About twenty miles west of the Keweenaw Peninsula, the Porcupine Mountains rise above the south shore of Lake Superior. Volcanic in origin, the "Porkies" formed 1 billion years ago along the Mid-Continent Rift; long quiescent, this rift extends southwestward into the Central Plains of the U.S. where, since buried by younger sediments, it remains a potential source for deep earthquakes.
Since their Precambrian birth, the Porcupine Mountains have been assaulted by the forces of erosion, especially during the Pleistocene Epoch when glaciers scoured the region. Today, an escarpment, capped by volcanic basalt, curves along the northern edge of the Porcupines, separated from the main uplift by the Big Carp Valley and its beautiful Lake of the Clouds; hikes along the escarpment are among the most scenic in the Park. Another popular hike is a short but steady climb to the top of Summit Mountain, 1958 feet (the highest point in the Porcupines), where a lookout tower offers a magnificent panorama of the Park and its surroundings, extending to Lake Superior; on a clear day, one can see the Apostle Islands (to the northwest) and Isle Royale, 80 miles to the north.
While the Porcupine Mountains formed 600 million years before life crawled from the sea, they now host a spectacular diversity of plant and animal residents. Among these are black bear, gray wolves, fishers and, of course, porcupines; so far, our mammal encounters have been limited to deer, squirrels, chipmunks and other humans. A Visitor Center, at the east entrance to this Michigan State Park, provides an excellent introduction to the region's natural and human history and access to this scenic refuge is provided by a well-engineered network of trails and boardwalks. Visitors should be aware that a Park passport fee is charged.
