The Black River National Forest Scenic Byway is a National Forest Scenic Byway that runs along the Black River in the Ottawa National Forest in the U.S. state of Michigan. The byway follows County Road 513 (CR 513) through Gogebic County in the Upper Peninsula. As a county road, it is maintained jointly by the Gogebic County Road Commission (GCRC) with assistance from the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). The byway provides access to several waterfalls and other visitor attractions in the area. The route of the byway first existed as a wagon road in the 1840s and as a county road in the 1920s. The byway designation was instituted on June 20, 1992, and the byway was dedicated later that year.
Black River Harbor, located at the end of the byway
While CR 513 (Black River Road) extends further south to connect with US Highway 2 near Bessemer, the National Forest Scenic Byway designation starts at the intersection with CR 204 (Airport Road) west of the Gogebic-Iron County Airport and north of the Big Powderhorn Mountain. From this southern starting point, the roadway runs northward along the Black River through the Ottawa National Forest. CR 513 runs along the western side of the river, staying shy of the banks as it passes through the woods.[3][4] The woods through which the roadway passes contain pine, hemlock and hardwood trees. The Royal Palm Ranch, a nationally known equestrian school is located along the road[5] on 100 acres (40 ha) of land next to the river.[6] The byway curves away from the river near Copper Peak,[3][4] the tallest ski flying hill in the world.[7] The 18-story facility allows visitors on clear enough days to see 85 miles (137 km) in the distance to places like Minnesota, Isle Royale and Canada.[8]
North of Copper Peak, the road once again roughly parallels the river, but staying away from the river's course. The road provides access to five sets of waterfalls. The first is Great Conglomerate Falls, followed by Potawatomi, Gorge, Sandstone and Rainbow falls. The falls are connected to the road by four separate hiking trails. The byway continues past these landmarks before terminating at Black River Harbor.[3][4] The harbor is the site of a 1920s fishing village, one of only two harbors in the National Forest System.[5] The area was also host to three taverns built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression and a pedestrian suspension bridge used by the North Country Trail to cross the mouth of the river.[9]
Historyedit
According to the surveys of William A. Burt in 1848, a wagon road ran south from the modern site of the Black River Harbor to Chippewa Hill, the location of Copper Peak. A wagon road was built by the State of Michigan in 1904 to connect the waterfront with Bessemer. The county had purchased the land around the waterfront in 1924 for a park,[5] and a county road running parallel to the Black River was in place by 1927.[10] The residents of the fishing village were forced to move and settled at Black River Village.[5] The roadway was improved to a gravel surface by 1930,[11] and fully paved in late 1949 or early 1950.[12][13] In 1967, the Gogebic County exchanged the park land along the river, including the harbor, with the USFS for other land in the area, and the harbor has been under federal maintenance since.[5] Local officials originally proposed the National Forest Scenic Byway designation for the road in April 1991. The desire was to "showcase a special part of the National Forest" and boost tourism to the area, according to the park ranger in charge of handling the application.[14] The designation was conferred by the USFS on June 20, 1992, with a dedication ceremony on September 19 that year.[2]
^ abcFederal Highway Administration (n.d.). (Map). America's Byways. Federal Highway Administration. Archived from the original on June 22, 2013. Retrieved May 14, 2012.
^ abcGoogle (May 14, 2012). "Overview Map of the Black River National Forest Scenic Byway" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved May 14, 2012.
^ abcdeOrbitz Away (September 15, 2010). . Gorp: Great Outdoor Recreation Pages. Orbitz Away. Archived from the original on May 18, 2011. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
^Palm Partnership Training (n.d.). . Palm Partnership Training. Archived from the original on August 19, 2012. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
^Murray, Dave (September 6, 2011). "Bad Postcards: Copper Peak Operators Promise Their Ski Flying Hill Is More impressive than Card Depicts". The Grand Rapids Press. OCLC 9975013. from the original on July 12, 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
^Hunt, Mary & Hunt, Don (2011). "Bessemer: Copper Peak Ski Flying Hill". Hunts' Guide to Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Albion, MI: Midwestern Guides. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
^Hunt, Mary & Hunt, Don (2011). "Ironwood & the Gogebic Range: Black River Harbor". Hunts' Guide to Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Albion, MI: Midwestern Guides. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
^Michigan State Highway Department (December 1, 1927). Official Highway Service Map (Map). [c. 1:810,000]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. OCLC 12701195, 79754957.
