UPDATE: 3/1/2024:
2019 was the 100th Anniversary of Michigan State Parks and we're still celebrating!. Join the Michigan Geocaching Organization (MiGO), the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Geocaching.com for the first official GeoTour in Michigan.
This tour was originally scheduled to run for three years, kicking off on Friday of Memorial Weekend in 2019 and continue through May 31, 2022. The success of this awesome tour has not gone unnoticed. On February 2, 2022, The DNR announced the extension of the GeoTour through September 24, 2024! Join us in making a final push to complete this very popular and very successful GeoTour before the sun sets on it.
Each geocache is in one of Michigan's state parks. The geocaches are arranged by MiGO Region, with twenty-five geocaches per region. The Ticket to Celebrate 100 is available for download from the DNR's Geocaching page. It explains how to qualify for prizes in each of the four regions and for the GeoTour as a whole.
Day use areas of state parks are open from 8AM to 10PM. Geocaching is limited to those hours. Entry into Michigan's State Parks requires a Michigan Recreation Passport. See the Resources section below for more information.
The sun will set on the MSPCGT at midnight Tuesday, September 24, 2024. The MSPCGT will go off the air as a GeoTour and the caches will disappear from the map. There is a lot of construction going on in our State Parks in 2024. Some of the GeoTour caches will have to be pulled earlier. The remaining geocaches in the tour will be archived October 1, 2024. Players will have until December 31, 2024 to claim any prize they have earned. Hiders will be contacted to request removal of the geocaches they hid unless they have made arrangements with park managers and have their own permit in place to keep the geocache in play, with a new GC Code.
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Construction projects including the visitor center will be starting later in 2024 or 2025. It is unclear if it will impact access to this geocache prior to sunsetting the Geotour. The cache is at the visitor center.
Now for some good news: MiGO and the DNR are busy working on a new project that will kick off in the Spring of 2025, code named MSPGT 2.0. Are you interested in helping? Keep your MiGO Membership up to date and stay tuned to the website.
Cache:
This cache was hidden as part of the Michigan State Parks Centennial GeoTour, presented by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Michigan Geocaching Organization. Record the codeword printed on the log book and on a label inside the cache container to the appropriate box on the Ticket to Celebrate 100 form. See the instructions on the form to claim prizes. Upper peninsula parks are not readily accessible in winter due to heavy snowfall.
This is a traditional cache that is hidden near the park visitor center. Once you check the visitor center out, take a quick walk along the Nature Trail beginning at the visitor center. You will quickly find a sign describing old growth, you are very close look towards the river.
You are looking for a Regular size container. You will need a hint to crack the lock. Please return everything as good or better than you found it.
Thank you
Bjb_fam
for creating, hiding and maintaining this MSPC GeoTour cache.
Photo courtesy of Brandon Bal © 2018, use with permission
Trailside view of Lake of the Clouds
Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park:
At roughly 60,000 acres, Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park is Michigan′s largest state park. It is home to 35,000 acre old-growth forest, roaring waterfalls, miles of rivers and streams, more than 90 miles of hiking trails, the Lake Superior shoreline and vistas unrivaled anywhere in the Midwest.
The Porcupine Mountains Visitor Center, located in Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, introduces visitors to the rich wilderness heritage of this 60,000-acre park. Set alongside the largest old-growth hardwood-hemlock forest in the Great Lakes region, the center features exhibit and programs that tell the story of Michigan′s rugged Upper Peninsula. The center has a 100-seat auditorium, and an exhibit hall featuring natural communities of the mountains and native wildlife species including fisher, goshawk, gray wolf, porcupine, peregrine falcon, bear and beaver. The exhibit hall also displays the history of the Porcupine Mountains from prehistoric copper miners to the lumber camps of the early
1900s.
Photo courtesy of Brandon Bal © 2018, use with permission
Storm clouds over the Porcupine Mountains
History:
Porcupine Mountains State Park was established in 1945 to protect the area′s large stand of old-growth forest, much of it of the "maple-hemlock" type. In 1972, Michigan passed the Wilderness and Natural Areas Act. This act gave the park the new designation of the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. The facilities provided by the park include an extensive network of backcountry trails for hiking and wilderness backpacking, swimming and boating areas, and various interpretive programs led by park rangers. The North Country Trail passes through the park, making up a portion of the 87 miles (140 km) of hiking trails. In the winter, a ski area also operates within the park. Because of the copper mining history of the park, it is a cooperating unit of Keweenaw National Historical Park.
Map courtesy of Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Activities:
This park boasts many popular natural attractions, including Lake of the Clouds (ADA accessible viewing area), the Summit Peak observation tower and the scenic Presque Isle River corridor. Other attractions include an 18-hole disc golf course, the Porcupine Mountains Ski Area and more. In addition, the Wilderness Visitor Center offers interpretive programs, exhibit hall, information on trail conditions, wifi, a gift shop and more. Visit the Visitor Center just three miles west of Silver City on M-107.
Photo courtesy of Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Little Union River Yurt
This park offers several options for lodging within the park including a modern campground, rustic cabins and Yurts. Have you ever considered staying in a Yurt?
Photo courtesy of Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Yurt Interior
Information:
For more information, reservations and a calendar of events, follow this link to
Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park.
Special thanks to
Wandering Tracks
for help with this geocache.
Special thanks to Cherry Capital Cachers for the Upper Peninsula regional prize.
Resources: