The
Huron Mountains are located in the
Upper PeninsulaThe Upper Peninsula of Michigan is the northern of the two major land masses that comprise the U.S. state of Michigan. It is commonly referred to as the Upper Peninsula, the U.P., or Upper Michigan. More casually it is known as the land "above the Bridge"...
of the
U.S. stateA U.S. state is any one of 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government . Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile...
of
MichiganMichigan is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Ojibwe term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, mostly in
MarquetteMarquette County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the population was 64,634. The county seat is Marquette. Marquette County is the largest county in land area in Michigan, and the most populous county in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.-Geography:The Huron...
and
Baraga CountiesBaraga County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan, named after Bishop Frederic Baraga. As of the 2000 census, the population was 8,746. The county seat is L'Anse. The L'Anse Indian Reservation of the Ojibwa is located within the county.-Geography:...
, overlooking
Lake SuperiorLake Superior is the largest of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by Ontario, Canada and Minnesota, United States, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan...
. Their highest peak is
Mount ArvonMount Arvon, elevation 1,979 feet , located in L'Anse Township, Baraga County is the highest point in the U.S. state of Michigan. Like nearby Arvon Township, Michigan, Mt. Arvon takes its name from the deposits of slate in the area which were reminiscent of those around Carnarvon in Wales.Mt...
which, at above
sea levelMean sea level is the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation.- Measurement :...
, is the highest point in the state of Michigan.
The mountains are the remnants of much higher peaks, composed of rocks dating back to the
PrecambrianThe Precambrian is an informal name for the span of time before the current Phanerozoic Eon, and is divided into several eons of the geologic timescale. It spans from the formation of Earth around 4500 Ma to the beginning of the Cambrian Period, when macroscopic hard-shelled animals first...
period, which have gone through successive periods of uplift and erosion. The outcroppings of
graniteGranite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite has a medium to coarse texture, occasionally with some individual crystals larger than the groundmass forming a rock known as porphyry. Granites can be pink to dark gray or even black, depending on their...
and
metamorphic rockMetamorphic rock is the result of the transformation of an existing rock type, the protolith, in a process called metamorphism, which means "change in form". The protolith is subjected to heat and pressure causing profound physical and/or chemical change...
s bear the evidence of more recent
glacialA glacier is a perennial mass of ice which moves over land. A glacier forms in locations where the mass accumulation of snow and ice exceeds ablation over many years...
action.
The
Huron Mountains are located in the
Upper PeninsulaThe Upper Peninsula of Michigan is the northern of the two major land masses that comprise the U.S. state of Michigan. It is commonly referred to as the Upper Peninsula, the U.P., or Upper Michigan. More casually it is known as the land "above the Bridge"...
of the
U.S. stateA U.S. state is any one of 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government . Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile...
of
MichiganMichigan is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Ojibwe term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, mostly in
MarquetteMarquette County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the population was 64,634. The county seat is Marquette. Marquette County is the largest county in land area in Michigan, and the most populous county in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.-Geography:The Huron...
and
Baraga CountiesBaraga County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan, named after Bishop Frederic Baraga. As of the 2000 census, the population was 8,746. The county seat is L'Anse. The L'Anse Indian Reservation of the Ojibwa is located within the county.-Geography:...
, overlooking
Lake SuperiorLake Superior is the largest of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by Ontario, Canada and Minnesota, United States, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan...
. Their highest peak is
Mount ArvonMount Arvon, elevation 1,979 feet , located in L'Anse Township, Baraga County is the highest point in the U.S. state of Michigan. Like nearby Arvon Township, Michigan, Mt. Arvon takes its name from the deposits of slate in the area which were reminiscent of those around Carnarvon in Wales.Mt...
which, at above
sea levelMean sea level is the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation.- Measurement :...
, is the highest point in the state of Michigan.
Geology
The mountains are the remnants of much higher peaks, composed of rocks dating back to the
PrecambrianThe Precambrian is an informal name for the span of time before the current Phanerozoic Eon, and is divided into several eons of the geologic timescale. It spans from the formation of Earth around 4500 Ma to the beginning of the Cambrian Period, when macroscopic hard-shelled animals first...
period, which have gone through successive periods of uplift and erosion. The outcroppings of
graniteGranite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite has a medium to coarse texture, occasionally with some individual crystals larger than the groundmass forming a rock known as porphyry. Granites can be pink to dark gray or even black, depending on their...
and
metamorphic rockMetamorphic rock is the result of the transformation of an existing rock type, the protolith, in a process called metamorphism, which means "change in form". The protolith is subjected to heat and pressure causing profound physical and/or chemical change...
s bear the evidence of more recent
glacialA glacier is a perennial mass of ice which moves over land. A glacier forms in locations where the mass accumulation of snow and ice exceeds ablation over many years...
action. Geologically, the area is part of the
Canadian shieldThe Canadian Shield — also called the Laurentian Plateau, or Bouclier Canadien — is a massive geological shield covered by a thin layer of soil that forms the nucleus of the North American or Laurentia craton...
.
Ecology
The region is characterized by its
boreal'Boreal' is usually applied to ecosystems localized to subarctic and subantarctic zones, although Austral is also used for the latter. A "boreal forest," also known as the taiga, is the set of forest ecosystems that can survive in northern, specifically subarctic, regions...
vegetation and unusually diverse and pristine
habitatsA habitat is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular animal and plant species...
. It includes one of the largest remnants of substantially undisturbed old-growth forest in the upper Great Lakes region (including the
Porcupine MountainsThe Porcupine Mountains, or Porkies, are a group of small mountains spanning across the northwestern Upper Peninsula of Michigan in Ontonagon and Gogebic counties, near the shore of Lake Superior. The area is part of the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park...
, the Sylvania Tract, and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area). Forests on the uplands are dominated by
hemlockConium is a genus of two species of highly poisonous perennial herbaceous flowering plants in the family Apiaceae, native to Europe and the Mediterranean region , and to southern Africa ....
and northern
hardwoodThe term 'hardwood' is used to describe wood from angiosperm trees . It may also be used for those trees themselves: these are usually broad-leaved; in temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen.Hardwood contrasts with softwood which...
s. Forests on the steep slopes and mountain ridges are dominated by
pinePines are coniferous trees in the genus Pinus , in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Distribution:...
-
oakAn oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 400 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
stands.
Fauna in the area includes wolves, moose, coyotes, fisher, marten, mink, white-tailed deer, gray and red foxes, porcupines, black bears, river otters and beavers.
Conservation
The area has been preserved largely due to the influence of the highly exclusive
Huron Mountain ClubThe Huron Mountain Club is a private club whose land holdings, located in Marquette County, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, constitute one of the largest tracts of primeval forest in the Great Lakes region. Formed circa 1890, the club consists of 50 wooden cabins and support structures...
(HMC), which owns a large tract of land in the mountains, including a portion of the
Salmon Trout RiverThere are two streams named Salmon Trout River in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan.-Marquette County:Salmon Trout River in the Huron Mountains of Marquette County is home to the endangered "coaster" brook trout. The river flows into Lake Superior several miles northwest of Big Bay...
. The club commissioned noted naturalist
Aldo LeopoldAldo Leopold was an American ecologist, forester, and environmentalist. He was influential in the development of modern environmental ethics and in the movement for wilderness preservation. Leopold is considered to be the father of wildlife management in the United States and was a life-long...
to create a preservation plan for the area. However, the private club also restricts access to its property, which is unfortunate for white water rafting enthusiasts since the Salmon Trout is rumored to be one of the best rafting rivers in Michigan. The exclusive club even put
Henry FordHenry Ford was the American founder of the Ford Motor Company and father of modern assembly lines used in mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry. He was a prolific inventor and was awarded 161 U.S. patents...
on a waiting list. Reportedly, in order to gain favor with the club, Ford blocked the construction of a planned extension of highway
M-35M-35 is a state trunkline highway in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. Running for in a general north–south direction, it connects the cities of Menominee, Escanaba and Negaunee. The southern section of M-35 in Menominee and Delta counties carries two additional designations...
through the mountains. After gaining membership, Ford commissioned noted architect Albert Kahn in 1929 to build a $100,000 cabin for his use.
The
Huron Mountain Wildlife FoundationThe Huron Mountain Wildlife Foundation is a not-for-profit organization with the sole mission of supporting research in ecology, geology, and other field sciences in the Lake Superior region. It was established over fifty years ago, and has supported a wide range of research focusing on the...
sponsors natural science research in the region, including the HMC lands.
In the late 1950s, the Huron Mountains were a candidate for becoming a
national parkA national park is a reserve of natural or semi-natural land, declared or owned by a national government, set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, and protected from most development...
. However, the HMC was influential in undermining the proposal.