The shoreside hamlet of Eagle River is like a Keweenaw "sample platter," collecting all the peninsula's best elements in just under 6 square miles.
- Location
- 47.2450, -88.1744
- Don't Forget
- Comfortable shoes for walking, water sports gear, your appetite.
- Best Time to Go
- Anytime
Fresh Coast Tip
Summertime brings a number of exciting Keweenaw events to Eagle River, including live music performances and community picnics. Be sure to check with a local events calendar for upcoming events.
Start your visit at one of the Keweenaw’s most popular beaches.
With its soft and shallow lake floor, calm waters, and the welcome presence of a public bathroom and changing stall, this beach stays packed all summer with devotees of the Big Lake.
It doesn’t hurt that the beach is also home to Fitzgerald’s Inn, a Keweenaw institution lauded throughout Michigan for its smoked brisket, incomparable whiskey selection, and enviable location—if you were any closer to the lake, you’d be in it.
Between these two features of Eagle River, you could easily make a day of it, but be sure to squeeze in a visit to the general store just up the road for a scoop of ice cream.
Nearby Eagle River Falls, with its picturesque arch bridge, offers one of the most iconic photo opps in the Keweenaw; follow M-26 a little farther northwest, and you’ll find the Jampot, a bakery run by a Byzantine Catholic monastery that specializes in treats made from berries foraged in the surrounding forest.
When you notice the sun leaning toward the horizon, it’s the perfect time for a paddle out to Five Mile Point, or a soak in the warm beach lagoon, while you watch the sunset melt into the lake’s glassy surface.
Photo: Hans Isaacson / @outdoorpixs