Michigan Winters

A different kind of paradise
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Turnip Rock Michigan
Winter at Turnip Rock - Photography by John McCormick

“My wife and I challenged ourselves with a 5-mile round-trip trek across the ice to see this impressive sea stack at Pointe Aux Barques on Lake Huron. We had only one mishap. She fell into a small crevasse, but only up to her waist, and filled her boots with snow.”

Winter is a special time in Michigan — a season of spectacle for those who seek it. There are quiet, peaceful forests and frozen lakeshores to explore. Snowy trails beckon the hearty and hale who travel by dogsled, snowshoe or ski.     

Farm fields and forests are an open book. Each track in the snow coveys an unseen story: the drama of the fox in pursuit of the rabbit, the ponderous path of a porcupine near its den and the well-worn route of whitetails seeking browse.

Ice Formation Found in Michigan
Loch Michigan Monster – Photography by Heather Higham

“A piece of driftwood got beached along the shore near Point Betsie, and something about those ice caps made me think of the Loch Ness Monster.”

Winter can be a time of radiant beauty, a glittery mosaic of twinkling brightness, a season of frosty window panes, of delicate ice crystals intricately layered. Towering waterfalls freeze into massive columns. They taunt and tantalize those who seek to climb them.

Rivers and lakes take on new faces. Winter is a delight for the robust angler. Hard ice is a gilded invitation to fish. Flowing rivers become magical for adventurous paddlers. Little matches the quiet solitude of floating when few others dare, the serendipity of slipping silently by drinking deer or the timeless, heady excitement of pure exploration.

Pere Marquette River
Fisherman’s fairy tale – Photography by Todd Reed

“A stretch of the Pere Marquette River looks like a winter fairytale world this morning, as the biggest, stickiest snowflakes I have ever seen cling to everything in sight. I am a winter person, so I’m living the dream being able to make this image.”

Photography by Aaron Peterson

During winter, the days are short. Darkness comes early. But warmth rarely is far away. It is found in the forest around a roaring bonfire, on the cross country ski trail, when skiers stop for lunch. It echoes in the shrieks of young children on sledding hills and rosy-cheeked smiles around the fireplace and wood stove at day’s end.

Michigan is a winter lover’s paradise, a state full of beauty once snows begin to fall. In this issue of BLUE, we celebrate the season by sharing the winter visions of photographers who live here.

Lake Superior at the mouth of Chapel Creek in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Winter Trek – Photography by Aaron Peterson

“Taylor Klipp and Brian Kudej endure a biting wind off Lake Superior at the mouth of Chapel Creek in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in order to find the solitude that winter camping offers. The popular summer area is lightly visited in winter but offers miles of interesting ice formations, caves and endless solitude. I created the image during a three-day winter camping trip. Keeping batteries and fingers going while shooting in the winter can be difficult.”

Winter Blues shot in Coopersville
Winter Blues – Photography by Summer J. Osborn

Throw another log on the fire and enjoy.

Howard Meyerson is the managing editor of Michigan BLUE Magazine.

“Winter Blues was shot in Coopersville while on my way to the Upper Peninsula with my 3-year-old daughter. It had just snowed. As I passed it, I know I had to turn around and capture how this particular tree stood out against an overcast sky.”

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