2023-08-20: Mount Arvon

Mount Arvon, elevation 1979'. Michigan highpoint, U.S. State Highpoints 27/50. Solo ascent via car.

It was evening on the 20th of August, and I was just wrapping up my second day on a week-long solo road trip celebrating my last year of college. Day One had involved an eventful yet ultimately unsuccessful attempt on Ishpatina Ridge, the highest point in Ontario and my first solo international trip. Much of Day Two was consumed with an impromptu trip to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan's upper peninsula. Now, with daylight rapidly fading, I was racing to reach the state's highest point before sunset.

Mount Arvon is nestled deep in a very remote area of Michigan near the town of L'Anse. Reaching it requires navigating an extensive network of dirt logging roads, much like the ones one which I had just gotten lost the night before. Curiously, the highest ground in Michigan is actually a gravel pile at a mine in the nearby town of Ishpeming, but highpointing requires reaching the highest natural point, so Mount Arvon was still my goal.

Cell service on the drive to L'Anse was intermittent at best, and annoyingly I couldn't talk to Audrey or my parents all day. I had just enough service to get directions to the town, but Google Maps didn't even want to mess with the maze of logging roads that lead to the summit, so once I was there, I was on my own.

L'Anse is a nice little town, very remote and located on the shores of Lake Superior. Upon leaving the town, I took Skanee Road through the lands of the Keweenaw Bay Nation and followed it quite nearly to its end, a broken grid of gravel roads in the sparsely-populated Arvon Township. By the time I got here, it was quite nearly dark, and I was relying solely on ground-based signage for navigation.

Thankfully, Michigan is somewhat proud of their highpoint. A series of blue diamond signs are placed at key intervals to give clueless visitors directions to the highpoint. I had read conflicting reports online about their visibility, and travelling at night made me even more nervous about repeating yesterday's terrifying wilderness wander. However, whatever reports I had read seemed outdated. The signs were incredibly easy to find, and aside from one tricky intersection near a gravel pit, I had no trouble finding my way to the summit. Their bright blue coloring stood out very well even against the pitch black forest.

One of the signs directing to the highpoint (photo taken the next morning).

The roads were largely passable in my passenger car, although there were a few tricky spots with exposed rock or deep ruts in the dirt. Soon, I had made it to the top of the state. I celebrated by texting everyone goodnight (remarkably, I had usable service up here) and going to sleep. It was after 10 P.M. and I had been driving since about six in the morning, pausing to hike several miles over the course of the day. It was too dark to set up camp so I slept in the car. I cracked the windows, which turned out to be a mistake, as an endless bombardment of mosquitoes pestered me all night.

I woke up before sunrise, right when the sky was turning from black to grey. It was too bright to get back to sleep, so I climbed out of the car, stretched, and began to explore my new surroundings.

The parking area near the summit is remarkably large, although I was the only person there, and fairly well-maintained. I hiked over to the summit area itself and reached the highpoint, but it was still too early to take decent photos. There are a number of picnic tables and benches here, a survey marker, a register, and an odd collection of poles erected in memory of various deceased persons. A very short trail leads to an overlook with benches, where I read my Bible and watched the sunrise over the lake.

A wonderful pink sunrise from the highest point in Michigan.

Signage and forest at the summit.

USGS survey marker embedded in concrete at the summit.

I stayed at the summit for the better part of an hour, mostly waiting for the sun to come all the way up so I could take pictures, but also enjoying and exploring the area. The forest here was quiet and serene and reminiscent of those back home, and it was a beautiful morning, cool and clear. If all went according to plan, I wouldn't see forests like these again until next summer, so I really wanted to enjoy the moment.

Once I was eventually able to pry myself off the mountain, I found the drive back down to be significantly more enjoyable than it had been in the dark. The roads were just as rough but I could enjoy watching the forest go by. I stopped at the gravel pit on the way down to get out and walk around. It reminded me of the quarry my dad used to take me to as a kid, where he and his friends would drive ATVs and hang out on the weekends. I imagine some locals probably ride out there to do the same here.

Sunrise over the gravel pit.

I made it back to L'Anse in short time, as it was easier to find my way out in the daylight, and hopped onto US-41 heading south. Within an hour I had stopped at a rest area to use the bathroom and clean out the detritus that had accumulated in my car over the past day. Here, however, I found a trail map to a Canyon Falls, allegedly located behind the facility. I grabbed my camera and, in yet another impromptu stop, ran down the indicated trail.

I hiked around a half-mile alongside the Sturgeon River through lovely mixed evergreen and hardwood forest. The river's water appeared a dark brown color due to tannins absorbed from fallen hemlock needles. After a lovely and leisurely stroll down the creek, I came across the falls, buried in a hemlock forest at the head of a small canyon, its walls covered in ferns and moss just like back home. It was an incredible sight, arguably prettier than the highpoint, and the falls were loud and powerful with the late summer's rain.

Flat, rocky shores line the forest of the Sturgeon River.

The canyon below the falls, brightly lit by the morning sun.

A view of the impressively powerful falls themselves.

After a moment in the canyon by the falls, I jogged back to the car to continue my journey. I had two more highpoints on my checklist for today, and I was eager to reach the next one by lunchtime.