Road Trip 1st stop The Great Smokey Mountains Tennessee

To get into the National Park we drove through downtown Gatlinburg.  It was bumper to bumper and everyone was out walking around enjoying the beautiful day.  From one side of town to the other took us 1 1/2 hours to drive 8 miles to our destination for a hike.  

We hiked Jakes Creek Trail to Avent Cabin.    Here are pictures along the trail out to the cabin, it was about 2.7 miles out and back.  The out is all an incline of a 482 ft. 

To reach the cabin it's a little tricky catching the smaller trail that leads out to the cabin.  We just happen to stop and notice some steps a trio of backpacking campers stopped to chat, they were looking for the trail to Avent cabin and thought it was about where we were stopped, we told them about the steps we found so we all hiked out the trail and it was to the cabin, yeah!

Elkmont Ghost Town in the park is where we parked to pick up the hiking trail.  The fireplaces remain and some of the foundations along the trail of a resort area that was once established in the park.  There is a campground called Elkmont that looked like a great place to camp.

Nothing like a walk in the woods.

 We traveled in September along 23 and Lake Huron, over the Mackinaw Bridge onto 2 along Lake Michigan passing through Manistique, Gladstone, Escanaba then down route 35 west into Wisconsin.

FAYETTE HISTORIC STATE PARK / SNAIL SHELL HARBOR

Historic town site from 1867-1891, once a bustling iron smelting community.  

Taking a short hike up the rocky cliffs to capture this view of the town and harbor.

THE TOWN HALL

HOTEL

The park was a self guided walking tour allowing you to enter the structures and read the history about the town and the people a great place to visit.

KITCH-ITI-KIPI  - PALMS BOOK STATE PARK

This park is north of Manistique and well worth the trip, take the self operated barge platform ride with a glass opening for viewing the natural springs and fish below.   An abundance of trout live in river.

MANISTIQUE   -  The next 3 pictures are  along the boardwalk, you climb on rocks that take you out to a cement pier to the Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse.

WE STOPPED IN ESCANABA AND DISCOVERED THIS INTERESTING STORY ABOUT MARY AND THE SAND POINT LIGHTHOUSE. 1868-1886

THIS IS THE CHEQUAMEGON-NICOLET NATIONAL FOREST 

NORTHERN WISCONSIN

We camped here several days and enjoyed being on Bear Lake.  Just outside the campground area we discovered the Rat River Recreational Trail which we rode our bikes over 12 miles through beautiful woods following the Rat River. 

WISCONSIN

EGG HARBOR, FISH CREEK, STURGEON BAY

DOOR COUNTY - PENINSULA & WASHINGTON ISLAND

We spent only 2 days camping in the area and definitely worth coming back to spend a week alone in this area.  We spent 2 days driving around the area, shopping and eating.  There are shops, art galleries and restaurants galore.    

A view of the waterway into one of the marinas.

We had lunch at this restaurant facing the harbor.