13 Keweenaw Peninsula
Brockway Mountain Drive,
Fort Wilkins State Park and
Estivant Pines Nature Sanctuary
wildlife viewing |
directions and facility information
The Keweenaw Peninsula is the northernmost portion
of the Michigan mainland and reaches almost halfway
across Lake Superior toward the Canadian border. There
are myriad opportunities for wildlife watchers in
the small area between Eagle Harbor and Copper Harbor;
three of the best are Brockway Mountain Drive, Fort
Wilkins State Park, and Estivant Pines Nature Sanctuary.
Brockway Mountain Drive is the highest American road
between the Alleghenies and the Black Hills of South
Dakota. It has numerous
pullouts and vistas from which you can look out upon
Lake Superior and the surrounding “copper country.”
Fort Wilkins State Park is a long, narrow spit of
wooded land that lies between Lake Superior’s Copper
Harbor and Lake Fanny Hooe, with additional state-owned
land on the south side of Lake Fanny Hooe. The Lake
Superior coastline here is one of the most beautiful
stretches of shoreline in the state. Estivant Pines
Nature Sanctuary is one of the few remaining tracts
of virgin white pine left in Michigan. For additional
information on these sites and other wildlife viewing
attractions on the Keweenaw Peninsula, contact the
Keweenaw Tourism Council at 1-800-338-7982. Another
excellent source is the Keweenaw National Historic
Park, National Park Service, (906) 337-3168, headquartered
in Calumet. This historic park preserves and interprets
the copper mining industry and communities that flourished
in the 1800s and 1900s in what’s still called the
Copper Country.
 Wildlife
Viewing
Wildlife Viewing along Brockway Mountain Drive: This
scenic drive offers some of the best scenery in the
state. Be sure you bring your camera, especially during
fall color season. The biggest wildlife attraction
here is the migration of birds-of-prey. From mid-April
through mid-June, (mid-May is best), watch migrating
hawks, eagles, falcons, and vultures ride the updrafts
of air that come across Lake Superior and are forced
up the mountainside. Crows, hawks, and ravens also
nest on these cliffs. Visitors can look for wildlife
and an assortment of forest and wetland types in the
following 5 sanctuaries along or near Brockway Mountain
Drive: Brockway Mountain and Lake Bailey wildlife
sanctuaries, both owned by the Michigan Audubon Society;
and Esrey Park, Upson Lake, and James Klipfel Memorial
nature sanctuaries, all owned by the Michigan Nature
Association . Various facilities are offered along
the route and in Eagle Harbor and Copper Harbor.
Wildlife Viewing at Fort Wilkins State Park: This
park is best known for its 1840s-era wooden fort,
but the wildlife viewing opportunities available here
are significant as well. Black bears are fairly common
in the park and the local area. DO NOT FEED
THE BEARS! Red foxes, coyotes, and snowshoe
hares live here year-round and may be seen occasionally.
Loons may be observed on both Lake Superior and Lake
Fanny Hooe. Flying squirrels are common residents
of the park. These small, shy squirrels are often
seen at dusk in the large red pines located in the
east campground. Although flying squirrels are fairly
common throughout Michigan, there are not many locations
where they can be easily seen because they are almost
strictly nocturnal (active only at night). Watch for
them here at dusk as they scamper up trees and launch
themselves into gentle glides between trees.
Wildlife Viewing at Estivant Pines Nature Sanctuary:
A walk on the trails at this site is like a trip back
in time. See a remnant of the 100-foot tall white
pines that once covered much of Michigan. Large, colorful,
pileated woodpeckers find homes in hollow cavities
they create in the huge pines. The sanctuary also
boasts 23 species of ferns and 13 species of wild
orchids, so this site is a botanist’s dream.
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>Watchable
Wildlife
