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Officials at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park are asking hikers to avoid the area around the mouths of the Big and Little Carp rivers along the Lake Superior Trail, until damage from this week’s torrential rains and flooding can be repaired.
“Recent rains have washed out the bridge over the Big Carp River, removed many sections of boardwalk and compromised other structures,” said Jeff Gaertner, DNR unit manager at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness and Lake Gogebic state parks. “Hikers report as much as 4 feet of standing water in places on the trail.”
Hikers planning to use this area are advised to use an alternate route until further notice.
The trail is located in the northwest section of the park and largely follows the Lake Superior shoreline, from the Presque Isle River north and east for about 17 miles before turning south to connect with the Escarpment Trail, near Lake of the Clouds.
“We have plans to replace the bridge, but a time frame will be determined once we complete our storm-related damage survey,” Gaertner said.
Some shoreline erosion was reported Tuesday at the Presque Isle Campground at the park. Gaertner said a few campsites were being closed until they can be deemed safe.
Flooding from storms Monday in the western Upper Peninsula that reportedly dumped as much as 11 inches of rain on Gogebic County washed out access to a Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ boat launch situated several miles northwest of Ironwood.
The boat launch is located within Little Girl’s Point County Park, just upstream from the mouth of Oman Creek at Lake Superior. A portion of Lake Road to the east of the boating access parking lot has been washed away along with a bridge to the west over the South Baltimore River.
“There is no way to get to the boating access site at this time and there won’t be until after county road crews are able to repair the road,” Gaertner said. “The DNR boating access site will remain closed until further notice.”
Once Lake Road has been repaired, dredging begun earlier this year at the boating access site will resume.
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