Bare Bluff features hands-down the best view in the Keweenaw (some say in the entire Upper Peninsula), but you'll have to work for it.
- Location
- 47.39823, -87.89286
- Visit Duration
- Allow 3-4 hours, depending on how you hike.
- Adventure Details
- Difficult, 3-mile loop. 1,100 ft. elevation gain.
- Don't Forget
- Water, sturdy hiking boots, an extra layer, trekking poles, mud-ready clothes, compass.
Fresh Coast Tip
Check the weather forecast before you go—this challenging hike should not be attempted (going up or down) in inclement weather.
This 1,100-foot elevation hike starts off tame enough with your choice of two routes beginning at the base of the climb.
To the left is the ‘easy’ trail, well-cleared but steep and full of hairpin turns. To the right is a natural obstacle course, featuring boulder scrambles, sheer hillside climbs, and a stream fording, all threaded together with a narrow, often-hidden path littered with hidden gems of Northern flora.
Both routes will bring you, panting but triumphant, to the pinnacle of the rocky spine that forms the Keweenaw Peninsula.
Clamber with caution over the natural rock terraces that offer a vertiginous view of Lake Superior and its northernmost coastline, from the Huron Mountains to Montreal Falls. Gaze down at the crashing waves 600 feet below, and keep an eye out for cruising eagles and the occasional passing freighter as you breathe deeply of the purest air on earth.
Then enjoy a leisurely stroll back down the easy way, of course.
Photo: Chelsea Thompson / @thechelseagrin