Upper Peninsula vacation/ dogs

Hi - My husband and I are considering a vacation to the upper peninsula this year - from reading some of the postings, I believe September would be a great time to visit. I requested a Michigan travel guide this week- is there any other publications that I can order to try to familiarize myself with the area,so I can ask intelligent questions on the forum.

We are mainly interested in hiking, bird watching, general nature and scenery enjoyment - and rustic cabin accomodations - however, on checking out some of the websites that offer cabins (state, DNR, not sure what else I looked at) it looks like accomodations are very un-pet friendly.

I have a 6 yr old lab that has traveled with us everywhere without a problem. Don%26#39;t mind camping for a while, but still prefer a roof over our heads, occasionally. Thanks.

Upper Peninsula vacation/ dogs

Google maps can be a great travel tool. Just go to maps.google.com and enter a search like ';cabins near xxxxxxxxxx, mi'; and it will basically do a yellow pages type search, but will also return websites and reviews if they are available. Search near the cities you are looking for. Many places in the UP are mom and pop type that may not have websites, so you will have to resort to the old fashioned phone call to check rates, are pets ok, etc.

Also try vacation rentals by owner - vbro.com

Upper Peninsula vacation/ dogs

I%26#39;m sure that you will get lots of help with your search. One place we have stayed at is a small campground in the town of Germfask. Look up Northland Outfitters. We had a wonderful little cabin, for a long weekend. They have about 6 cabins that are all pet friendly. We stayed in the one delux cabin with a private bathroom. We love the Germfask/Seney area as its centrally located to the Wildlife Refuge, Newberry, Manistique and all other points.

Hello nosmo82,

Michigan has a newer web site and they have a travel guide you can request. It just maybe the place you were at but thought I would list the web site anyway.

http://www.michigan.org/

I do not see any problem finding a place to stay with your lab. I just got off the phone with Gordon%26#39;s Resort in Curtis and they have a cabin they rent out to dog owners. If you find an area you are interested in staying at and need help in finding a place to stay just post back here again and I will see what I can do for you.

Here are some other web sites about the UP. Some are now focused on Winter activities. A few have travel guides.

www.exploringthenorth.com/mich/mich.html

http://hunts-upguide.com/

http://www.travelbaysdenoc.com/

http://www.marquettecountry.org/

www.superiortrails.com/up-michigan.html

http://www.superiorsights.com/

http://www.upmichigan.com/

You have already received soem good advice here and YB has given you lots of good reference sites.

Not sure what your budget is like and what part of the UP you want to visit but you could check this

site: http://marquette.org/cabins_cottages.htm

for rental cabins in the central U.P. (Alger, Marquette, Baraga counties).

Some say no pets but some say pets welcome.

I did botce that the DNR allows pets at the cabins sites but not inside the cabins...not sure if that will work for you or not...

Thanks YB and 24 Fan - the websites are very helpful- I did request some literature from the Michigan Travel website and others - the Superior Trails.com looks like it has a ton of info I can use once I get a physical map in front of me and try to plan an itinery from Pittsburgh. We%26#39;ll probably have about 2 weeks to spend in mid September. Would like to spend 2-3 days each in different areas- sites that look great so far are Porcupine Mtns. Tahquamenom Falls State Park, Sleeping Bear Dunes/National Seashore.

24 Fan - as for the DNR policy of dog staying outside - wouldn%26#39;t work - he thinks he%26#39;s a lap dog at 65 lbs! (:

I can understand you wanting your dog to be inside with you...

I am sure if you are diligent you should be able to find what you are looking for. It just may take a little more time.

You have a very aggresive (but very nice) itnerary. September in Michigan can be one of the most beautiful months of the year.

If you have the time you may also want to consider the Keweenaw peninsula as part of your intinerary while in the U.P.

24

If you will be in the UP over Labor Day weekend, try to be in St. Ignace/Mackinaw City on Labor Day for the annual walk across the Mackinac Bridge. Awsome view.

www.mackinacbridge.org/annual-bridge-walk-7/

I think we are going again this year, so you will probably find me at Timmy Lee%26#39;s Pub on US-2 after the walk.

tev99 - that looks awesome - is that the only time you can cross the bridge on foot? How long is the bridge and how long to cross it?

Yes - that is the only day they close part of the bridge for pedestrians. The bridge is five miles between anchorages, but you will walk closer to seven miles. You park on the St. Ignace side in a field across I-75 to the west of the bridge. At the beginning of the day, the northbound two lanes are closed to traffic for people walking south. One southbound lane handles northbound traffic. Later in the morning they narrow the pedestrian area to one lane.

It took about 1:45 to get across the bridge, but then you have to walk another mile or so through downtown Mackinaw City (they want your tourist $$$) to board school buses that will shuttle you back to the north. You can also park south of the bridge and take the bus across to start the walk. It is a decent pace, but I like to walk fast and it is very crowded so you might have to dodge around people. If you are afraid of heights, you may want to stick to the left lane as the center lane is a steel grate and you can see straight down 200 feet to the water.