Finding Michigan’s Wild Side: A Journey through the Upper Peninsula | National Geographic

For years, I've heard from friends how the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is this mythical place that I needed to see at some point in my life. I'm very grateful as a National Geographic photographer to travel all around the world to see magnificent landscapes. And I get to meet wonderful people who help bring that landscape to life.

The Upper Peninsula is surrounded by nature, but also has so much going on with the community. And I've always wanted to see it for myself. I'm starting in Marquette and then traveling to Copper Harbor and taking a seaplane to Isle Royale National Park. The first place I went is called Bodega. Serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It's a place to see how this community thrives within itself.

A person from the U.P. is called a Yooper. And we refer to the U.P. as the yoop. Yeah, we have our own little accent here I’m told. Marquette is unique because we have this vibrant downtown. I think you'd be surprised. Marquette has a small-town vibe, but also has so much going on with theaters and shops and artists. Nature and hikes and small islands are almost incorporated within the town itself.

I think the U.P. is a sanctuary for self-discovery, really. I think people feel that connection to themselves, and they maybe can't put words to it all the time, but they feel it and they know it and they have to come back for it. If you drive 3 hours north of Marquette, you're traveling to the northernmost part of mainland Michigan to a place called Copper Harbor. The area has some of the most elaborate mountain biking trails in the world.

This was one of my first times doing serious mountain biking, and within 10 minutes I was telling myself, I'm going to be doing this a lot more in my life. Guys that looked great. My guide’s name was Bonsey, and you can just tell how much he appreciates the place that he gets to spend every day, which is either on a mountain bike or on the water. Turning into a mountain biker and a kayaker.

This is the best of both worlds. You've got world-class mountain biking, and you've got world-class sea kayaking out there. Kayaking is a chance to really feel the power of the lake. Or, as people say, Mother Superior. Kayaking was quite the adventure. This is probably one of the best places for stargazing in Michigan. Keweenaw Mountain Lodge is an international dark sky park.

You can wander around at night, see the stars above you. Potentially see the northern lights. It could happen. You know, it's happening every night, almost all the time. It's just a matter of how strong it's happening. Isle Royale National Park is an archipelago of hundreds of islands that are pristine wilderness in the middle of Lake Superior.

Isle Royale is special in that you either have to take a seaplane or you have to take a ship. So there's an adventure just to get here. Over 75% of the park is Lake Superior. You know, a lot of people think about the landmass, the archipelago, that is Isle Royale, but it's really about the water. So whether it's viewing it from land or getting out on a boat, going fishing, going paddling, that's a big part of the experience.

In terms of wildlife, moose are really popular. So are wolves, as well as common loons. There are many people on this island that are dedicated to keeping the history alive, such as Edisen fishery. You can see the old net house and really feel the history of the fisheries that operated in and around the island. The Petersons, for decades now, have dedicated their lives to the Wolf-Moose Project.

This project is all about trying to figure out how nature works. We have wolves that are not killed by people, moose that are only killed by wolves. And this is the only place in the world where that wolf-moose-vegetation system is allowed to perpetuate itself without human direction. Thank you for your interest. And we'll try to take care of this place, and you take care of wherever you're from.

Now that I've finally been to the Upper Peninsula, I've experienced everything from the dramatic nature to the warmth of the people. And I’ve started to feel the reasons that people get drawn back here. We always say, bring your friends or make some here. And that's, that's totally That's the U.P. I mean, you bring your friends or you just make someone you get here.