U.P. RegionMichigan

Aug. 10-13 Iron River – Iron Co. Fair

Aug. 10-13 Ironwood – Gogebic Co. Fair

Aug. 12 Iron Mountain – Italianfest

Aug. 12 Iron Mountain – Tour de Dickinson Bike Ride

Aug. 12 Ironwood – Lake States Mud Races

Aug. 18-26 Ironwood -- Masters and Youth Art Show

Aug. 20 Rockland – Old Victoria Craft Fair

Aug. 25-26 Crystal Falls – Humongous Fungus Festival

Aug. 25-26 Silver City – Porcupine Mountains Music Fest

Sept. 1-4 Ontonagon – Labor Day Celebration

Sept. 8-9 Marenisco – Lake Gogebic Fall Walleye Tournament

Sept. 8-10 Crystal Falls – Harvest Fest

Sept. 9-10 Bessemer – Copper Peak Trails Fest

Sept. 22-23 Ewen – Log Jamboree

Sept. 23 Ironwood – Bridges & Bluffs Half Marathon Run

Sept. 30 Iron Mountain – Oktoberfest

Sept. 30 Baraga – ATV/UTV Wilderness Waterfall Adventure

U.P.’s Split Rock Trails Include Scenic Overlooks

WAKEFIELD – The Split Rock Trails near Wakefield offer a beautiful forest tour, which includes scenic overlooks, wild flowers including apple blossoms in the spring, lilacs and lupines, various rock formations and remnants of a once thriving U.P. mining town.

The trail system offers a fun outing for hikers, mountain bikers and trail runners (and snowshoers when winter arrives). The trails are mapped and color-coded for different skill levels. But even the “difficult” and “expert” sections are only about onethird mile in length. Trail users will find the rest of the 2.8 miles of trails to be easy.

The trail system gets its moniker from the actual splitting of rock that occurred years ago in relation to the now defunct Sunday Lake Mine, which operated in the region from 1885 to 1961, according to the local newspaper.

Directions: From Wakefield, follow Putnam Street to Castile Road. Turn left onto Sunday Lake Mine Road and follow sign to the right directing visitors to the trailhead parking in the warmer months. Trail maps are available at the Wakefield Visitors and Information Center.