Houghton MI Michigan
Frequently Asked Questions
At the municipal dock, immediately alongside downtown, on the Portage Canal. You are in position as soon as you cross the gangway.
Yes, the entire downtown, including the waterfront and the edge of the campus. Only the Quincy Mine, about 5 km up the hill above Hancock, requires a vehicle.
A giant vertical-lift bridge spanning the canal between Houghton and its twin town Hancock. Its steel deck still rises several times a day to let boats through: it is the town's daily spectacle.
The Quincy Mine with its underground tour, then downtown on foot and the waterfront. A balanced half-day programme.
A former copper mine on the hill above Hancock, once nicknamed Old Reliable. Its headframe still dominates the valley and the tour descends into the workings: it is the signature attraction of the call.
Because the Keweenaw Peninsula supplied an enormous share of American copper for nearly a century. The towns, headframes and working-class neighbourhoods all carry the mark of that era.
On the Ranger III, the national park service vessel that sails from Houghton to supply the island. The crossing takes several hours: it is not an excursion compatible with a cruise call.
The US dollar and English. Credit cards work in downtown businesses and at the mine.
June to September, the Lake Superior sailing window. Summers stay cool on the peninsula, and winters here are among the snowiest in the United States.
Yes. The mine descent impresses children, the lift bridge fascinates them, and compact downtown makes moving around easy. Bring a sweater: it is cool underground.
