Escanaba is a city in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The city’s population is 13,140 which makes it the second largest city in the U.P. Escanaba is also one of the top tourist destinations in the U.P. due to the popularity of the U.P State Fair in August, the great boating in the summer and snowmobiling and ice fishing in the winter.
Boaters normally come to Escanaba during the months of May-August. Access to the water is available through the Escanaba marina, or the nearby Gladstone harbor. The Escanaba marina has 165 boat slips, docks and moorings for seasonal and transient boaters. The natural looking harbor is actually man-made, with the island built up to protect the harbor. There is a brand new marina building to greet boaters. Services include electricity, showers and fuel. The harbor is part of Ludington Park at the end of downtown Escanaba. For more information call 906-786-9614. The Gladstone harbor is open from May 15 to Labor Day. Amenities include electric service, fuel, holding tank pump-out, restrooms and showers and long term parking. It’s a beautiful marina a few miles from the tip of Little Bay de Noc. The marina is part of Van Cleve Park and a short distance from downtown Gladstone. For more information call 906-428-2916. For further information on Michigan Boating regulations and registration, please click here.
Another favorite activity for locals and tourists alike is snowmobiling. The entire Upper Peninsula is a snowmobiler’s paradise and Escanaba does not disappoint. The Upper Peninsula receives an average of 200 inches of snow per year which makes for some of the best snowmobiling conditions in the US. The snowmobile trails in Escanaba normally open when there is enough snow on the ground to handle the snowmobiles, normally in November or December. The trails connect all of the Upper Peninsula cities and access to Gladstone, Marquette and even Menominee is possible. Most of the hotels in Escanaba offer some sort of snowmobile trail access, make sure you check with the hotel to ensure you will be on or have access to the snowmobile trails. For up to date information on the snowmobile trails in Escanaba, please click here. Snowmobilers from other states should also be aware of Michigan snowmobile trail regulations, you can find a current list of regulations here. Out of state snowmobilers will also need a Michigan trail permit, they can be purchased online here.
Besides boating and snowmobiling, Escanaba has plenty more to offer. Hiking, fishing, camping, hunting, the Highland Golf Club, Upper Peninsula State Fair, the Bark River International Raceway, and Little Bay de Noc are other notable tourist spots.
One of the activities that Escanaba offers its visitors is the opportunity to hunt in the woods of the region. Hunting season in this area starts normally in the winter, and the cooler seasons. Visitors may enjoy getting a rush of adrenalin in their veins, while hunting for dear, turkey or bear, depending on the season.
If you are new to this activity, you can still learn how to hunt, in one of the Escanaba schools found in the region and offering all the facilities that you require. If you are not interested in hunting, then you might try your hand at fishing as well as golfing. The areas offer various golfing facilities, including a country club as well as various Escanaba schools that offer lessons by a golfing pro.
Hunting is another favorite of locals and tourists. Hunting game include Elk, Bear, Turkey, Deer and other small game. Hunting seasons vary for each animal so it is important to check with the Michigan DNR to confirm dates and regulations. Click here for more information.
Deer hunting and deer camp were also the focus of the 2001 movie “Escanaba in da moonlight” starring Jeff Daniels, a resident of Michigan. The file is filmed and set in Escanaba and makes fun of local traditions including the local “accent.” The film’s plot focuses on Reuben Soady (Daniels) who goes to the hunting camp cottage, otherwise known as deer camp, with his father Albert (played by Harve Presnell), brother Remnar (Joey Albright) and Jimmy “the Jimmer” Negamanee from Menominee (Wayne David Parker). If Reuben, now 42, doesn’t manage to shoot a buck by the end of the season, he will become the oldest Soady in recorded history not to have achieved this task, a taboo that leads people in the community to believe he is jinxed. Reuben breaks with tradition, taking advice from his Native American wife Wolf Moon Dance (Kimberly Norris), who offers him spiritual remedies involving a drink made with moose testicles, and porcupine urine to protect him from evil spirits. After various unexplainable phenomena, they meet a DNR officer, Tom T. Treado (Randall Godwin), who claims to have literally seen God on the ridge. At various times, Reuben, Jimmer, and ranger Tom all get possessed by spirits. Eventually, Reuben runs out into the cold wearing only his long underwear and a hat, and finds himself face-to-face with his dead great-grandfather Alphonse, who guides him to shooting a buck sent for him by the spirits. Reuben returns triumphantly.
Hotels in Escanaba:
Travelodge
– www.travelodge.com – (800) 578-7878
Days Inn
– maps.google.com – (906) 789-1200
Super 8
– www.super8.com – (906) 786-1000
Econo Lodge
– www.econolodge.com – (906) 789-1066
House of Ludington
– www.houseofludington.com – (906) 786-6300
Best Western Pioneer Inn
– www.bestwesternmichigan.com – (906) 786-0602
Comfort Suites
– www.comfortsuites.com – (906) 786-9630
Hiawatha Motel
– www.hiawathamotel.com – (906) 786-1341
Eagles Nest Motel
– www.eaglesnestmotel.net – (906) 786-3405
Lincoln Host Motor Inn
– lincolnhost.com – (906) 789-6000
Snowmobile trail reports:
Registering a snowmobile or need a trail pass? Click here
Check the latest trail conditions here
For more information please visit: