Superior Tours is a specialist in offering unique tours and activities in Michigan’s Western Upper Peninsula and Northwestern Wisconsin. We offer packages from soft adventure to traditional motor coach tour programs. Packages will be continually added to our offerings. Following are brief descriptions of what we currently offer along with links to the package itineraries and pricing.:
Hub and Spoke Tour staying at Big Powderhorn Mountain….
This tour has been a standby for years as it stays in one place for two, three or four nights and takes in the highlights of the area. Days that can be included are as follows. Your hub and spoke package is special, as you will be staying in a deluxe condo or chalet. Meals are included in a variety of local supper clubs. All packages include lodging, meals all attractions, a step on guide, taxes and gratuities.
Waterfall and History Tour
The towns of Wakefield, Ramsay, Bessemer, Ironwood and Hurley are filled with history from the logging and mining era. Today, you will travel the Black River Parkway and scenic Byway to Black River Harbor. This harbor served as the fishing grounds for the Ojibwa Indians and was the staging point for mining goods to Copper Peak in the 1840s. There will be time enough to walk over the unique swinging bridge to the shoreline of Lake Superior. You will have the chance to ride a chairlift at Copper Peak, ‘the world’s largest ski flying hill at 810 feet”. A short drive to Hurley takes us to one of four waterfalls. Hurley was the entertainment capitol during the peak of the mining and lumber industry. You learn some colorful history of this town from your guide. Your visit at the Iron County Museum will inform you further. The Ironwood Theatre is visited also. Completed in 1928, this unique theatre was considered the finest show house in the Northwest. Performances are possible depending on your arrival date.
Pines and Mines
We will take a ride through Ramsay by the Historic Keystone Bridge rising 57 feet above the Black River. Stone arch bridges are a rare sight in Michigan. At 45 feet in length and with wing walls 50 feet in length, this is the tallest and one of the largest stone bridges in Michigan. Before stopping at the visitor area on Sunday Lake, we will drive by the Plymouth Open Pit Mine, which was closed in 1952. The Mine is now full of water and makes for a 325 feet deep lake. We have three stops during our trip through the rugged Porcupine Mountain State Park. Our fist stop is at Presque Falls located at the start of the South Boundary Road. It is a short walk through the Virgin Forest to the Falls. A stop at the visitor center includes a film describing this wilderness area along with a small gift shop. The Lake of the Clouds is in a valley far below the viewing area, which is our last stop in the park. Lunch is always included typically on Lake Superior in Silver City.
In Ontonagon, we will enjoy the Museum and the lighthouse. The museum is home of the 3,708 pound copper boulder which sparked the copper rush in the mid 1800’s. Your tour begins at the museum and ends at the lighthouse built in 1866 a few blocks away. Depending on your group, you can include the Adventure Copper Mine, which operated from 1850 to 1920 with an above ground and 3 underground options.
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and Madeline Island
The Apostle Islands are described as the jewels of Lake Superior. We will be spending the entire day in the Islands and Bayfield and village on the shore of Lake Superior that has an East Coast seaside feel to it. The ferry ride is a brief 30 minutes from the mainland to La Pointe, the only town in the islands on Madeline Island, which is the only inhabited island. The Motor Coach comes on the ferry with us and is used for our tour of the island with a local guide. The island natives live a unique lifestyle with three modes of transportation with the changing seasons. There is the ferry service in the spring, summer and fall, airboat during freeze up and spring thaw and an ice road during the complete freeze up in the middle of winter. Back in Bayfield, we try to include lunch at the Rittenhouse Inn. It is a truly memorable 5 course dining experience in this restored mansion. After lunch, we have some time for shopping and a tour of the village and the apple orchards that has made Bayfield famous for it’s annual Apple Festival the first part of October.
