Marquette is full of adventure. Biking, paddling, hiking, great food and so much more. This time, we decided to take in the Superior side of Marquette which meant paddling on Lake Superior to take in the views of Marquette from a different perspective.
We started out by heading to McCarty's Cove. The conditions were perfect to get in a good paddle past a few of Marquette's iconic Lake Superior features. First, we paddled out to Marquette Harbor Lighthouse. This lighthouse stands above Lake Superior and has so for over 150 years, with some modifications throughout its history. Checking out lighthouses from the water is our favorite way to visit these castles of Michigan.
We continued our journey to Lower Harbor and by the Ore Dock. The water was flat & calm which led to great photo opportunities with the reflection of the dock. This is such an iconic feature of downtown Marquette! After we were done with our paddle we felt that it only made sense to head to Ore Dock Brewing Co. to finish the day.
We started the net morning by fueling up with coffee from Contrast Coffee. We always appreciate all of the great coffee options in Marquette! With coffee in hand, we headed to Presque Isle with a goal to paddle all the way around. As always with paddleboarding and kayaking, the conditions need to be right for certain paddles. We had great conditions and made the decision on which way to paddle to take advantage of the slight breeze. This is a very scenic paddle, going past large rock cliffs, great stopping points and also past Black Rocks, one of Marquette's famous destinations. We really took advantage of making this a relaxing paddle and enjoyed every minute of it. We even finished our journey with a few minutes of yoga on our boards. A great part about this paddle is that you can park your vehicle, paddle all the way around and get out and be a short walk back to your vehicle. It's perfect!
After the paddle, we fueled up on food at Border Grill before heading to the mountain biking trails to revisit a rope swing that we discovered while fat biking this past winter. We knew that we had to go back because we love a good rope swing and it would be a good destination while also getting in some mountain biking on one of the amazing trail sections that Marquette has. After a friendly winner-takes-all match of Rock Paper Scissors, Nick had to head in to get the rope and then the fun was had!
Overall, this was a great time in Marquette. The weather totally cooperated to be able to paddle Lake Superior, which was what we were hoping to be able to do when we planned this trip. Check out the full video from our adventure below. If you are looking to plan a trip to Marquette this summer, you can also check out our video where we attempt to complete the Marquette Ultimate Bucket List!
