The Black River National Forest Scenic Byway is a National Forest Scenic Byway that runs along the Black River in the Ottawa National Forest in the U.S. state of

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. The byway follows County Road 513 (CR 513) through

Gogebic County Gogebic County ( ) is the westernmost county in the Upper Peninsula in the U.S. state of Michigan, and the westernmost in the state as a whole. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 14,380. The county seat is Bessemer. This was historical ...

in the Upper Peninsula. As a

county road A county highway (also county road or county route; usually abbreviated CH or CR) is a road in the United States and in the Canadian province of Ontario that is designated and/or maintained by the County (United States), county highway departme ...

, it is maintained jointly by the Gogebic County Road Commission (GCRC) with assistance from the

U.S. Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency in ...

(USFS). The byway provides access to several waterfalls and other visitor attractions in the area. The route of the byway first existed as a wagon road in the 1840s and as a county road in the 1920s. The byway designation was instituted on June 20, 1992, and the byway was dedicated later that year.

Route description

While CR 513 (Black River Road) extends further south to connect with US Highway 2 near Bessemer, the National Forest Scenic Byway designation starts at the intersection with CR 204 (Airport Road) west of the Gogebic-Iron County Airport and north of the

Big Powderhorn Mountain Big Powderhorn Mountain is a ski resort located in Gogebic County, Michigan, Gogebic County in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, within Bessemer Township, Michigan, Bessemer Township and Ironwood Township, Michigan, Ironwood Township (between the ...

. From this southern starting point, the roadway runs northward along the Black River through the Ottawa National Forest. CR 513 runs along the western side of the river, staying shy of the banks as it passes through the woods. The woods through which the roadway passes contain pine, hemlock and hardwood trees. The Royal Palm Ranch, a nationally known equestrian school is located along the road on of land next to the river. The byway curves away from the river near

Copper Peak Copper Peak is a ski flying hill designed by Lauren Larsen and located in Ironwood, Michigan, United States. It was built in 1969 and inaugurated one year later. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and designa ...

, the tallest

ski flying Ski flying is a winter sport discipline derived from ski jumping, in which much greater distances can be achieved. It is a form of competitive individual Nordic skiing where athletes descend at high speed along a specially designed takeoff ra ...

hill in the world. The 18-story facility allows visitors on clear enough days to see in the distance to places like

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, Isle Royale and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. North of Copper Peak, the road once again roughly parallels the river, but staying away from the river's course. The road provides access to five sets of waterfalls. The first is

Great Conglomerate Falls Great Conglomerate Falls is a waterfall on the Black River in Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is ...

, followed by Potawatomi, Gorge, Sandstone and Rainbow falls. The falls are connected to the road by four separate hiking trails. The byway continues past these landmarks before terminating at Black River Harbor. The harbor is the site of a 1920s fishing village, one of only two harbors in the National Forest System. The area was also host to three taverns built by the

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...

during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

and a pedestrian

suspension bridge A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck (bridge), deck is hung below suspension wire rope, cables on vertical suspenders. The first modern examples of this type of bridge were built in the early 1800s. Simple suspension bridg ...

used by the North Country Trail to cross the mouth of the river.

History

According to the surveys of William A. Burt in 1848, a wagon road ran south from the modern site of the Black River Harbor to Chippewa Hill, the location of Copper Peak. A wagon road was built by the State of Michigan in 1904 to connect the waterfront with Bessemer. The county had purchased the land around the waterfront in 1924 for a park, and a county road running parallel to the Black River was in place by 1927. The residents of the fishing village were forced to move and settled at Black River Village. The roadway was improved to a gravel surface by 1930, and fully paved in late 1949 or early 1950. In 1967, the Gogebic County exchanged the park land along the river, including the harbor, with the USFS for other land in the area, and the harbor has been under federal maintenance since. Local officials originally proposed the National Forest Scenic Byway designation for the road in April 1991. The desire was to "showcase a special part of the National Forest" and boost tourism to the area, according to the park ranger in charge of handling the application. The designation was conferred by the USFS on June 20, 1992, with a dedication ceremony on September 19 that year.

Major intersections

References

External links

{{Attached KML, display=inline, title
Black River Harbor
at the US Forest Service
Black River Scenic Byway
at America's Byways (Federal Highway Administration) County roads in Michigan National Forest Scenic Byways Scenic highways in Michigan Ottawa National Forest Transportation in Gogebic County, Michigan Tourist attractions in Gogebic County, Michigan

Route description

History

Major intersections

See also

References

External links