If things don't look like this in the UP quite yet, I'm sure they will soon. This was what the White Birch Forest near 12-Mile Beach Campground in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore looked like three years ago, pretty much to the day. Five vertical frames stitched.
Posted by Paul DeCesare on October 6, 2009 at 12:12 PM
Man, I bet this one would look great in a 4-foot-wide print double-matted.
The leaves down here near Cinci are JUST starting to turn. It'll be interesting to see how this much cooler summer we had will affect color intensity.
As a heads-up to folks that might be attempted this area of the park. I just got off the phone with my friend from the PRNL. The road to 12 mile Beach and the white birch forest is closed. PERIOD. The park service can't even travel that stretch as of 10:00 AM Tuesday. One can only get to Hurricane River Campground from the east along H-58 and to Kingston Lake from the west. All points between CLOSED.
Thanks for the comments, everyone. They're much appreciated.
Too bad that the road to 12-Mile Beach Campground is closed this year. At peak (assuming the wind isn't blowing a gale off nearby Lake Superior), the White Birch Forest is really a special spot.
Posted by Brian Vance on October 8, 2009 at 7:53 PM
Kerry, I agree with Paul, it would look very nice printed large. Great capture of a difficult subject. I know it seems easy to point your camera at a bunch of trees, but you can do it 100 times and not come close to what you've captured here. Too bad this area is closed this season, I was planning a visit there in a few days. I've been looking for a similar shot for a week and haven't found anything close to what you've captured.
Thanks, Brian. The WBF in Pictured Rocks is a tough cookie--the color changes significantly later than in the forest south of Munising, because of the proximity of the WBF to Superior. The combination of peak color, overcast skies and light/non-existent winds is a rarity. I spoke with John Gerlach about this location and he told me runs into this combination roughly once every 10-15 autumns. I got very, very lucky to have it all come together in 2006.
Are you still in the Munising area? If so, I'd suggest checking out the road to Halfmoon Lake--it's a difficult to find spur off Doe Lake Road. The road runs through a birch forest that can be spectacular. It's not quite up to the forest at Twelve Mile Beach, but it's nothing to sneeze at. I check it out multiple times every fall I'm in the UP. Here are a few examples of what it looks like:
If you do make the trek, be sure to wander all the way down to Halfmoon Lake itself. It can be phenomenal, particularly late in the afternoon.
Posted by Dan Borzynski on October 11, 2009 at 9:41 PM
Just as a warning on the Half moon Lake road, assuming they have not done any maintence on it: don't even consider it without ground clearance on your vehicle. You shouldn't need four wheel drive, just something that can deal with a very unmaintained road.
Discussion
8 repliesThe leaves down here near Cinci are JUST starting to turn. It'll be interesting to see how this much cooler summer we had will affect color intensity.
Too bad that the road to 12-Mile Beach Campground is closed this year. At peak (assuming the wind isn't blowing a gale off nearby Lake Superior), the White Birch Forest is really a special spot.
Are you still in the Munising area? If so, I'd suggest checking out the road to Halfmoon Lake--it's a difficult to find spur off Doe Lake Road. The road runs through a birch forest that can be spectacular. It's not quite up to the forest at Twelve Mile Beach, but it's nothing to sneeze at. I check it out multiple times every fall I'm in the UP. Here are a few examples of what it looks like:
Example #1
Example #2
Example #3
If you do make the trek, be sure to wander all the way down to Halfmoon Lake itself. It can be phenomenal, particularly late in the afternoon.