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Copper Country:
The Keweenaw

The Keweenaw Peninsula is renowned for its outdoor adventures.

Year-round, we enjoy hiking, camping, picnicking, fishing, swimming, canoeing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, skating, ice hockey, and skiing.

The area features a rich immigrant and mining history and offers many outdoor recreational opportunities and cultural events. Lake Superior, the world’s largest freshwater lake, is never farther than a short drive. The lake has a large influence on the weather in the Keweenaw, especially in the winter! Known as “lake effect,” this influence means cooler summers and warmer winters than the Central U.P., and of course, a lot more snow.

Skiing

With an annual snowfall that often exceeds 200 inches, the area is popular with winter sports enthusiasts and boasts unique downhill ski areas and uncounted Nordic ski trails.

1. Mount Bohemia

Extreme Skiing in the UP. The Mount Bohemia destination resort promises expert skiers and snowboarders real adventure, whether its launching off the legendary Apex or Horseshoe chutes or cruising the many back country glades.

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2. Mont Ripley

Mont Ripley offers: a long season (an average 112 days), the most and best snow (our snowmaking and 250" annual snowfall makes that possible), convenient hours, and skiing lessons and snowboard packages for every ability.

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3. Churning Rapids / Massto Hiihto Trails

Maasto Hiihto, which means “cross country skiing” in Finnish, is a striding-only trail system that offers kilometer after kilometer of unsurpassed skiing on varied and scenic trails. The trail system connects with the Churning Rapids trails. The two systems contain about 25 kilometers of groomed trails.

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4. Michigan Tech Trails

The 35 kilometers of trails are nationally recognized for quality, variety of terrain, and maintenance. Grooming takes place daily and the system includes 7.5 kilometers of lighted trails.

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5. Swedetown Trails

30 kilometers of trails groomed seven days a week for skating and classic skiing. Plenty of intermediate trails as well as more challenging options.

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6. Additional Trails

This is just a small list of the trails available in the area. Additional Nordic skiing is available in Copper Harbor, Chassell, and more.

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Copper Country History & Tourism

A strong sense of heritage, a fascinating mining history, and a vibrant arts community make the Copper Country not only beautiful, but interesting.

1. Quincy Mine

Quincy Mine offers a museum, exhibits, tram rides and an incredible copper mine tour less than two miles from Finlandia’s campus. VIsitors can go inside a real copper mine, and tour the world's largest steam hoist.

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2. Houghton County Historical Museum

The Houghton County Historical Museum, once the site of the largest copper milling operation in North America, is also home to the Lake Linden and Torch Lake Railroad, the one-room Traprock Valley School House, an 1887 Congregational Church building now the HCHS Heritage Center, the WPA era Leo Chaput Log Cabin, and the Perl Merrill Research Center which is our archives and genealogical facility.

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3. Copper Harbor

As Michigan's northernmost community, Copper Harbor offers the visitor a truly unique opportunity to visit one of the area's earliest settlements that has continued to thrive for over 150 years. Along with neat tourist activities, Copper Harbor is also home to some of the best mountain biking trails in the world.

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4. Coppertown USA

Michigan's copper industry began thousands of years ago when ancient miners chipped away at exposed veins of pure copper with huge hammerstones. Tools and techniques of mining advanced considerably in the centuries that followed and Coppertown USA's Mining Museum traces the evolution of miners and mining people with a series of tasteful exhibits designed for the family.

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5. A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum

One of North America's great mineral museums.

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6. Jampot

The Jampot is open and run by Holy Transfiguration Skete Society of St. John. They have a full selection of jams, jellies and fruitcakes and a limited supply of bakery.

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Arts & Culture

A large portion of the Keweenaw is open to public use, affording camping and hiking opportunities from the campus.

1. Finnish American Heritage Center

Since its grand opening in 1990, Finlandia University’s Finnish American Heritage Center has become a community focal point and a national center, offering a multitude of exhibits, lectures, plays, musical programs and community events each year.

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2. Orpheum Theatre

This is a 1910-built vaudeville theatre located within a block of Finlandia. The theatre has been recently remodeled, and now showcases some of the best regional music talent on a regular basis.

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3. The Calumet Theatre

The Calumet Theatre Company is committed to offering a quality entertainment experience that provides diverse cultural and artistic opportunities while preserving the historic character of the Theatre.

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4. Rosza Center for Performing Arts

This 80,000 square-foot structure includes a 1,000+ seat main theatre, as well as an art gallery, recital facilities, practice rooms, dressing rooms, and a scene shop (for constructing stage elements).

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5. Copper Country Community Art Center

Situated in downtown Hancock, this art gallery and center is the hub of the art culture in Hancock. The center has three galleries and hosts activities on a nearly daily basis.

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6. First Fridays in Calumet

Visiting downtown Calumet on the first Friday of each month will bring you to a bustling area with nearly a dozen art galleries or activities going on through the area. The event is hosted in part by the Copper Country Associated Artists.

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The Outdoors

A large portion of the Keweenaw is open to public use, affording camping and hiking opportunities from the campus.

1. Portage Lake Shipping Canal

Just down the hill from campus is the man-made Portage Lake Shipping Canal, which connects Portage Lake to Lake Superior. It’s iconic, beautiful and incredibly accessible. There are two public beaches within a couple miles of campus, access for fishing less than a half mile from campus and easy access to great public trails for running, biking, snowmobiling and more on maintained paths on the north and south side of the canal.

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2. Brockway Mountain

The highest scenic roadway between the Rockies and the Alleghenies offers glorious sunsets, soaring hawks, and a splendid view of the Keweenaw's rocky western shore. Most spectacular of all are the Keweenaw County's depression-era relief projects that line nine-mile road that twists and climbs to one of the peninsula's highest peaks, a thousand feet above Lake Superior. Isle Royale, over 48 miles away, can be seen out of the lake on clear days.

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3. Porcupine Mountains

The Porcupine Mountains area is a favorite vacation spot for U.P. visitors. It is nestled on the south shore of Lake Superior and offers hundreds of miles of hiking trails, mountain bike trails, cross-country ski trails, and wildlife from birds to bears. The area has something for everyone, and like most of the U.P. is rich in history with many historic sites.

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4. Isle Royale National Park

One of America's few island national parks offers over 165 miles of hiking trails with a variety of options for trip length and difficulty. Isle Royale offers a unique wilderness experience from mid-May thru September. Accessible only by boat.

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Great State Parks

Within an hour drive there are several amazing state parks. That is highlighted by beautiful McLain State Park in Hancock, which is home to breathtaking Lake Superior vistas and opportunities for windsurfing, berry picking, beachcombing and more. Other must-see parks include historic Fort Wilkins State Park in Copper Harbor, Baraga State Park and Twin Lakes State Park.

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Other Outdoor Activities

This is just a start to the outdoor fun you can have in Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula. There's plenty of golf, world-class mountain biking, snowshoeing, public ice rinks, world-class snowmobiling, water sports, fishing and hunting. Learn more about outdoor attractions by visiting the Keweenaw Convention and Visitors Bureau website.

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