June 24 – 29, 2025
Since we had not taken a long RV trip in a couple of years, we decided this year would be different. We’ve always wanted to see the Canadian Rockies so, why not do that? We started researching and planning in December and January and making reservations when various reservations windows opened. As our route began to take shape, we decided to throw in a couple of somewhat out of the way US National Parks as well. So, here’s our plan.
Before we even got started we had a slight deviation. We had originally planned to leave Traverse City on June 22 but decided to delay for 2 days due to the high winds. The last thing we wanted to do was to attempt driving across the Mackinaw Bridge with gusting cross-winds. As a result, we had to make a couple of small itinerary changes to accommodate our delayed departure.
Our first stop was just an overnight stop in Ishpeming, Michigan at Country Village RV Park. Although we had been to this area of the Upper Peninsula before, we kind of regretted only spending one night as we would had liked to revisit Marquette.
From Ishpeming to we moved on to Bayfield, Wisconsin where had reservations at Apostle Islands Area Campground. Our gravel site here was large, reasonably level, and tree covered.
We chose this area so that we could visit the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, located at the northern tip of Wisconsin’s Bayfield Peninsula, features 21 stunning islands, a scenic 12-mile shoreline along Lake Superior, and is located within the ancestral homeland of the Ojibwe people. Established in 1970, the park showcases picturesque sea caves, sandy beaches, and the largest collection of lighthouses in the National Park system.
National Park Service
Since the only way to tour the Apostle Islands is via boat, we made reservations for the 55 mile narrated Grand Tour with Apostle Islands Cruises. As the weather was quite cool and windy, we opted to sit inside where the views were unfortunately limited. (Some folks braved the upper deck but paid the price where the water was rough.) The tour took us by Raspberry Lighthouse, Devil’s Island, Devil’s Island Lighthouse, and the Sea Caves.
We enjoyed Bayfield. It is a nice, small town and we found a restaurant that we liked (Manypenny Bistro – their pizza was especially good). Unfortunately, because of our delayed departure from Traverse City, we only had a couple of days here. In retrospect, we should have stayed longer.
