Michigan: Mount Arvon (1,979 feet)
Date of visits to Mt. Arvon: August 22, 2016 (Raina) August 31, 2016 (Jill)
Distance: Varies depending on road conditions, but a walk up for us
Elevation: 1,979 feet
When I was prepping for our trip to Mt. Arvon I read all sorts of horror stories about people getting lost in the woods for hours on the way. Others had to stop and walk for miles because all the roads were washed out. People in the know suggested you didn’t even start until you’ve talked to Tracey at the L’Anse visitor center. Online directions recommend you set your odometer at a certain point, and make turns at specific mileages. It makes you think that at exactly 6.8 miles you’re going to have to make a turn onto an old track that may or may not be a road.
Getting to Mt. Arvon
I’m not sure if we were lucky, or if we’re getting used to driving off the grid to get to highpoints, but we just followed the blue signs and got there quickly. We thought Michigan’s highpoint was much easier to find than either Pennsylvania or Kentucky.
Take time to enjoy the view from Mt. Arvon
Some reports say there will be a 1/2 mile hike to get to the highpoint, but we were able to park right next to it. I gather roads change in this area often due to logging operations. The best rule of thumb for finding the Michigan highpoint is don’t try to follow GPS or directions from a website. Follow the blue signs, and stay on main roads. Our car is an SUV with all wheel drive, but others who took the road the same week did it with a low profile rental car.
The summit itself is well appointed. There was a sign, a register, a picnic table, and a bench. There’s also a clearing off to the side with another bench and views of Lake Superior. We let the kids play around a bit in the woods, and they had a good time there. This is one of those highpoints where you can just hop out of the car and sign the register if you’re tight on time. However if you’ve been driving half the day and can’t face getting back in the car it’s not a bad place to stretch and enjoy the forest.
Our visit to Mt. Arvon was part of an Upper Peninsula vacation. We loved playing along all of the lakes, but our very favorite stop was Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, two hours to the east on the coast of Lake Superior. We hiked to waterfalls, took a ride in a glass bottomed boat, ate pasties, swam, and generally had a great time.
Raina recommends the 1 pound Cinnamon Roll at Hilltop Restaurant in L’Anse. Nearby, the L’Anse Waterfront Park is a great place to swim in Lake Superior, put your feet in the water, or just let the kids burn off energy. It has a nice playground, covered picnic tables, and a small spray/water park for free.
