American Alpine Project
Ascending America's Highest Peaks to Raise Spirits Around the Globe
Mount Arvon, Michigan
Mt. Arvon, MI
Elevation: 1,979 ft.
Summit Attained: 4:01 p.m., January 7th, 2007
Jason: I went to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to visit my friend, Dave Black, and decided it was the perfect time to knock off Michigan’s highest hill. For a Midwest highpoint Mt. Arvon is surprisingly remote, and unless the weather is as mild as it has been, I wouldn’t recommend attempting to drive all the way in the winter since the trail leading to the highpoint is a fairly rugged logging road. The most direct route to this logging road is to turn off US Hwy 41 onto Broad Street in L’Anse (The following directions are taken from a passage found on the Indian Country Sports Website, http://www.indiancountrysports.com/mt_arvon.html).
-From the intersection of US Hwy 41 and Broad Street immediately South of L'Anse, proceed North into L'Anse on Broad Street for 0.7 miles to Main Street.
-Turn right (E) on Main Street which will become Skanee Road, and continue 16.1 miles to Church Road (formerly Roland Lake Road) on the right, where the Zion Lutheran Church is on the SE corner.
-Turn right (S) on Church Road and proceed 2.9 miles to Ravine River Road at Roland Lake. There are many less well-developed roads in the Ravine River Road area. Please follow the blue signs that mark the way to the top. Unless indicated below, stay on the obvious "main track" as you proceed along Ravine River Road. The route on Ravine River Road is as follows: (at this point reset the odometer).
-At 0.7 miles, fork, go straight
-1.8 miles, pass through gravel pit
-2.0 miles, leave gravel pit at a fork, go straight
-3.0 miles, fork, bear left -3.4 miles, fork, bear right
-4.0 miles, 4.5 miles and 4.7 miles, forks go straight
-6.1 miles. T-intersection, main road goes left, turn right (S)
-6.3 miles fork, go left
-6.4 miles, steep incline at the point, fork, go right
-6.8 miles, fork, go right
-7.2 miles go to right. At this point there is a parking lot and there is an approximately 1/2 mile walk to the summit.
There were a few discrepancies I noticed from these published directions. First, the sign for Roland Lake Road still designates the road as such; it is not called Church Road. Second, and I wish I would have kept detailed notes on this but I was concentrating too much on not getting my truck stuck out in the middle of nowhere, not all of the above mileages for Ravine River Road denote forks in the road. It is pretty easy to recognize the main road, and between that and the little blue signs you should be ok. I actually only made it 6.7 miles on Ravine River Road before coming to an impassable hill. Not even four-wheel drive would save me. Dave and I left the truck where it quit and hiked the rest of the way, hoping that when we returned I would be able to navigate my truck in reverse as the sunlight began to wane. Fortunately, the hike to the summit of Mt. Arvon was pretty easy with only 4-8 inches of snow on the ground. At 1,979 feet the summit may be the highest point in Michigan, but you wouldn’t really know it if not for the sign. Heavy forest permeates the countryside and the summit is no exception. However, it’s still a peaceful place and those who complete the journey in the summer may want to make use of the seating and permanent grill installed at the top. After we attained the summit and Dave snapped a few pictures, we made the return to my truck and I safely backed down the hill and turned around before darkness fell.
All in all the trip from the 6.7 mile mark took about an hour and half, including 10 minutes on the summit. I’m pretty sure the parking lot is a bit more than 7.2 miles from the beginning of Ravine River Road since hiking 2 miles, even in light snow, does not take an hour and twenty minutes. Regardless, it was a fun hike and definitely recommended if you’re in the area, or if you have to check one more peak off your highpoint list. To those wanting to do this during a true Upper Peninsula winter (approx. 300 inches of snow per season) I would suggest planning on either snowshoeing in from the beginning of Ravine River Road, or renting a snowmobile to expedite the journey (15-16 miles roundtrip is quite a ways to snowshoe). If attempting the route during the summer visitors are sure to experience the Upper Peninsula in all its beauty. Happy Highpointing!
