Day in Baraga
Off to Baraga! Baraga was one of those little trips I had planned for a while, was sitting in my “trips to take” notes document, and on a sunny winter day recently, I decided let’s go! This was such a fun day too. It was just perfect weather, an easy amount of things to tackle in a day, with lots of variety from a cliff roadside park, to a lighthouse, a couple of restaurants recommended to me, a gorgeous waterfall, and of course, some weird quirky thing that only belongs in the UP — “spider Jesus”. I could also attribute it to delicious pizza and an insane sunset, but I absolutely loved this day solo adventuring around the town. Read on for my full day in Baraga!
HILLTOP RESTAURANT
I headed straight from Marquette to Baraga, which is about a 1.5 hour drive. I knew breakfast was first on my priority list… and I’ve heard a million things about Hilltop’s Sweet Rolls (cinnamon rolls), so I knew I had to stop in to try one. They tip the scale at over a pound for one of these! I definitely was eating sweet roll for the entire week after this trip, hahaha. I kept cutting it into fourths and heating it up in the microwave. SO GOOD. (I’m definitely a center gal, by the way.) They also have tons of other yummy treats — lots of different bars, muffins and cookies. Plus they have a full lunch/dinner menu too. Very thankful they were open for takeout so I could get my sweet roll fix!
BISHOP BARAGA SHRINE
After sweetening myself with sweet roll, I drove up to the Bishop Baraga Shrine, also known as “Spider Jesus”. 😂 (Sometimes I visit these places, laugh out loud to myself, and wonder WHERE AM I?!?!?!). This shrine is on US 41 between L’Anse and Baraga, and it’s a giant copper figure overlooking Keweenaw Bay. It’s a statue of one of the most beloved pioneers, Frederic Baraga, the Snowshoe Priest, who became the first bishop of the UP. The shrine itself was built in the 60’s. Definitely fun to check out. It’s a good spot to rest and get out of your car too if you’re passing through the area… there’s a gift and snack shop, picnic area, etc. UP… you’re strange, and I like it.
“WHERE AM I?!?!” moment 😂
SAND POINT (BARAGA) LIGHT
After the shrine, I headed over to the Ojibwa Recreation Area to see the Sand Point Lighthouse. I visited this lighthouse about 5 years ago on my way up to Copper Harbor… but I always love revisiting Michigan lighthouses, especially in different seasons. This was a beautiful spot to check out in winter. This lighthouse was built in 1878 and sits on the western shore of the Keweenaw Bay in the middle of a large open area with pine trees, and has a beautiful view of the bay. It’s now owned by the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, and has been restored to its original design. The lighthouse is not open, but you’re welcome to tour the grounds. It once contained a fifth order Fresnel lens, but the light was replaced by a steel skeletal tower in 1922.
I’m glad I had the park/lighthouse to myself so I could snap pictures and fly my drone around without anyone watching. I’m pretty terrible at flying my drone so far… haha, and it’s even harder in winter, because sometimes your hands are cold and it’s tricky to land in snow. But! I did get some good photos of the lighthouse from above… definitely the major reason I brought a drone. For cool lighthouse shots. 😂 As for my outfit… wore my usual adventuring around outfit. It was actually quite warm this day. Is it so strange that I now consider the 30s to be WARM?!?! But they really are. This plaid coat is definitely not a “winter” coat but I was perfectly comfortable all day long trekking around to lighthouses and waterfalls and cliffs. This jacket is still available on Madewell’s website! Otherwise… plaid, Carhartt beanies, Blundstone boots, jeans, what’s new, right? 😬
CANYON FALLS
After taking in the sunshine and views at the lighthouse, I trekked back out to Canyon Falls. It wasn’t necessarily the most “in order” of places to go, but I had lots of time and didn’t mind driving around a bit to break up the day. Canyon Falls is ~16 minutes outside of Baraga. I wasn’t sure what to expect with this waterfall… but it was amazing and super easy to get to. The parking is closed/not maintained for the winter, so I had to park off the side of the street with several other cars and walk into the park. The trail along the Sturgeon River was very easy though, super maintained considering it was very snowy, but so incredibly scenic. You see a series of rapids/small falls before you reach Canyon Falls aka “Grand Canyon of the UP”. It falls nearly 30’ over black rock into a box canyon. GO AND VISIT.
BARAGA CLIFF ROADSIDE PARK
After the waterfall, I made my way back into and through Baraga to go to the Baraga Cliff Roadside Park about 25 minutes from the falls. I read some reviews on this place before visiting, so I knew what to expect. You can’t see the cliffs from the roadside park. If you look at the photo below, it’s all you can see. There’s a fenced off cliff area and a beautiful view of the bay, but no easy way to see the cliffs… unless of course, you bring your drone! So again parking was not an option here (not maintained for winter/closed off), so I parked off the side of the road and walked into the park. In summer, this would be a great place to picnic or stretch your legs! But yeah, I was very excited to catch a glimpse of the cliffs from my drone. Very very pretty. But if you go expecting to see them by eye/peek over the edge, it’s not possible.
KEWEENAW BAY
I knew it was going to be a gorgeous sunset, so I headed over to The Pines Convenience Center, got a beverage, and parked at this little turnout to get outside and watch the sunset. I had to hop down a snowy/rocky hill to get to the beach, but easy and super worth it to sit outside, snap a few photos, and enjoy the sunset. Seriously… all the vibes. I picked up a few stones, strolled the shoreline, sat on a rock for a while, taking in the colors of golden hour. I was thinking to myself, “This is January?!?!” I normally hate winter, I hate January, this is the worst month to power through, and I don’t feel that way at all this year. Winter is incredibly beautiful up here. I just can’t even believe I could ever hate winter knowing how much I love it here. Such a freaking vibe.
IRENE’S PIZZA
After dusk, I hopped in my car, called to place an order at Irene’s Pizza, which was HIGHLY recommended to me. I had a 20 minute wait, so I drove from the scenic turnout over to Irene’s and waited in the parking lot for a while, which was strangely fun. Dusk was beautiful, it’s right on the water, I just sat in my car, rocking out to AC/DC, people watching coming and going to get their pizza, and finally made my way inside to grab my small “house special” — which was sausage, mushrooms, mild peppers and onions. I quickly devoured a few slices in the car (so good) before heading back to Marquette. What a day, Baraga. What a very good day. This girl is grateful.