The Copper County and the Keweenaw Peninsula
After an included continental breakfast we will travel to one of the most rugged regions of the Upper Peninsula which is the Porcupine Mountains. After traveling along the South Boundary Road of the park we will stop at the Porcupine Mountain Visitor Center where we will enjoy a short video presentation of the Park and their gift shop. A stop at the viewing area of the Lake of the Clouds is next. High atop this precipice you can see the Lake far below in the valley. We will continue on to Houghton where we will have an included lunch. The scenery is incredible along the Western Coast of the Keweenaw Peninsula. One of our stops is the Eagle Harbor Lighthouse and Museum. This is actually four museums in one; A lighthouse, a historical, a commercial fishing and a shipwreck museum. We will have a guide to take us through the lighthouse. From here we will wind our way up Brockway Mountain Drive. This is a ten-mile drive along the spine of Brockway Mountain. There is a viewing area on the top where you can see Isle Royale on a clear day 56 miles away. From here we will travel to Copper Harbor that is at the Northern most point along Highway 41 that begins in Key West. Our lodging tonight is in a comfortable motel with dinner included at a restaurant on the shore of Lake Superior. Fresh Lake Superior Lake Trout is always on the menu.
Minocqua and a Wisconsin River Cruise
Depart for Manitowish Waters and the Cranberry Bog Tour. Spend an hour with a guide from the Cranberry Farm learning about growing and harvesting this favorite berry. Visit their gift shop before departing.
Travel to Rhinelander for lunch and a cruise aboard the Wilderness Cruise on the Wisconsin River. Narrated cruise during your lunch.
Stop in Minocqua for time for shopping in this Northern Resort town with its variety of unique shops.
Visit Jim Peck’s Wildwood and get up close with wildlife. View the diverse Northern wildlife in a natural setting along with a few animals not from the area including buffalo.
We will enjoy dinner on the way back to Powderhorn at Little Bohemia infamous for the shoot out with Dillinger who escaped from this run in. Little Bohemia located on the Manitowish chain of lakes.
Superior Tours presents Isle Royale the least visited National Park
Isle Royale is one of America’s most remote National Parks. It is part of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and is located in the Northwestern corner of Lake Superior, north of the Keweenaw Peninsula. The only access to the Park is by boat or seaplane: Superior Tours offers a unique experience visiting the most rugged areas of the Western Upper Peninsula including the Porcupine Mountains, the Keweenaw Peninsula and Isle Royale. Typical all-inclusive 5-day/4-night package:
Available June 6 – September 6, 2008
The Isle Royale Queen is a 100-foot commercial vessel built for Lake Superior. There are rest rooms and heated cabins for your comfort during the 3-hour cruise. We arrive at Rock Harbor where our luggage is delivered to our rooms. All rooms are on the water with private baths. There are no televisions here. Lunch is included in the dining room where you have a choice of several items. The afternoon depending on your day of arrival you will enjoy either the Captain’s Cruise or the Edisen Fishery/Rock Harbor Lighthouse Cruise. Both cruises depart at 2:00 PM. The Captain’s Cruise explores Island Passage and lorelei Enroute you pass by Rock Harbor Lighthouse. Edisen Fishery Cruise visits the historic commercial fishery and walk to the lighthouse. Dinner is included in the lodge dining room off of the menu. This evening there is a program in the auditorium available with a National Park interpreter with descriptive information on the park.
A full breakfast is included in the lodge dining room off of the menu. The morning is free to enjoy the park at your leisure. There are short trails from the lodge to expllore. Moose have been seen on these trails on a regular basis. There are also naturalist led hikes available. Overnight in either Copper Harbor or Houghton, MI.
Charter Fishing and Lake Superior Cruising Packages
See our charter fishing package web page and charter fishing booking information on www.bpla.com web page.
Contact information:
John Maslanka
Big Powderhorn Lodging Association, Star Kissed Charters, Superior Tours.
Powderhorn Road
800-222-3131
Cell:715-360-0036
bplajohn@charterinternet.com
Superior Tours Web Page
