![]() ![]() The fire burned over 21,000 acres in 2012. We drove through an area of the Lake Superior State forest that was devastated by the Duck Lake forest fire. I wanted to stop, but we didn’t have time. We were so close to the mouth of the Two Hearted River. There were small lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams everywhere. It was an incredible drive through pristine forests. We took our map and started driving to Crisp Point, staying on the county roads. They survived on Girl Scout cookies and melted snow until a helicopter finally spotted them. In 2019 two out-of-state women tried to drive their Ford Explorer to Crisp Point Lighthouse and were stranded in the snow for two weeks. Roads get buried under several feet of snow. Many roads are not maintained in the winter. If you go up there when snow is on the ground do not drive down an unplowed road. It’s not easy to tell where state land ends and private property begins. You risk getting stuck in soft sand or mud. You can easily get lost if you start making lots of turns in the dense forest. There is a web of logging roads and two-tracks that you don’t want to take a regular car down. Cell phone coverage is unreliable at best, completely non-existent at worst. I can’t stress the importance of a map enough, wherever you are in the U.P. It was worth the coins to avoid getting lost, running out of gas, and eaten by bears in the Lake Superior State Forest. We bought a map of Luce County at the Deer Park General Store for $1. Even if you do, the GPS might send you down two-track ORV or snowmobile trails. You are very unlikely to get a signal with your cell phone. We saw lots of ORVs on our drive to the lighthouse, and it looked like a ton of fun. There are places near there to rent ORVs if you don’t have your own. The area where Crisp Point is located is crisscrossed with ORV trails and many of the county and forest roads are legal for ORVs. I think the best way to get to the lighthouse is probably with an off-road vehicle or ATV. We were fine except for one little hiccup. An SUV or pickup truck with higher clearance is better, and 4-wheel drive is a bonus. If you’re used to driving on unpaved roads, it’s no problem. ![]() Depending on the season and recent rainfall, bumps, ruts, deep puddles and even washouts are possible. The roads are packed down sand and gravel. Rough Road Ahead to Crisp Point Lighthouse It will also take you over an hour and be several miles on rough roads. Most people take a different route from M-123, coming from Newberry or Tahquamenon Falls State Park. The park is just about 18 miles west of the lighthouse on the Superior coast, but it took us over an hour and about 25 miles of driving on rough sand and gravel back roads to get there. We set out for Crisp Point Lighthouse from Muskallonge State Park. ![]()
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