Copper Harbor, Keweenaw County

Hiking Trails | Snowshoeing Trails

Two loop trails bring visitors through the towering pines and forest. The 1 mile Cathedral Grove loop passes some of the largest and oldest giant white pines, growing more than 125 feet tall and dating back 300 years. Named after MNA’s founder, the 1.2 mile Bertha Daubendiek trail winds through groves of large pine, maple, and oak. One pine on this loop was determined to have germinated around 1695 after a wildfire swept the ridge. The two trails intersect and can be completed as a 2.5 mile hike.

More than 85 bird species inhabit the old-growth forest, including woodpeckers, hawks, and red crossbills. Despite thin soil and boreal climate, several wildflowers grow, such as asters, clintonia, baneberry, and violets. A wide variety of ferns, like maidenhair, spleenwort, and holly fern, blanket the forest floor.

Estivant Pines Nature Sanctuary Fact Sheet