Kitch-iti-kipi, which I definitely do NOT consider a HIDDEN gem, is definitely still a gem worthy of visiting. 📖What makes it even more remarkable is the story behind how it became a tourist destination in the first place! 🪞Legend has it, before the days of lumber barons and mineral prospecting across the Upper Peninsula, the Ojibwa who originally discovered the spring nicknamed it the Mirror of Heaven. 🪵Of course, when lumber camps moved into the area, they didn’t pay any attention to the big spring and used it as a dumping ground to toss logs they couldn’t use & trash! 🪓In the 1920s, John Bellaire moved to Manistique & rediscovered the spring. He saw it for its true, beautiful & natural potential despite all the rubbish and wanted everyone to join him in enjoying its beauty! 💵He convinced the families who owned the land the spring was on to sell it to the State of Michigan for $10. This was done with the condition it was to remain a public park FOREVER!! 🙌 🛂With just your Michigan State Park pass, you can visit Kitch-iti-kipi for free (unless the gift shop tempts you!). 🕕It’s open year round, and accessible to cross via a raft with hand crank to pulll you across the spring and back. ♿️This state park & the raft are ADA accessible. 🦮Pets are welcome! 🌞Summer afternoons are peak viewing times and often result in waiting in a line to board the raft. 🥳Some other fun facts about this magical spring… 🌡️It usually doesn’t freeze! Typically it maintains a 45 degree temperature thanks to 10,000 gallons a minute of gushing water flowing through the springs opening. ⛵️The overflow of the springs waters empty into nearby Indian Lake where there’s camping and trails to explore. It’s still not known where all this water comes from. 🫧The water bubbles through the limestone below via hydraulic pressure. 💎The water is the emerald, turquoisey color due to the minerals in the water. ❓Is Kitch-iti-kipi on your Michigan bucket list? If you’ve been here, which seasons did you experience it? So far, I’ve made it in the summer & fall!
This moment by @FromMichiganwithLoveblog contains videoand is 30 seconds long.
Kitch-iti-kipi
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