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“Way up at the tip of the Keweenaw
Peninsula is one of Michigan's genuine hidden treasures. The
Estivant Pines Sanctuary is a 377-acre stand of old growth Eastern
White Pine growing in a mixed hardwood forest. This wilderness
tract was named for Frenchman, Edouard Estivant, who purchased it in
the 1870's. Since then it has changed hands many times and has
survived several attempts to get in there and log these trees. In
the 1970’s, the Michigan Nature Association launched a successful
campaign to save the Pines. There is a current campaign to save an
additional 128 acres to the Pines, creating 500 acres of protected
old growth trees. The Michigan Nature Association needs your help
to raise additional funds in order to ensure this 128-acre addition
can be saved!”
That is what it says in the brochures and magazines and it is all
true but, there is more. This is a truly beautiful spot unlike
anything else you will see. If you want to see virgin pines in
a wilderness setting, this is the spot. You will enter a
world that for many is unknown. There are no improvements here
and the going can be rugged. I am in good shape and these
trails are a handful. If you go, dress properly and take water
with you. This is a wild spot and you will want to stay for a
while. I wouldn't recommend leaving the trail unless you are
experienced and well equipped; rough terrain. On the positive
side, this is a beautiful spot full of silence and lush growth.
It is not crowded, I met two other people, and is as close to what
old "up north" Michigan was like as you will find. This is a
magical place and if you take your time and slow down, you will hear
and sense things you have missed for a long long time. Just go
through Copper Harbor and follow the signs past Manganese Falls. |
