The Nature Conservancy in Michigan - Helmut & Candis Stern Preserve at Mt. Baldy

Helmut & Candis Stern Preserve at Mt. Baldy

Enjot panoramic views of Lake Superior and the Keweenaw from Mt. Baldy's peak.

Offical name: Lookout Mountain, Local Name: Mt. Baldy
© Micheal D-L Jordan (www.dlpphoto.com)

Why You Should Visit
Although also known as Lookout Mountain, Mt. Baldy earned its name because high winds shaped the vegetation at its highest elevations. Towering 730 feet above Lake Superior in northern Keweenaw County near Eagle Harbor and Lake Bailey, the mountain offers spectacular panoramic views of Lake Superior and the Keweenaw Peninsula. The preserve features a craggy, mile long ridge top that harbors a “northern bald” community containing several nearly treeless openings. These openings harbor several disjunct northern (“alpine”) and western ("prairie") plant species scattered amongst wind-contorted white cedar and ground juniper. This ridge-line drops in a precipitous 230 ft. cliff along the south face, and more gently, in forested slopes northward to the shores of Lake Bailey. Down slope and along the ridge stunted oak forest dominate the preserve and further down the vegetation is dominated by a mix of conifer and northern hardwood forest. Local inhabitants include the black bear, snowshoe hare, peregrine falcon, ruffed grouse, golden-crowned kinglet, black-throated green warbler and yellow-rumped warbler.

Location
Northern Upper Peninsula: Keweenaw County on the Keweenaw Peninsula, right next to Eagle Harbor, MI. If you plan to visit, take Brockway Mountain Drive between Eagle Harbor and Copper Harbor, there is a little turn off on the side of the road, right next to a Preserve sign that offers a spectacular view of Mt. Baldy.

Hours
Open year-round, although no roads are plowed in the winter.

Conditions
Under preserve guidelines current public uses of the property include hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, nature study, research projects and environmental education programs. Late summer and early fall are the best times to visit this preserve to enjoy fully the beauty of the Keweenaw Peninsula without the irritation of the biting insects that come out in the early summer. The area is a haven to a host of migratory raptor species in both the spring and fall.

How to Prepare for Your Visit
Please see "Preserve Visitation Guidelines"

Directions
From Houghton, MI follow US 41 north approximately 25 miles and turn left onto the Eagle Harbor Shortcut Road. Follow Eagle Harbor Shortcut Road for approximately 5 miles. Turn right on to a gravel lane next to a large preserve sign marking the access road in to the preserve. You are now on Eagle Harbor Township property. Follow signs to gravel parking area at the sandpit located about 1000 feet off the Eagle Harbor Shortcut Road. Please park in the established parking lot. Follow the trail marker signs (about 1.5 miles) to the Conservancy property boundary and the beginning of the Nicole Bloom Memorial trail which leads to the top of Mt. Baldy.

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site
The mountain harbors a unique variety of plant life at its peak, as only wind-contorted conifers and rare northern and western plants can survive on the cold and windy peaks during the Superior winter. It also accommodates an amazing array of bird species that pass over the site during their annual migration.

What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing
On Sunday, July 18, 2006 The Nature Conservancy in Michigan dedicated a memorial trail to Nicole Bloom at Mt. Baldy. The Michigan native and Michigan Technological University graduate died in a tragic accident while climbing in the Grand Tetons, near Jackson, WY in 2003. Roughly 15 people attended the dedication, including Conservancy staff, Nicole’s mother, Jaclyn Donoho, her father, John Bloom, Brianna Bloom, Nicole's sister, and friends and area residents. Jeff Knoop, UP Director of Land Protection gave an introduction about the preserve. Jaclyn Donoho and a couple of Nicole's friend said a few words about Nicole and experiences they had with her during their visits to Baldy. Don Keith, Keweenaw County Commissioner, also spoke and gave thanks and appreciation to the Conservancy and the Stern family for making the preserve a reality. After the dedication, attendees walked to the top of Mt. Baldy, one of Nicole's favorite areas to hike.

Every summer as part of the Keweenaw Trail Running Festival, Mt. Baldy becomes a race course for silent runners. Participants of the Festival enjoy three days of trail running and celebrating the environment. Every year, as many as 250 runners from around the country participate, yet the event accumulates only half a bag of refuse. Everything is recycled, reused, and purchased locally.