^Michigan State Highway Department & H.M. Gousha (January 1, 1930). Official Highway Service Map (Map). [c. 1:810,000]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. OCLC 12701195, 79754957.
^Michigan State Highway Department (July 1, 1949). Michigan Official Highway Map (Map). [c. 1:918,720]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. § B1. OCLC 12701120.
^Michigan State Highway Department (April 15, 1950). Michigan Official Highway Map (Map). [c. 1:918,720]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. § B1. OCLC 12701120.
^Klein, Kelly (April 4, 1991). "River Road Proposed for Federal Scenic Plan". The Mining Journal. Marquette, MI. p. 1A. ISSN 0898-4964. OCLC 9729223.
at America's Byways (Federal Highway Administration)
October 30, 2023
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The Black River National Forest Scenic Byway is a National Forest Scenic Byway that runs along the Black River in the Ottawa National Forest in the U S state of Michigan The byway follows County Road 513 CR 513 through Gogebic County in the Upper Peninsula As a county road it is maintained jointly by the Gogebic County Road Commission GCRC with assistance from the U S Forest Service USFS The byway provides access to several waterfalls and other visitor attractions in the area The route of the byway first existed as a wagon road in the 1840s and as a county road in the 1920s The byway designation was instituted on June 20 1992 and the byway was dedicated later that year Black River National Forest Scenic BywayCounty Road 513Black River NFSB highlighted in redRoute informationMaintained by GCRC and USFSLength11 328 mi 1 18 231 km ExistedJune 20 1992 1992 06 20 2 presentMajor junctionsSouth endCR 204 near BessemerNorth endBlack River HarborLocationCountryUnited StatesStateMichiganCountyGogebicHighway systemScenic BywaysNational National Forest BLM NPSGogebic County Roads Contents 1 Route description 2 History 3 Major intersections 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksRoute description edit nbsp Black River Harbor located at the end of the bywayWhile CR 513 Black River Road extends further south to connect with US Highway 2 near Bessemer the National Forest Scenic Byway designation starts at the intersection with CR 204 Airport Road west of the Gogebic Iron County Airport and north of the Big Powderhorn Mountain From this southern starting point the roadway runs northward along the Black River through the Ottawa National Forest CR 513 runs along the western side of the river staying shy of the banks as it passes through the woods 3 4 The woods through which the roadway passes contain pine hemlock and hardwood trees The Royal Palm Ranch a nationally known equestrian school is located along the road 5 on 100 acres 40 ha of land next to the river 6 The byway curves away from the river near Copper Peak 3 4 the tallest ski flying hill in the world 7 The 18 story facility allows visitors on clear enough days to see 85 miles 137 km in the distance to places like Minnesota Isle Royale and Canada 8 North of Copper Peak the road once again roughly parallels the river but staying away from the river s course The road provides access to five sets of waterfalls The first is Great Conglomerate Falls followed by Potawatomi Gorge Sandstone and Rainbow falls The falls are connected to the road by four separate hiking trails The byway continues past these landmarks before terminating at Black River Harbor 3 4 The harbor is the site of a 1920s fishing village one of only two harbors in the National Forest System 5 The area was also host to three taverns built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression and a pedestrian suspension bridge used by the North Country Trail to cross the mouth of the river 9 History editAccording to the surveys of William A Burt in 1848 a wagon road ran south from the modern site of the Black River Harbor to Chippewa Hill the location of Copper Peak A wagon road was built by the State of Michigan in 1904 to connect the waterfront with Bessemer The county had purchased the land around the