularly important to consider whether you want to focus your trip more on nature experiences, winter sports, culture or a combination of these.
Hiking, Water and Trails Through the Landscape
The North Country Trail runs east to west through the southern part of Houghton County and is intended exclusively for hiking. Along Lake Superior, F.J. McLain State Park offers opportunities for camping, fishing, windsurfing, berry picking, beach walks, rock hunting, sightseeing and hunting along a two-mile-long beach. The forest areas also offer various activities such as camping, mountain biking, hiking, ATV riding and snowmobiling, where permitted.
Several facilities illustrate the differences between the possible travel plans. The Chassell Ski/Snowshoe Trails include more than 10 kilometers of cross-country ski and snowshoe trails, including 1 kilometer of illuminated trail. The Michigan Tech Trails offer 35 kilometers for cross-country skiing, cycling and hiking; 7 kilometers of these are illuminated. The Maasto Hiihto Trails are suitable for cross-country skiing, cycling, hiking and snowshoeing. The 4.5-mile paved Waterfront Trail is used for non-motorized travel in summer and snowmobiling in winter.
For nature-focused days, there are also the 215-acre Paavola Wetlands, with hiking trails and historic features; the 115-acre Nara Nature Park; and Hungarian Falls, with 10 acres, hiking trails, waterfalls and views of the landscape. The 400-acre Lake Linden-Hubbell School Forest adds hiking, cross-country skiing and snowshoe trails, a log cabin, an archery range, a fire pit area and geocaching sites. Mount Ripley offers alpine skiing with a chairlift, a T-bar lift and a terrain park.
Discover Mining History and Culture
The Houghton County Historical Museum is located on the former site of the stamp mills of the Calumet and Hecla Mining Company in Lake Linden. The complex includes seven buildings with artifacts and photographs from 100 years of history, a one-room schoolhouse, a log cabin, a railroad depot, a research center and a 1915 steam locomotive. The Carnegie Museum of the Keweenaw presents changing exhibitions on local cultural and natural history.
At the Quincy Mine, tours descend more than 360 feet underground to mining areas where miners worked in the 1860s. The Quincy Smelting Works were built on the Portage Canal in 1898 to refine and ship copper. Guided tours take place there from late June through mid-October, Monday through Saturday. The A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum was founded in 1902, designated Michigan's official mineral museum in 1991 and is a Heritage Site of Keweenaw National Historical Park.
The Finnish American Heritage Center is open to the general public and does not charge admission. Every year, it hosts exhibitions, lectures, plays, musical programs and community events. The Finlandia Art Gallery presents exhibitions by contemporary Finnish, Finnish American and American artists; admission is free, and it is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Michigan Tech Archives serve researchers and are accessible Monday through Thursday from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. by appointment only.
Choose Accommodation That Fits Your Travel Program
Those who mainly want to hike, cycle or enjoy winter sports can use the various trail offerings and seasonal activities as a starting point when planning their search for a vacation rental. For culture-focused trips, museums, mining sites, archives and historic facilities take center stage. The Copper Country Trail National Byway begins at the Portage Lake Lift Bridge and passes through the historic downtown of Hancock, Michigan. It also follows a 47-mile section of US-41 from Houghton to Copper Harbor.
For further orientation, you can also visit the pages on Hancock, Houghton and Torch Lake Township.
For the higher-level travel overview: Michigan.
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