We took our canoe up to Copper Harbor, Michigan one year and
discovered this beautiful little inland lake when we asked some local folks for
some quiet water canoeing suggestions.
I remember driving right out on the beach the first
time we visited, which was mighty handy when it came to taking the canoe off of
the top of our car and being able to walk just steps in order to plop it into
the water.
We paddled around Lake Manganese, catching glimpses
of the usually reclusive loons and hearing the roaring water of the relatively
hidden Manganese Falls. The water was still and the red sand beach was a nice
place to wade and have a post-paddling picnic before we packed up the canoe and
headed back into town.
Lake Manganese is just 52.5 acres and reaches a
maximum of 25 feet deep. It has a nice long beach and a gradual drop, plus it's
far warmer than nearby Lake Superior. The lake's size and location near the tip
of the sparsely populated Keweenaw Peninsula makes it a nice stop for those who
want to enjoy a quiet afternoon of paddling, fishing, swimming and maybe taking
a few photographs.
Thanks to Debbie Dubrow of Delicious Baby for
creating and coordinating Photo Friday to link travel photos and blog posts
across the Web.
© Dominique King 2009 All rights reserved
Wow! The water is so clear, the reflections perfect. Looks like a beautiful place.
Posted by: Linda | August 28, 2009 at 12:34 PM
The water is so calm, it makes it look like a mirror. Great photos.
Posted by: Carolina | August 28, 2009 at 05:27 PM
I love the calmness of the water and the reflections of the sky! Thanks for sharing.
Posted by: Peter West Carey | August 28, 2009 at 07:52 PM
Linda-This is a great little lake...and because of its small size, you don't see a lot of other boats or motors out there. We had it all to ourselves the late summer day these photos were taken.
Carolina-The calm water made Lake Manganese great for flatwater canoeing. Great fun to lazily paddle around the lake and enjoy the quiet.
Peter-It's been pretty serene when we've visited. I feel fortunate if my photos show at least a tiny bit of the calm we felt there that day :)
Posted by: Dominique | August 28, 2009 at 09:01 PM
Gorgeous pictures. I wish I could transport myself there right now. Although, I bet the water was cold!
Posted by: Becks Davis | August 28, 2009 at 09:28 PM
How peaceful. It looks absolutely deserted!
Posted by: Wanderluster | August 29, 2009 at 07:44 AM
Didn't we see a loon out there that day? Copper Harbor is such a great place to base exploring the Keweenaw.
Posted by: Tim | August 29, 2009 at 08:00 AM
These photographs really capture the perfection of the reflection. OK, that rhymes - but it's true! I'd like to stand there and drop in one huge stone and observe the ripples.
Posted by: Lorraine | August 29, 2009 at 12:05 PM
Becks-The water was no where near as cold as Lake Superior! The water was fairly shallow and it was late in the summer, so it really was pretty good for wading or swimming.
Wanerluster-The lack of people at the lake made it pretty appealing for us.
Tim-Yup, I think that was the day we saw a loon at Lake Manganese. They're pretty shy, so they liked the deserted lake, too!
Lorraine-It surprised me to see how quiet the lake really was when I looked at my photos and saw the mirror-like surface and reflection.
Posted by: Dominique | August 29, 2009 at 02:21 PM
gorgeous photos! I especially like the last one, so zen.
Posted by: Madeline Jhawar | August 29, 2009 at 03:01 PM
Madeline-Thanks for stopping by! Lake Manganese really is beautiful and serene. Wish I was there now :)
Posted by: Dominique | August 30, 2009 at 09:16 PM