Chasing Fall Color in Marquette, Michigan | My First Time Mountain Biking - NTN South Trails

After exploring the Keweenaw Peninsula, Copper Harbor & Western UP in the first part of our trip, we headed east to Marquette! I was in town to do some work with Travel Marquette and shoot a wedding but we had 3 full days to explore!

Now I’ve said this before but Marquette truly is one of my favorite towns in Michigan. We came for the first time in 2019 and we’ve already been back 3 times in the past year! There is so much to do for any outdoor adventure lover and it's seriously a photographer's paradise! Every time we come we are still shocked with how many new places we still have to explore!

Mountain Biking the NTN South Trails - Green Loop

We started off the trip with my first-time mountain biking.. and let me just say I LOVED it! I was definitely a bit out of shape but I already can’t wait to go back. We rode the NTN South Trails Green loop with my friends Louis and Andrew of @good_energy_crew showing us the ropes and they are SUPER talented, you should go check them out!

The part of the loop we took even took us right to the Carp River and Morgan Falls, which made for a perfect spot to stop and rest for a bit!

Mt. Marquette Scenic Overlook

Just a short 5-minute drive from the mountain bike trailhead is Mt. Marquette, where you get a really cool view of the entire town and Lake Superior! You can drive right up to the scenic overlook but you can also hike/bike up! It was the perfect spot to just chill out and relax after we were both exhausted from mountain biking and being so out of shape! We drank some coffee,  took in the views, recharged for a bit and then we were off to the next spot! 

CR-510 Bridge

We met up with our friend @ruffa_violet at the CR-510 bridge about 20 minutes south of Marquette. I've seen this bridge on Instagram a bunch of times, but it's almost always the same shot so it was cool to get a birds-eye perspective of the place and see what it really has to offer! You can get the classic view of the bridge from the highway (there's a sidewalk so it's safe!) and you can also can walk right up to the bridge since it's now closed to traffic! 

Presque Isle State Park - Blackrocks

If you guys remember watching the video from last year, black rocks completely blew me away! I even mentioned that it reminded me of the Pacific Northwest and that still hasn't changed! You can drive the loop around the park but make sure you visit Blackrocks while you're there!

Sunset Point - Presque Isle 

Truly anywhere on Presque Isle is gorgeous, but for a good view of the sunset on Lake Superior, I suggest heading to Sunset Point after checking out black rocks!

Explore Some Random Backroads Off The Highway!

We decided to drive down Co. Rd 550 towards Big Bay and the Thomas Rock Scenic Overlook to explore some random backroads, and man did we come across some incredible colors! I honestly was clueless that we had any type of landscapes like this in Michigan until a few years ago. Look at those mountains! To some people, they might only be considered hills, but to us Michiganders... those are mountains! You can see Sugarloaf and Hogsback mountain in the photos below!

Driving around on public land is a great way to scope out future camping spots, so that's exactly what we did! We found some solid spots that we hope to come back to next year! Just look on google maps and find some two tracks that might lead to somewhere cool and go explore! For more info on free camping on state land - check out the DNR website for more info and maps of public land!

Wetmore Landing

I have never heard of this spot so when I saw it on google maps I was intrigued and then our friend @click.ism told us to meet him there for sunset. We didn't get much of a sunset, but I was blown away with all the rocks along the lakeshore. Make sure you hike along the beach to get to the rocks for the best views!

Marquette Harbor Lighthouse & McCarty's Cove

The last stop on our trip was the Marquette Harbor Lighthouse! You can get a cool view of the lighthouse with beach access at McCarty's Cove! 

*This part of the trip was in partnership with Travel Marquette. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

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