Elevation: 1,979 ft.
Summit Attained: 4:01 p.m., January 7th, 2007
Jason: I went to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to visit my friend, Dave Black, and decided it was the perfect time to knock off Michigan’s highest hill. For a Midwest highpoint Mt. Arvon is surprisingly remote, and unless the weather is as mild as it has been, I wouldn’t recommend attempting to drive all the way in the winter since the trail leading to the highpoint is a fairly rugged logging road. The most direct route to this logging road is to turn off US Hwy 41 onto Broad Street in L’Anse (The following directions are taken from a passage found on the Indian Country Sports Website, http://www.indiancountrysports.com/mt_arvon.html).
-From the intersection of US Hwy 41 and Broad Street immediately South of L'Anse, proceed North into L'Anse on Broad Street for 0.7 miles to Main Street.
-Turn right (E) on Main Street which will become Skanee Road, and continue 16.1 miles to Church Road (formerly Roland Lake Road) on the right, where the Zion Lutheran Church is on the SE corner.
-Turn right (S) on Church Road and proceed 2.9 miles to Ravine River Road at Roland Lake. There are many less well-developed roads in the Ravine River Road area. Please follow the blue signs that mark the way to the top. Unless indicated below, stay on the obvious "main track" as you proceed along Ravine River Road. The route on Ravine River Road is as follows: (at this point reset the odometer).
-At 0.7 miles, fork, go straight
-1.8 miles, pass through gravel pit
-2.0 miles, leave gravel pit at a fork, go straight
-3.0 miles, fork, bear left -3.4 miles, fork, bear right
-4.0 miles, 4.5 miles and 4.7 miles, forks go straight
-6.1 miles. T-intersection, main road goes left, turn right (S)
-6.3 miles fork, go left
-6.4 miles, steep incline at the point, fork, go right
-6.8 miles, fork, go right
-7.2 miles go to right. At this point there is a parking lot and there is an approximately 1/2 mile walk to the summit.
There were a few discrepancies I noticed from these published directions. First, the sign for Roland Lake Road still designates the road as such; it is not called Church Road. Second, and I wish I would have kept detailed notes on this but I was concentrating too much on not getting my truck stuck out in the middle of nowhere, not all of the above mileages for Ravine River Road denote forks in the road. It is pretty easy to recognize the main road, and between that and the little blue signs you should be ok. I actually only made it 6.7 miles on Ravine River Road before coming to an impassable hill. Not even four-wheel drive would save me. Dave and I left the truck where it quit and hiked the rest of the way, hoping that when we returned I would be able to navigate my truck in reverse as the sunlight began to wane. Fortunately, the hike to the summit of Mt. Arvon was pretty easy with only 4-8 inches of snow on the ground. At 1,979 feet the summit may be the highest point in Michigan, but you wouldn’t really know it if not for the sign. Heavy forest permeates the countryside and the summit is no exception. However, it’s still a peaceful place and those who complete the journey in the summer may want to make use of the seating and permanent grill installed at the top. After we attained the summit and Dave snapped a few pictures, we made the return to my truck and I safely backed down the hill and turned around before darkness fell.
All in all the trip from the 6.7 mile mark took about an hour and half, including 10 minutes on the summit. I’m pretty sure the parking lot is a bit more than 7.2 miles from the beginning of Ravine River Road since hiking 2 miles, even in light snow, does not take an hour and twenty minutes. Regardless, it was a fun hike and definitely recommended if you’re in the area, or if you have to check one more peak off your highpoint list. To those wanting to do this during a true Upper Peninsula winter (approx. 300 inches of snow per season) I would suggest planning on either snowshoeing in from the beginning of Ravine River Road, or renting a snowmobile to expedite the journey (15-16 miles roundtrip is quite a ways to snowshoe). If attempting the route during the summer visitors are sure to experience the Upper Peninsula in all its beauty. Happy Highpointing!
