Do you visit the UP any time other than winter?

When do you visit the UP

  • Winter only

    Votes: 28 17.9%

  • Winter and one or two other times

    Votes: 54 34.6%

  • I visit in all 4 seaons

    Votes: 56 35.9%

  • I live here year round

    Votes: 14 9.0%

  • where is the UP?

    Votes: 4 2.6%
  • Total voters
    156
S

scott_b

Member
It always strikes me how empty the UP is during the summer and while I enjoy the quiet times up there I do feel for the business owner's who struggle to keep the doors open.

For those of you that don't come up in the summer or fall, what is keeping you away?

Note: can someone please correct the spelling of "seasons" in the poll?
 
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Admin

Admin

Administrator
Staff member
Ok, I have to ask real quick: "Where the heck are you going in the UP where tourism is down in the summer compared to winter?!"

All the places I know of are WAY busier in the summer than winter. Just look at Copper Harbor, over half the businesses are not even open in the winter. They make their money for the entire year from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Same can be said for almost every tourism related business I know from Twin Lakes to the tip as well as many in the eastern UP.

Just curious where your observations come from is all.

-John
 
D

Dave_B

Active member
Administrator said:
Ok, I have to ask real quick: "Where the heck are you going in the UP where tourism is down in the summer compared to winter?!"

All the places I know of are WAY busier in the summer than winter. Just look at Copper Harbor, over half the businesses are not even open in the winter. They make their money for the entire year from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Same can be said for almost every tourism related business I know from Twin Lakes to the tip as well as many in the eastern UP.

Just curious where your observations come from is all.

-John
Click to expand...

I don't think tourism is down, per say. I think that it is just more concentrated to those areas that have something to offer. Twin Lakes, Copper Harbor, etc. The rest of the UP towns are more "pass through" towns for those on the way to their destination. It's totally different than in the winter where nearly every town has something to offer because of the trail system. Bar, gas, motel, etc. Those are the towns that I think suffer in the summer and the ones he was probably referring to.

Dave
 
M

matti

Active member
That's a great point, John. I remember staying at the Indianhead Motel in Ironwood many winters ago. I was having a conversation with the owner and he said summer was their busy season. It surprised me at the time, but it does make sense to me now.
 
skiroule

skiroule

Well-known member
I've been there in all four seasons and my observation has been that business is very good in some areas during the summer but not so good in others. For example, I think the Parkview has been closing in the summer but it's crazy in the winter.

Next to winter, fall is easily my favorite. It is definitely quieter. When I was staying at the WLR Cabins last fall, I had the entire place to myself. I'm guessing this was just an isolated case, but talk about peaceful.

P.S. If you haven't watched a summer sunset from Brockway Mtn. by all means make a point to do so.
 
S

scott_b

Member
John,

My observations are in the Lake Gogebic area. We can be out there almost any time during the summer, even 4th of July week and only see a hand full of other boats all day, head into any bar and sit right down. Things are slow enough there Marlin is shutting Timberline down for the summer. I was not aware other areas were so busy during the summer.

Hope I didn't just let the cat out of the bag....
 
C

cuzzinolaf

Well-known member
My wife and I go up every year for the fall colors, I have been up for the trail clean-up, and this year I plan to get up there on the enduro bike and do some exploring. If I could move there I would. I think all of the seasons have something to offer.
 
T

thunderstruck88

New member
I LOVE COPPER HARBOR God made that a very special place and it's PURE MICHIGAN at its best even though it's 806 miles from my house to there It's well worth the drive !!!!!!!!!!
 
P

Polarice

New member
scott_b said:
John,

My observations are in the Lake Gogebic area. We can be out there almost any time during the summer, even 4th of July week and only see a hand full of other boats all day, head into any bar and sit right down. Things are slow enough there Marlin is shutting Timberline down for the summer. I was not aware other areas were so busy during the summer.

Hope I didn't just let the cat out of the bag....
Click to expand...

I've thought many times about going fishing at that lake. Now because you just told me that there's low boat traffic I'll be going...aka; cat's out of the bag lol!

That's a haul but I'd love to check it out sometime!
 
P

purproadking

New member
i will be heading up to Iron River next weekend for a atv trip, and go tothe Watersmeet area all year long, we bought a place in Marenscio last year and love the area. but the lake gogebic area is pretty slow during the summer months from what i see.
 
Admin

Admin

Administrator
Staff member
Interesting. I would have not thought that the Lake Gogebic area was slow in the summer. Beautiful lake, ATV, hiking trails, waterfalls, not too far from the big lake.

Strange.

Thanks for the input.

-John
 
R

rodehard

New member
We always said we would bring the bikes in the summer and last year we did it. We stayed in Ishpeming and revisited some of our winter destinations when it was green. We hit Bond Falls, Root Cellar, Copper Harbor, Brockway and Munising and traveled a lot of paved forest and lakeshore roads. I don't know if I had favorites but the tree canopy going to Copper Harbor ranked right up there.
 
P

Pizza Man

New member
We like to ride our Goldwing Trike up there a few times each summer.
Picture has our Bunkhouse camper hooked up to the Trike.

1800TrikeforGWRRA.jpg
 
T

thunderstruck88

New member
rodehard said:
We always said we would bring the bikes in the summer and last year we did it. We stayed in Ishpeming and revisited some of our winter destinations when it was green. We hit Bond Falls, Root Cellar, Copper Harbor, Brockway and Munising and traveled a lot of paved forest and lakeshore roads. I don't know if I had favorites but the tree canopy going to Copper Harbor ranked right up there.
Click to expand...

***** 5 Stars on the tree canopy road and I also forgot Brockway Mountain and the view you get from that place getting abit home sick for that treasure trove town right now darn them 806 miles ya'll have a great day up there !!!!!!!
 
N

nytro_rtx

Active member
I voted all 4 seasons but probly not a fair vote because we have a place in W.P., we usualy try to go up everyother weekend in the spring,summer & fall and every weekend in the winter. Absolutely love the UP!!!!
nytro
 
W

windingtrailgal

Active member
nytro - I think that's fair cuz you wouldn't have BOUGHT a place in the UP if you didn't love it so much! And you could have bought it just for snowmobiling too...so fair enough to answer that you don't just use for winter play.

I voted for all 4 also because we don't just get to use our WP house for snowmobiling. As a matter of fact, if that's all we would have bought it for, this season would have been a bust?!? I've been to the UP for all 4 seasons...and all of them have their awesome points - minus those stupid biting flies and skeeters big as birds!? ;)
 
N

nytro_rtx

Active member
windingtrailgal said:
nytro - I think that's fair cuz you wouldn't have BOUGHT a place in the UP if you didn't love it so much! And you could have bought it just for snowmobiling too...so fair enough to answer that you don't just use for winter play.

I voted for all 4 also because we don't just get to use our WP house for snowmobiling. As a matter of fact, if that's all we would have bought it for, this season would have been a bust?!? I've been to the UP for all 4 seasons...and all of them have their awesome points - minus those stupid biting flies and skeeters big as birds!? ;)
Click to expand...

Good point, didn't think about it that way. Yea if that's all we bought them for it would have forsure been a bust!!!
nytro
 
S

scott_b

Member
Nytro, every other weekend in the spring, summer and fall and every weekend in the winter? From Byron? You are my hero. We have a place in the UP and think we are doing well if we make it up there a dozen times per year.

How many miles do you put on a car/truck per year?
 
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