By R.R. BRANSTROM

The Escanaba

Daily Press

ESCANABA — The Upper Peninsula sees the greatest number of tourists in July and August. With the Fourth of July — one of the major peaks — now past, the area is entering its busy season, as residents, officials, and business owners have noticed.

“Is it an increase? Oh yeah, definitely. From last year? No question,” said John Michael Fox, proprietor of Foxy’s Den on US-2 in Garden Corners. He attributes the rise to a few things: for one, an eagerness to travel after COVID; for another, improvements in state parks.

“Fayette’s done some things that have been smart. Putting in water, for one. And showers. Because your city people are acclimated to that and expect it.” Fayette Historic State Park and Campground on Big Bay de Noc is 17 miles down the Garden Peninsula from the gas station and convenience store Fox has been running for 37 years.

Fox also noted that the number of cyclists is up. “We used to see pedal bikers on a daily basis 20 years ago. I would ask ’em where they started from, and a lot of people started from Seattle. Because US-2 goes from Seattle, Washington, to the Mackinac Bridge.” Others have been from Montana, some from nearer, he said. Not all are endurance riders; many drive to campsites and take their bicycles on day trips.

Visitors often stop in Garden Corners during trips to “The Big Spring” (Kitch-iti-kipi). But Fox says that much of the area tourism is “overflow from Munising.” Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is the number one attraction in the U.P., but a lack of lodging in the immediate vicinity — Munising — drives tourists south to Delta County and west.

“It’s always hard to predict, but to me it seems busy compared to last year,” said Zach Gostlin, Acting Chief of Interpretation & Education at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. He noted that they look at numbers for the whole year. In 2022, 915,000 guests went to Pictured Rocks, and 2023 is expected to be similar.

In Rapid River, the question asked most often by guests of the Hillcrest Inn & Motel is how far they are from Pictured Rocks, said owner Michael Barnes. He relayed that the clientele is divided pretty much 50-50 between people coming for Pictured Rocks and those just visiting the U.P. in general for the first time.

“About 70% are from Lower Michigan, Wisconsin or Minnesota. And then there are a small fraction international. (People from) Germany and France we have been seeing.” Barnes said without hesitation that business is up from last year.

Tom Nemacheck, executive director at Upper Peninsula Travel & Recreation Association, said that the last couple years saw record-shattering visitation numbers. “COVID started that because people were looking for outdoor spaces, more places to have room, things like that, and it mushroomed. it just kept growing.” He does not believe 2023 will surpass further heights.

“This year looks very, very solid. I think it’s going to be a little softer. There’s some economic issues in the country that people are having difficulty with. Everything points to a very, very good summer, just not a record-breaking one like last year.” He considers summer-fall one big, extended season, especially since USA Today named the U.P. the number one destination for viewing autumn leaves three out of the last five years. Nemacheck reported that 80% of spending by tourists in the U.P. is done in the summer and fall.

But it is not only the natural beauty and wildlife that brings travellers to the U.P. At the Delta County Historical Society in Escanaba, where admission tickets grant access to both their museum and the Sand Point Lighthouse, archivist Karen Lindquist said that the people who walk through the doors do so for various reasons. She has also seen a lot of traffic this year — anglers seeking a reprieve on rainy days, lighthouse aficionados, cruise ship passengers from around the country, writers seeking information about logging, and descendents of former Yoopers who moved away.

“They come up to do genealogical research to look up where their families lived to try to find stuff out about family history. In the summertime I get a lot of that.” She acknowledged that although ancestry trackers do a lot of research online, they often seek a little guidance, and many find interest in the Historical Society’s archive of historic photographs. People returning to the area for class reunions and family reunions often like to stop in to see snapshots of Delta County the way they remember it.

Lindquist also said that some people come to the Escanaba area after failing to find accommodations near Pictured Rocks. The past decade has brought greater numbers to the lakeshore than ever before.

Since about 2010, there has been a noted rise in tourism at mainland recreation sites in the Central Upper Peninsula, said Janel Crooks, public affairs officer at Hiawatha National Forest.

Overall, employees at tourist hotspots are reporting numbers about on par with the trajectory visitation numbers had been on pre-pandemic, if not slightly higher.