Brockway Mountain -

Brockway Mountain Drive is a fun way to spend a weekend afternoon or just to get to Copper Harbor. The drive from Houghton to this scenic drive is also full of various sites to see. There are several turnoffs on the road with overlooks of the surrounding area. Near the top of the drive there are also hiking trails if you feel like stopping. It has been a tradition in my family to take a picnic every fall to appreciate the colored leaves, and this was the place of choice for my picnic last year. I did not get to go during the peak color, and it was a rainy drizzly day when I went, but this drive does offer great views of the trees and Lake Superior.

Rating: 3.5/5 Good For: Fall Colors, a most interesting route to Copper Harbor, Hiking.

Note: Brockway Drive is closed in the winter due to snow.

Drirections :

43.9 mi – about 1 hour 5 mins

Houghton, MI

1.	Head west on Shelden Ave toward Dodge St		0.2 mi
2.	Turn right at Houghton County Bridge/MI-26 N/US-41 N		0.3 mi
3.	Turn left at Front St		269 ft
4.	Take the 1st right onto Center St		364 ft
5.	Take the 1st left onto Cooper Ave		351 ft
6.	Turn right at Dunstan St		0.2 mi
7.	Continue onto Sampson St		0.3 mi
8.	Turn right at F Roosevelt Rd		499 ft
9.	Turn right at F Roosevelt Rd/Shafter St		0.2 mi
10.	Turn right at White St		348 ft
11.	Turn right at N Lincoln Dr/US-41 N Continue to follow US-41 N		24.4 mi
12.	Turn left at MI-26 N		10.0 mi
13.	Turn right at Front St/MI-26 N		0.2 mi
14.	Take the 1st left onto MI-26 N		4.3 mi
15.	Continue onto Brockway Mountain Dr		3.6 mi

Victoria Dam Falls

This waterfall is a a powerhouse of a waterfall. Close to Agate and Bond Falls, and not too far from O Kun De Kun, it makes a good day trip or visit passing though. I would not recommend it as a stand alone visit because the immediate area does not offer much other than a view of the falls. I visited in the Spring ad the water flow was quite impressive. I have heard that in the summer the flow is much less substantial., so you might want to take that into consideration. The waterfall does kick up a good deal of spray, so plan on getting wet, and be cautious with camera equipment.

Rating 3.5/5 Good For: General Waterfall Enthusiasts, Nearby Waterfalls

Not Good For Camping.

Directions :

51.2 mi (about 1 hour 32 mins)

1.	Head west on College Avetoward E Montezuma Ave	0.1 mi
2.	Continue onto Shelden Ave	0.4 mi
3.	Turn right at Quincy St	187 ft
4.	Turn left at Lake Ave/W Lakeshore Dr Continue to follow W Lakeshore Dr	0.8 mi
5.	Turn right at Memorial Rd/MI-26 S Continue to follow MI-26 S	37.5 mi
6.	Turn left to stay on MI-26 S	5.5 mi
7.	Continue straight ontoRockland Rd/US-45 N	1.9 mi
8.	Turn left at Elm St	0.4 mi
9.	Continue onto Victoria Dam Rd Destination will be on the left	4.4 mi

Gay Beach

This is a pretty sweet beach. It stretches on for miles in an endless sea of sand, dumped into Lake Superior after being dug up in the old mines. The vast expanse on the shore does lead to quite a bit of wind, so dress warmly. This place is a great place for a bonfire, or some serious sand off-roading. I would strongly recommend only driving on the sands if you have a 4 wheel drive vehicle with a little bit of ground clearance.

Rating 4/5 Good For: Off Roading, Bonfires, Sunsets, Long Walks on the Beach

Directions: The road to the beach is a dirt road turn off to the right as you enter the town. This continues for about a mile, and then the beach should be on your left.

50.6 mi (about 1 hour 24 mins)

1.	Head west on College Avetoward E Montezuma Ave	0.1 mi
2.	Continue onto Shelden Ave	0.4 mi
3.	Turn right at Quincy St	187 ft
4.	Turn left at Lake Ave/W Lakeshore Dr Continue to follow W Lakeshore Dr	0.8 mi
5.	Turn right at Memorial Rd/MI-26 S Continue to follow MI-26 S	37.5 mi
6.	Turn left to stay on MI-26 S	5.5 mi
7.	Turn left at US-45 S Destination will be on the right	6.2 mi

O Kun De Kun Falls

This particular location is a good day trip from MTU. The surrounding area also houses Bond Falls, Agate Falls, and several others. When I went here it was early spring and the river was quite full of snow melt. This did make the falls impressive, but it limited access to a cave that goes behind the falls. A visit in the late spring, fall or summer might allow for better access to this cave. There are actually two layers of falls, and the lower falls, which are further down the trail have the cave behind them. There is a nice wooden bridge along the path down by those falls which offers a good view.

Rating 5/5 Good for: Hiking, Camping

Directions:

50.6 mi (about 1 hour 24 mins)

1.	Head west on College Avetoward E Montezuma Ave	0.1 mi
2.	Continue onto Shelden Ave	0.4 mi
3.	Turn right at Quincy St	187 ft
4.	Turn left at Lake Ave/W Lakeshore Dr Continue to follow W Lakeshore Dr	0.8 mi
5.	Turn right at Memorial Rd/MI-26 S Continue to follow MI-26 S	37.5 mi
6.	Turn left to stay on MI-26 S	5.5 mi
7.	Turn left at US-45 S Destination will be on the right	6.2 mi

Freda/Red Ridge Dam

The Freda/Red-Ridge area is always a fun place to go. The rock formations along Lake Superior drop into the water during the Spring/Summer- but in the winter ice allows one to walk along them and see the rock up close. Down the Beach there is the old Freda stamp mill, which has an impressive stack, some interesting buildings, and a very large concrete foundation. Red-Ridge dam is only a few miles away, and offers a great place to relax, swim, or have bonfires.

Rating 5/5 Good For: Photography, hiking, swimming, cookouts, camping, bonfires.

Directions. - to Freda- passes Red-Ridge along the way.

1.Head west on Shelden Ave toward Dodge St

0.1 mi

2.Take the 3rd right onto Quincy St

187 ft

3.Turn left at Lake Ave/W Lakeshore Dr

Continue to follow W Lakeshore Dr

0.8 mi

4.Turn right at Memorial Rd/MI-26 S

0.1 mi

5.Take the 1st right onto Co Rd P-554/Houghton Canal Rd

Continue to follow Houghton Canal Rd

1.9 mi

6.Slight left at Co Rd a-63/Smelts Rd

0.2 mi

7.Turn left at Coles Creek Rd/Co Rd a-63

Continue to follow Coles Creek Rd

3.7 mi

8.Continue onto Co Rd S-63/Covered Dr

0.5 mi

9.Turn right to stay on Co Rd S-63/Covered Dr

2.6 mi

10.Turn left at Co Rd S-554/Liminga Rd

Continue to follow Co Rd S-554

3.8 mi

11.Slight left at 1st St

407 ft

12.Take the 1st right onto 2nd St

210 ft

Douglas Houghton Falls

This place is a real winner. I have been here a couple of times and the majesty of these falls has never ceased to amaze me. Standing at 110 feet tall they are the tallest falls in the state of Michigan. The surrounding area is just isolated woodland, making the hike to the falls quite fun.

Rating: 5/5 Good For: Photography, Hiking

Special Note: Wild blueberries and apples grow in this area.

Directions

1.Head west on College Avetoward E Montezuma Ave0.1 mi2.Continue onto Shelden Ave0.5 mi3.Turn right at Houghton County Bridge/MI-26 N/US-41 N0.3 mi4.Take the 1st right onto MI-26 N10.6 mi5.Turn right at 10th St0.1 mi6.Take the 2nd left onto Gregory St

Destination will be on the right

0.5 mi

Park at the old Movie Theater where Hammel creek crosses the road. Follow creek up river.

Trail is rough allow for about an hour or so.

Warning: The area around the falls is private property and should be respected. The owner of the land does not like people visiting the falls because of safety issues.