Winter Hike to Black Rock Cove at Presque Isle Park

The locals will tell you that if you go one place in Marquette, MI, it needs to be Black Rocks Cove. A favorite cliff jumping site in the summer, the cove is just as worth visiting in the winter in order to see the impacts of Lake Superior's winter storms on the landscape like the ice blasted trees and the undulating pancake ice in the cove. 

While much of the main road that loops around Presque Isle Park is closed in the winter, you can park at the Presque Isle Pavilion on the west side of the peninsula. It is then a short 10 or 15 minute walk along the closed road to the cove. The walk itself affords views of the bay and the stunted, ice covered cedars clinging to the cliffs. It will be obvious when you reach Black Rocks Cove - the trees end and you'll come out onto a point of, you guessed it, black rocks. For geology enthusiasts, the cliffs here are the remnants of an ancient volcanic flow. For the rest of us, it's a great place to watch the sunset over the bay. 

Be careful while scrambling along the shore - the rocks can be very icy especially after a storm and while cliff jumping in the summer might be fun, a winter fall into Lake Superior is extremely dangerous.