Brockway Mountain Drive

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Brockway Mountain Drive
Maintained by Keweenaw County Road Commission
Length: 8.88 mi[1] (14.29 km)
Formed: 1933
West end: M-26 near Eagle Harbor
East end: M-26 in Copper Harbor
Counties: Keweenaw
View of Lake Superior from Brockway Mountain with information signage.
View of Lake Superior from Brockway Mountain with information signage.

Brockway Mountain Drive is a 8.88-mile (14.29 km) scenic highway in the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan just west of Copper Harbor. Access to the road is gained from M-26 from either Eagle Harbor to the west or Copper Harbor to the east. The drive runs along a cliff on the Keweenaw Fault and climbs to a height of 1,328 feet (405 m) above sea level, 726 feet (221 m) above the surface of Lake Superior.[2] This is the highest road above sea level in the U.S. between the Rocky Mountains and Allegheny Mountains.[3][4] Several turnouts along the route allow for views of Copper Harbor, Lake Superior, and undeveloped woodland. The road was constructed by the Works Project Administration and Civilian Conservation Corps in 1933, and has been recognized for its scenic nature.[5][6][7]

Contents

[edit] Route description

The road can be accessed from either Eagle Harbor or Copper Harbor and serves as a scenic loop off of M-26. From Copper Harbor, as soon as the road begins, the steep ascent starts. Drivers are faced with two hairpin turns, the second of which features a scenic turnout for drivers. After these first two sharp turns the road generally straightens out, but continues to ascend the mountain. Along the drive, several turnouts provide the opportunity for sightseers to exit the car and take in the surroundings. A few turnouts lie directly adjacent to the face of the bluff where the mountain quickly rises from the surrounding land.

Upon reaching the top of the mountain, drivers are greeted with a full panoramic view of the surrounding area, allowing views of Lake Superior, Copper Harbor, Eagle Harbor and the surrounding lakes and forests. Freighters occasionally can be seen traversing Lake Superior and on clear days, Isle Royale can be spotted nearly 50 miles (80 km) in the distance. Also gracing the top of the mountain is the Skytop Inn. Founded in 1933, originally housed in a log cabin, the Skytop Inn provides a selection of books and collectibles.[4] From the Skytop Inn, the road continues to the west and descends the mountain in quick fashion, with the occasional twists as expected, but mostly straight and devoid of the sharp hairpin turns of its eastern half. The road ends at a junction with M-26 just east of Eagle Harbor.

[edit] History

Construction of Brockway Mountain Drive began in the Spring of 1933 by the Keweenaw County Road Commission with Federal highway funding designed to provide meaningful work to the many copper miners who became unemployed during the Great Depression. Three hundred laborers were employed for a wage of twenty-five cents per hour, with the initial cost of the project being $30,000 (1933, $478,000 in 2007).[8][9] The road was opened for public use starting in October, 1933. Subsequently, much of the stone work on the Drive was done by Works Project Administration and Civilian Conservation Cortps laborers during the 1934 and 1935 seasons. The road was not paved until starting in 1938, with the entire route being completely paved by 1946. The stonework walls that separate the road from the sharp face of the cliff still exist to this day.[8]

[edit] Awards and recognition

Many locales in the Keweenaw Peninsula are frequently praised for their beauty and pristine appearances and Brockway Mountain Drive is no exception. The road has been recognized in numerous publications. In 1994 and 2001, US 41 and Brockway Mountain Drive were selected as "one of the best fall color views and mountain biking areas" by Michigan Living. It was also named "most beautiful bike ride in the United States" by Bicycling Magazine in 1995.[10]

View from atop Brockway Mountain
View from atop Brockway Mountain

[edit] Major intersections

County Location Mile[1] Roads Notes
Keweenaw Eagle Harbor 0.00 M-26 Western terminus
Eagle Harbor Township 4.92 Brockway Mountain Drive Location of Skytop Inn
Copper Harbor 8.88 M-26 Eastern terminus

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b MiGDL - Center for Geographic Information - Geographic Data Library. Michigan Department of Information Technology (May 2007). Retrieved on 2008-02-04.
  2. ^ Brockway Mountain Drive Web Tour. Cable America. Retrieved on 2006-10-26.
  3. ^ Storm, Roger E.; Wedzel, Susan M.. "Hiking Michigan", Human Kinetics Publishers, 1997, p. 35. Retrieved on 2006-10-26. 
  4. ^ a b Hunt, Mary and Hunt, Don (2007). "Brockway Mountain Drive", Hunt's Guide to Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Albion, MI: Midwestern Guides. Retrieved on 2008-02-21. 
  5. ^ Brockway Mountain Drive, MI. National Scenic Byways Program. Retrieved on 2006-10-26.
  6. ^ Stetson, Damon. "Circling Michigan's Scenic Upper Peninsula", New York Times, 1962-01-29, p. 249. Retrieved on 2008-02-21. "a side trip that should not be missed is the Brockway Mountain drive" 
  7. ^ Gilbert, John. "Keweenaw Peninsula; Fall colors undimmed", Star Tribune, 1996-10-06. Retrieved on 2008-02-21. "Brockway Mountain drive is worth the whole trip by itself, with a twisting road leading up to the crest, with panoramic views of Fall colors." 
  8. ^ a b Barnett Ph.D., LeRoy (2004). A Drive Down Memory Lane: The Named State and Federal Highways of Michigan. Detroit, Michigan: Wayne State University Press, 40. ISBN 1886167249. 
  9. ^ CPI Inflation Calculator. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved on 2008-06-06.
  10. ^ Keweenaw Peninsula Chamber of Commerce. Map & Facts. Keweenaw Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved on 2008-02-21.