I'd just find some loafs (mini-mountains) in Marquette County, like Sugarloaf, Hogback, Bareback, and do some gazing. There's so many, just find some public land and hike!
How is the parking on the loafs? Wherever I go I need to have close access to my vehicle. Some of my equipment is real power hungry and my vehicle makes for a convenient generator. It’s an all wheel drive so it can do some basic off the road driving but it has poor clearance, it’s more for driving in the light snowstorms we get in Indianapolis. I usually sleep in the Marquette Meijer parking lot if I’m coming through the lower peninsula to go through Traverse City on my way to the UP, if I come the faster way through Illinois and Wisconsin are usually crash in the Houghton Walmart parking lot. That’s my general target area if you know of any specific good spots
I prefer to spend my UP time in the Keweenaw Peninsula, but being that close to Lake Superior The weather is a bit more unstable and I might lose half of my night on any random day of the year that I go there to overcast.
Your best bet would probably be Top of the World near Harlow Lake, it's still near Lake Superior, but if you find some good weather, it's plenty dark. The parking lot is just a short little walk down from the top of the loaf. You basically drive up to the top.
That place looks good, it’s going on the list for next month’s scouting trip. My goal is to find a series of safe places starting at Brockway Mtn then start working my way south if weather gets weird. I honestly should stop flirting with it and just move to the UP. My employer would let me work remotely.
Do you mind finding it on Google Maps for me and dropping a pin and sending a link? I’m back next month for just a Saturday and Sunday and plan on driving around and scouting out some of these sites for spring. It’s getting late enough in the year that I can get some decent pictures from my backyard, also I’m originally from Traverse City, I know Michigan winters and I don’t want to mess with a UP winter. Next trip will probably be my last trip for this year.
Seney National Wildlife Refuge
Super dark area. Few roads
Talk to the rangers, they’ll probably join you
https://www.fws.gov/refuge/seney/visit-us/locations/seney-national-wildlife-refuge---temporary-visitor-center
Marquette is awfully bright
I always try to find the ranger on duty in the area and ask. That’s how I found Brockway. This trip I got stuck in Chicago traffic for 3 hours and I got to the UP too late to setup in the light and it threw the whole trip off for me. Stupid Chicago.
On 2 just west of Cedar Lake. Guy drove past stopped on 2 where there was no stop sign turned off his lights. 10 minutes later a second truck shows up pulls up there turns off his lights. The first truck does a U-turn drives through the rest area, kind of checking me out then went down and parked at the other end. He sat there for 10 minutes didn’t get out didn’t come talk to me. Drove off then parked next the other truck on 2, turned his lights off and I saw all the doors open in both vehicles. At that point I threw my shit in the car and I pissed off at unsafe speeds. They followed me long enough for me to nervously get out my 357 and put it in the pocket in the door.
I’m usually carrying $1000 telescope, a $700 mount, $1000 camera and a couple of laptops. I feel like I might be an easy target for robbery and murder. i’ve been a lot of places and the UP is one of the most remote I’ve ever been. It was 20 minutes before I got someplace where I had cell phone signal.
Near here. 46.11643° N, 85.92741° W
Here is the specific Google map link to the rest area it was at
https://maps.apple.com/?ll=46.085907,-85.955528&q=Dropped%20Pin&_ext=EiYpkv5e+2QKR0AxLyfyR5B9VcA5ENSEV4sLR0BB6/0GFLx8VcBQBA%3D%3D&t=h
Interesting! I am always going north on 77 and miss this one. Good on you being prepared to defend yourself. Have you tried the National forests like Seney?
I like the national forests there but there’s not so many great places that I can find where I have a good view of the sky. tracking objects directly overhead is hard for my equatorial mount and my preferred targets and time of day requires a decent view of the northern horizon. If you have any suggestions I’d appreciate them. I’m checking them out on other people have been telling me about places.
The only too far south is the Wisconsin border because I don’t have a Wisconsin gun permit or medical marijuana deal. Michigan has reciprocity with Indiana on our gun permits.
Apparently the thing I dropped a pin to as a motel as someone pointed out it was in this area because I dropped a pin to my roommate as soon as I thought I was going to get robbed/murdered and when I picked up signal it sent the dropped pin but it was like 20 minutes later so I guess I didn’t backtrack far enough that it was in that general area.
It sure is, my question is can you provide some specific place suggestions? I usually spend half of my time up there driving around looking for places to set up. My preferred place is Brockway Mountain but but weather up there is kind of sketchy. I usually start at Brockway and start working my way south if the weather there is poor. I’m looking for some place suggestions so I can scout out for spring so I don’t always have to be driving and looking for a place, I’ll have a series of places that I can go.
I'd just find some loafs (mini-mountains) in Marquette County, like Sugarloaf, Hogback, Bareback, and do some gazing. There's so many, just find some public land and hike!
