August 2025 - MArquette

Day 1 - August 1, 2025

We arrived in the Marquette area and met in Ishpeming for an evening hike to the top of Jasper Knob. We found a pathway that went down to the bottom of the knowb and got to see the iron oxide outcrops from a different view. WE then hiked to the top of the knob and got some good views of Ishpeming. It is always a pleasure to stop by Jasper Knob and see the Banded Iron Formation up close. This year we stopped here around the late afternoon as the sun was lower in the sky. It was hazy from the Canadian Wildfires, which resulted in poor air quality and hazy conditions throughout our stay. 

We had plenty of daylight left and decided to explore north of IShpeming, to a region where once upon a time there was an active gold mine. The goldmine has since been covered by mine tailings, and is now a private property that does not allow people to be there. We instead parked our car beside Deer Lake and ventured out to the shoreline along the north end to see if there are any pieces of rocks from that ended up there as road aggregate from that mine. WE found serpentine, asbestos, quartz, and greenstone. These are the types of rocks and minerals for which it is said gold can be found with in this area, but in minute amounts. As the sun began to set, we stopped by Teal Lake to experience a smoky sunset. 

Day 2 - August 2, 2026

On this morning we planned to attend the 39th Gem and Mineral Show held by the IShpeming Rock and Mineral Club. IT was what you would expect, a lot of local vendors with rocks and minerals from around the UP - a refreshing variety given the comercial stuff we see at the Lower Peninsula Shows. The outdoor component of the show was great and there were some nice samples for sale, some with reasonable prices but others were a bit on the higher end. After the show we went to the Champion Mine Dump and rummaged through the hematite and magnetite piles in search of tourmaline and other treasures. 

After the champion mine, we explored some areas northwest, looking for staurolite , but were greeted by tons of ants in what was an overgrown mine dump from the old times. We gave up and went a bit south in search of a staurolite schist outcrop in the middle of the woods that we read about in one of the Michigan Geology books. This was a daring adventure as we had to go into an overgrown woodsy area and find our way using the compass and Google Maps. We lost a couple people along the way (don't worry, they went home because the air quality wasn't that great), but ultimately we stumbled upon an outcrop that we think was it. It left much to be desired, and we weren't sure if there was another larger outcrop further into the woods, but at that point we had our fill of woods and wildreness and decided to head back to the car. 

We had plenty of daylight left, so we went to Marquette to check out Presque Isle and the Basalts. IT is always a cool place to see and witness the variety of rocks along this shoreline in MArquette. The hiking trail along the shore runs through the variation of red standstones, conglomerates, and finally the black rocks of basalt and to a cove were daring folks get to dive into the chilling waters of Lake Superior from. While there, we saw a mermaid and a group of fascinating folks dressed up and taking photos. We laid on the basalt and contemplated the ancientness of what was once upon a time a volcanic region 1.2 billions years ago. 

We chased the sunset and decided to head up to Sugarloaf Mountain. We hiked to the top, climbing steep trails and hundreds of stairs. It was a new experience, stopping a long the way to the top and appreciating the views as they slowly began to change. When we got to the top, we were greeted by an enthralling smoky sunset, a hazy sky that has stuck around for our entire trip thanks to the wild fires in the north. Nonetheless, it was exhilarating to take in all the views from the top of Sugarloaf Mountain, and we spent quite a bit of time up there watching the red sun slowly dwindle underneath the horizon. 

DAy 3 - August 3, 2026 

The next morning we began our journey back home, stopping by Tahquamenon Falls before continuing on to the Detroit Area. Overall, it was a good trip with plenty of rocks and wonderful views of the Marquette area. Sugarloaf deserves another trip in the future, along with a few other elevated areas in Marquette that we didn't get a chance to visit this time around.