Adventure Log · Jun 01, 2026

Foraging, Canoeing Lake Superior & Yooperlites | A Perfect Michigan Summer

There’s something about summer in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula that makes time feel slower in the best possible way.

The days become packed with adventures that somehow turn into lifelong memories, campfire smoke in your clothes, purple-stained fingertips from wild blueberries, cold mornings on Lake Superior, and staying out far too late because you just don’t want the day to end.

This trip was only a few days long, but it felt like we lived an entire season inside it.

A Summer Weekend in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

We spent the trip doing everything that encapsulates a northern Michigan summer.

Golden chanterelle mushrooms hidden along the forest floor.

Wild blueberries growing thick in the summer heat.

Long afternoons at camp debating weather forecasts and wave conditions on Lake Superior.

The kind of simple moments that become the ones you remember most.

The Upper Peninsula has a way of rewarding patience. If you slow down enough to look closely, there’s always something waiting to be discovered whether it’s mushrooms after rain, agates along the shoreline, or an empty stretch of beach before the rest of the world wakes up.

Deciding Whether to Canoe Lake Superior

When we arrived along the Lake Superior shoreline, conditions felt intimidating.

Nighttime temperatures were dipping into the 40s, and the lake carried that cold, heavy feeling it’s known for. Even in summer, Lake Superior demands respect. The wind can shift quickly, waves can build fast, and being caught unprepared is not something to take lightly.

So we waited.

We watched the water carefully, checked the wind, and talked through whether paddling was actually a good idea.

By morning, the lake had calmed enough for us to make our move.

We launched our canoe early and became the first people out on the beach that morning.

For hours, we were completely alone in one of the most sought after places in the state.

Canoeing Beneath the Cliffs of Lake Superior

There are very few moments in life that genuinely leave you speechless.

Paddling beneath and through the towering cliffs of Lake Superior was one of them.

Massive rock walls rose nearly 200 feet above the canoe, layered with colors that looked painted into the stone itself. Reds, oranges, greens, black streaks every section of cliff looked different from the last. Years of wind, waves, and mineral staining created one of the most beautiful landscapes I’ve ever seen.

The silence made it even more surreal.

Just the sound of paddles dipping into the water and waves echoing softly against the cliffs.

It’s impossible not to feel small out there.

But in the best way.

Jumping Into Lake Superior Fully Clothed

By afternoon, the weather had completely changed.

The cold morning temperatures gave way to nearly 80 degrees and full sun reflecting off the water. After hours of paddling, the lake suddenly looked inviting instead of intimidating.

Kyle jumped in first.

I told myself I probably wasn’t going to.

But sitting in the canoe, in the heat, staring at the clearest water imaginable, I realized there was no reason not to.

So I jumped into Lake Superior fully clothed and swam to the waterfall.

When I surfaced under the summer sun I felt refreshed, adrenaline-filled, and wildly free all at once.

Sometimes the best moments happen the second you stop overthinking them.

Yooperlite Hunting on Lake Superior at Night

That night became my first experience hunting Yooperlites along the Lake Superior shoreline.

Armed with UV flashlights, we stayed out until nearly 3 AM slowly combing the beach beneath the stars. Every time a Yooperlite glowed bright orange beneath the ultraviolet light, it felt like finding hidden treasure.

We also found beautiful agates scattered among the rocks while waves rolled onto shore beside us.

The entire night felt surreal.

Moonlight reflecting across Lake Superior as we canoed into our spot for the night, sleeping under the stars, the canoe resting on the shoreline.

The quiet adrenaline knowing we needed to beat the wind before conditions changed again in the morning.

There’s something incredibly special about being awake while the rest of the world sleeps especially somewhere as wild and beautiful as Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Brook Trout Fishing in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

Between canoeing Lake Superior and late nights hunting Yooperlites, we also spent time chasing another classic Upper Peninsula experience: brook trout fishing.

Cold water runs through nearly every part of the UP, and with it comes the possibility of finding beautiful native brook trout tucked beneath log jams, undercut banks, and shaded pools. There’s something peaceful about slowing down enough to fish after days filled with paddling and exploring.

The rivers felt alive in midsummer.

Cold water against the summer heat.

The sound of moving current through cedar and pine forests.

Fishing became another reminder of how much this trip centered around simple experiences.