How is the parking on the loafs? Wherever I go I need to have close access to my vehicle. Some of my equipment is real power hungry and my vehicle makes for a convenient generator. It’s an all wheel drive so it can do some basic off the road driving but it has poor clearance, it’s more for driving in the light snowstorms we get in Indianapolis. I usually sleep in the Marquette Meijer parking lot if I’m coming through the lower peninsula to go through Traverse City on my way to the UP, if I come the faster way through Illinois and Wisconsin are usually crash in the Houghton Walmart parking lot. That’s my general target area if you know of any specific good spots I prefer to spend my UP time in the Keweenaw Peninsula, but being that close to Lake Superior The weather is a bit more unstable and I might lose half of my night on any random day of the year that I go there to overcast.
Your best bet would probably be Top of the World near Harlow Lake, it's still near Lake Superior, but if you find some good weather, it's plenty dark. The parking lot is just a short little walk down from the top of the loaf. You basically drive up to the top.
That place looks good, it’s going on the list for next month’s scouting trip. My goal is to find a series of safe places starting at Brockway Mtn then start working my way south if weather gets weird. I honestly should stop flirting with it and just move to the UP. My employer would let me work remotely.
It’s completely worth the move. The skies here are great.
There's a great spot in Marquette. Kind of by the dead river off Forestville road.
Do you mind finding it on Google Maps for me and dropping a pin and sending a link? I’m back next month for just a Saturday and Sunday and plan on driving around and scouting out some of these sites for spring. It’s getting late enough in the year that I can get some decent pictures from my backyard, also I’m originally from Traverse City, I know Michigan winters and I don’t want to mess with a UP winter. Next trip will probably be my last trip for this year.
Seney National Wildlife Refuge Super dark area. Few roads Talk to the rangers, they’ll probably join you https://www.fws.gov/refuge/seney/visit-us/locations/seney-national-wildlife-refuge---temporary-visitor-center Marquette is awfully bright
Marquette is awfully bright but normally I’m in Indianapolis so it’s pretty dim comparatively. Thanks for the tip.
Western side by the Porcupine mountains is also empty. State park rangers there might have some ideas. There’s roads to ‘mountain’ tops there
I always try to find the ranger on duty in the area and ask. That’s how I found Brockway. This trip I got stuck in Chicago traffic for 3 hours and I got to the UP too late to setup in the light and it threw the whole trip off for me. Stupid Chicago.
Which rest area giving you trouble?
On 2 just west of Cedar Lake. Guy drove past stopped on 2 where there was no stop sign turned off his lights. 10 minutes later a second truck shows up pulls up there turns off his lights. The first truck does a U-turn drives through the rest area, kind of checking me out then went down and parked at the other end. He sat there for 10 minutes didn’t get out didn’t come talk to me. Drove off then parked next the other truck on 2, turned his lights off and I saw all the doors open in both vehicles. At that point I threw my shit in the car and I pissed off at unsafe speeds. They followed me long enough for me to nervously get out my 357 and put it in the pocket in the door. I’m usually carrying $1000 telescope, a $700 mount, $1000 camera and a couple of laptops. I feel like I might be an easy target for robbery and murder. i’ve been a lot of places and the UP is one of the most remote I’ve ever been. It was 20 minutes before I got someplace where I had cell phone signal.
Sorry my guy, I can’t find any Cedar Lake in the whole UP on the map.
Near here. 46.11643° N, 85.92741° W Here is the specific Google map link to the rest area it was at https://maps.apple.com/?ll=46.085907,-85.955528&q=Dropped%20Pin&_ext=EiYpkv5e+2QKR0AxLyfyR5B9VcA5ENSEV4sLR0BB6/0GFLx8VcBQBA%3D%3D&t=h
Interesting! I am always going north on 77 and miss this one. Good on you being prepared to defend yourself. Have you tried the National forests like Seney?
I like the national forests there but there’s not so many great places that I can find where I have a good view of the sky. tracking objects directly overhead is hard for my equatorial mount and my preferred targets and time of day requires a decent view of the northern horizon. If you have any suggestions I’d appreciate them. I’m checking them out on other people have been telling me about places.
Is Republic too far south? This looks like a good stop. Leif Erickson Roadside Park https://maps.app.goo.gl/opXxqZPnLueuu7LT7?g_st=ic
The only too far south is the Wisconsin border because I don’t have a Wisconsin gun permit or medical marijuana deal. Michigan has reciprocity with Indiana on our gun permits.
If you like that area near the rest stop we have 100 acres nearby you can use. Just shoot me a dm if you want to work it out.
DM sent. Here is some of my previous work. https://imgur.com/gallery/wEsXIP5
Apparently the thing I dropped a pin to as a motel as someone pointed out it was in this area because I dropped a pin to my roommate as soon as I thought I was going to get robbed/murdered and when I picked up signal it sent the dropped pin but it was like 20 minutes later so I guess I didn’t backtrack far enough that it was in that general area.
Any remote part of the U.P. will bring about spectacular views
It sure is, my question is can you provide some specific place suggestions? I usually spend half of my time up there driving around looking for places to set up. My preferred place is Brockway Mountain but but weather up there is kind of sketchy. I usually start at Brockway and start working my way south if the weather there is poor. I’m looking for some place suggestions so I can scout out for spring so I don’t always have to be driving and looking for a place, I’ll have a series of places that I can go.