Ask any local about the best hike in the Keweenaw, and odds are good they'll recommend Mount Baldy.
- Location
- 47.44797, -88.10233
- Adventure Details
- Moderate, 6.8 miles round trip. 1,282 ft. elevation gain.
- Don't Forget
- Sturdy shoes, binoculars, bug spray.
Also known as Lookout Mountain, this popular adventure offers a living tour of the peninsula’s topography, with terrain ranging from soft sand flats and cedar swamp to boreal forest and alpine bald.
Along the way, you’ll get chances to ford Cedar Creek, forage for thimbleberries, look for rare trilliums and fungi, and—if you re lucky—cross paths with low-flying bald eagles.
Fresh Coast Tip
While the trail up Mount Baldy is well marked, the terrain is very subject to deep mud, washouts, and stream overflows. Wear sturdy shoes and be prepared to get messy.
While bedrock balds are a common feature of Appalachia and New England, Mount Baldy’s mile-long mountaintop ridge is one of the only occurrences in Michigan. While the bald is best-known for its panoramic view of the entire peninsula tip (including a particularly photogenic overlook of Eagle Harbor), make sure to keep an eye out for wild blueberries and their constant companion, black bears, as well as peregrine falcons, ruffed grouse, and snowshoe hares.
As thrilling as it is to reach the top, don’t call it until you reach the second peak just a little farther north-it would be a shame to climb all this way and not set foot on the
actual Mount Baldy.
Photo: Hans Isaacson / @outdoorpixs