Traveling Ted is a blog that takes readers along on my adventures hiking, canoeing, skiing, and international backpacking. Many blogs focus on one aspect of backpacking, but I tackle both the outdoor adventure side and international exploration as well.

Sharing is caring!

The Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is one of the best subjects for a fall color photo essay in the Midwest, the United States, and the even the world. The most amazing overlook in the park is the Lake of the Clouds. The spector of the fall foliage is so intense here that it warrants two posts.

Porcupine Mountain fall color photo essay

Porcupine Mountain fall color photo essay- Entering an enchanted forest

Porcupine Mountains fall hike

I have already posted about the stunning Lake of the Clouds scenic overlook, so this fall color photo essay takes you through the rest of the hike. I hiked a little over 25 miles in two and a half days, and I emerged from the wilderness on the last day around noon. My hike took me down from the Lake of the Clouds Scenic Overlook to the lake itself, then to Mirror Lake and Lily Pond to the Little Carp River.

Porcupine Mountains State Wilderness Michigan

The Big Carp River as it flows out of Lake of the Clouds

I camped a night on the Little Carp River and then proceeded to walk to its confluence with Lake Superior. I continued to follow Lake Superior for ten miles and camped along its beautiful shores one night. After waking up to the crashing of Lake Superior waves, I hiked out of the woods, but not before seeing some amazing views of the forest and the lake from the escarpment near the highway.

Porcupine Mountains fall color photo essay

Porcupine Mountains Michigan fall colors

The forest was full of amazing yellow, oranges, and sometimes red

Porcupine Mountains Michigan fall foliage

Another shot of the amazing Porcupine Mountain forest

Porcupine Mountains Mirror Lake

The aptly named Mirror Lake

Porcupine Mountains Mirror Lake

A rowboat on the shore of Mirror Lake

Porcupine Mountains Lily Pond

Lily Pond with the Porcupine Mountains flashing colors in the background

Porcupine Mountains State Wilderness Area

The row boat at Lily Pond covered in red leaves

Porcupine Mountains Michigan fall colors

A ridge line covered in oranges, yellows, and a few pine trees

Porcupine Mountains Little Carp River

Colors bloom along the Little Carp River

Porcupine Mountains Little Carp River

Another shot from the beautiful Little Carp River

Porcupine Mountains fall colors

A blazing orange tree along the Little Carp River

Porcupine Mountains Michigan fall colors

A photo from the Lake Superior Trail

Porcupine Mountains State Wilderness Area

Blazing red tree along the Lake Superior Trail

Porcupine Mountains Lake Superior Upper Peninsula Michigan

A last treat on the hike was climbing up from Lake Superior for this view

Porcupine Mountains Lake Superior Trail

One last view along Lake Superior before the trail returns to the parking lot

Check out the park website for more information.

Adventure on!

The goal of this site is to inspire people to outdoor adventure travel and then provide tips. If you liked this post then sign up for the email newsletter. Notifications go out once or twice a month with what is new with Traveling Ted’s adventures. Your email will not be share and you will receive no spam. Other e-follow options include Facebook (click on the like box to the right) or twitter (click on the pretty bird on the rainbow above).