Friday Favorites: Drummond Island

Kayaking at sunset in Sturgeon Bay.

My favorite place in the whole world is Drummond Island (DI). I have been itching to go camping since we had extremely warm weather this winter.  We go camping on DI mid to late summer almost every year. 

On the ferry to DI with all of our gear. 

 DI is the largest island in Lake Huron and is located between the eastern most tip of Michigan's upper peninsula and Canada.  You have to take a ferry to get there. 

Campsite at DI Township Park

Our camper.

 We usually camp in the DI Township Park but have also stayed at my best friend's in-laws' property on the St. Mary's Chanel, which runs between Detour, MI and DI.  It is a great place to watch the ships coming and going to The Soo Locks.  We love the park as it usually is not crowded and there are numerous sites right on the shore.  It is a rustic campground with pit toilets and no showers.  There is potable water and some sites have electricity.  There are hiking trails right off the park. The kayaking there is amazing.  Last year, we have perfect kayaking weather most of our stay.  I would start my day with my coffee on the kayak and end my day with the sunset on the kayak.  There is nothing like just floating on the water, in the silence, watching the sunset. 

The hiking trail is so beautiful.  There are ledges of bedrock covered with mosses.  Part of the trail also leads to the shore but most of it is in the forest.

Hiking trail at DI Township Park

Moss on the trail

St. Mary's Chanel. 

The Ledges with high water.

 There are some really cool nature areas on the island.  One of them is The Fossil Ledges. You really need 4 wheel drive to get it to it.  It is part of a nature preserve called Maxton Plains and is on the northern shore of the island.  Maxton Plains is one of the rarest ecosystems on earth.  Here is a link to MSU site with more information: Maxton Plains The drive back to The Fossil Ledges is beautiful and goes through forested and marshy areas.  This area is called The Fossil Ledges because, when the water on Lake Huron is low, the shoreline is steps or ledges of bedrock out into the water and there are tons of fossils.  Here is more about that area at the DI Chamber of Commerce Site: The Fossil Ledges

Fossilized shell

Even though we have been going there for years, it seems like we are also discovering something new.  A couple of years ago, we found  Potagannissing Wildlife Flooding on our last day and didn't have time to explore.  Last year, we had a very windy day and thought our luck might be better kayaking this area rather than the bay.  Unfortunately, it was windy there too. So, we didn't even make it out to the first lake.  We will be trying again this year.   This inlet goes back to a chain of 4 lakes.  There are beaver houses, which did see on this trip!    We were also told that this is a great area for bird watching.  

Potagannissing Wildlife Flooding

Sunset paddle

 So until summer, I will just keeping dreaming that I am floating in my kayak on the bay, watching that beautiful sun set.

Where is your favorite place?