Northern Lights 2024 (Porcupine Mountains Winter Camping/Skiing)

Hey Hoofers,

We’re planning a trip to the Porcupine Mountains to do some skiing (hopefully) and winter tent camping. 

Note: It will be cold, likely below freezing. We will have no way to heat our tents. We’ll do our best to make sure everyone is well-equipped for the weather and stays warm, but if you’re sensitive to the cold this might not be the trip for you. We’ll discuss how to pack for this trip at the pre-trip meeting. 

If you signed up but haven’t completed this google form yet, please do so.

Transportation: We’ll be taking personal vehicles for this trip. More participant spots may be added as we find more drivers. 

Rough Itinerary:

Friday: One vehicle will leave Friday morning from Memorial Union; additional vehicles will leave Friday afternoon depending on people’s availability (5:00 PM at the latest). It is a ~5 hr drive to Porcupine Mountains State Park in the UP. Once we reach the park it will be a short CC ski or hike to our chosen location where we’ll set up camp for the night. 

Saturday: This will be our big CC ski or hiking day. We’ll do a big loop around the park, likely stopping at the ski chalet to warm up and have lunch. Saturday night will be undesignated backcountry camping again. 

Sunday: If the Porkies’ ski hill is open (it currently is not and they don’t make snow) we are planning to go downhill skiing/snowboarding. We may split up between downhill and CC skiing depending on group interest. If there’s no snow we’ll do some more hiking. We’ll pack up and leave Sunday afternoon. We expect to get home late on Sunday night, around 9-10 PM. 

Ratings: There are no required ratings to sign up for this trip, but we are requiring some level of general camping experience due to the cold weather.

Cost: $50. This does not include the price of an optional lift ticket ($45) or downhill ski rentals ($25). We will also be stopping for food on the road, so either bring money or pack your own food.

Pre-Trip Meeting: Tuesday, Feb 20 at 8:00 PM in Mendota Lodge (in the basement of Memorial Union)