waterfront in 1924 for a park 5 and a county road running parallel to the Black River was in place by 1927 10 The residents of the fishing village were forced to move and settled at Black River Village 5 The roadway was improved to a gravel surface by 1930 11 and fully paved in late 1949 or early 1950 12 13 In 1967 the Gogebic County exchanged the park land along the river including the harbor with the USFS for other land in the area and the harbor has been under federal maintenance since 5 Local officials originally proposed the National Forest Scenic Byway designation for the road in April 1991 The desire was to showcase a special part of the National Forest and boost tourism to the area according to the park ranger in charge of handling the application 14 The designation was conferred by the USFS on June 20 1992 with a dedication ceremony on September 19 that year 2 Major intersections editThe entire road is in Ironwood Township Gogebic County mi 1 kmDestinationsNotes0 0000 000 nbsp nbsp CR 204 west Airport Road nbsp nbsp CR 513 south Black River Road Roadway continues southward as Black River Road11 32818 231Black River Harbor1 000 mi 1 609 km 1 000 km 0 621 miSee also edit nbsp Michigan Highways portalRiver Road National Scenic Byway another National Forest Scenic Byway in Michigan Whitefish Bay National Forest Scenic Byway the other National Forest Scenic Byway in the Upper PeninsulaReferences edit a b Michigan Department of Transportation 2021 Next Generation PR Finder Map Michigan Department of Transportation Retrieved October 11 2021 a b Levra Margaret September 21 1992 Scenic Byway Dedicated Ironwood Daily Globe pp 1 12 OCLC 10890811 Retrieved August 11 2018 via NewspaperArchive com a b c Federal Highway Administration n d Black River Scenic Byway Map America s Byways Federal Highway Administration Archived from the original on June 22 2013 Retrieved May 14 2012 a b c Google May 14 2012 Overview Map of the Black River National Forest Scenic Byway Map Google Maps Google Retrieved May 14 2012 a b c d e Orbitz Away September 15 2010 Ottawa National Forest Scenic Driving part 8 of 9 Gorp Great Outdoor Recreation Pages Orbitz Away Archived from the original on May 18 2011 Retrieved June 14 2012 Palm Partnership Training n d Royal Palm Ranch Palm Partnership Training Archived from the original on August 19 2012 Retrieved June 25 2012 Murray Dave September 6 2011 Bad Postcards Copper Peak Operators Promise Their Ski Flying Hill Is More impressive than Card Depicts The Grand Rapids Press OCLC 9975013 Archived from the original on July 12 2014 Retrieved June 14 2012 Hunt Mary amp Hunt Don 2011 Bessemer Copper Peak Ski Flying Hill Hunts Guide to Michigan s Upper Peninsula Albion MI Midwestern Guides Retrieved June 14 2012 Hunt Mary amp Hunt Don 2011 Ironwood amp the Gogebic Range Black River Harbor Hunts Guide to Michigan s Upper Peninsula Albion MI Midwestern Guides Retrieved June 25 2012 Michigan State Highway Department December 1 1927 Official Highway Service Map Map c 1 810 000 Lansing Michigan State Highway Department OCLC 12701195 79754957 Michigan State Highway Department amp H M Gousha January 1 1930 Official Highway Service Map Map c 1 810 000 Lansing Michigan State Highway Department OCLC 12701195 79754957 Michigan State Highway Department July 1 1949 Michigan Official Highway Map Map c 1 918 720 Lansing Michigan State Highway Department B1 OCLC 12701120 Michigan State Highway Department April 15 1950 Michigan Official Highway Map Map c 1 918 720 Lansing Michigan State Highway Department B1 OCLC 12701120 Klein Kelly April 4 1991 River Road Proposed for Federal Scenic Plan The Mining Journal Marquette MI p 1A ISSN 0898 4964 OCLC 9729223 External links editKML file edit help Template Attached KML Black River National Forest Scenic BywayKML is from Wikidata Black River Harbor at the US Forest Service Black River Scenic Byway at America s Byways Federal Highway Administration Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Black River National Forest Scenic Byway amp oldid 1167830322, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
