Brockway Mountain Drive Summit

Riding to the very tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula already puts you far from any crowd, and Brockway Mountain Drive caps that journey with something tangible: the highest paved road between the Rockies and the Alleghenies. The nine-mile two-lane ascent connects M-26 between Eagle Harbor and Copper Harbor, climbing to 1,320 feet above sea level — 720 feet above Lake Superior — with multiple pull-offs spaced along the ridge so you can stop as often as the view demands. At the summit the panorama swings fully around: Copper Harbor sits below to the north, inland lakes spread across the wilderness to the south, and on a clear day Isle Royale is visible roughly 50 miles offshore to the northwest.

The road is seasonal, open roughly spring through late fall and maintained by Keweenaw County, so conditions can vary at the shoulders of the season. The summit sits in a semi-alpine climate and winds can be stiff even in midsummer — a useful thing to know before you roll up in a light jacket. Spring brings a reliable hawk and eagle migration directly over the ridge, with raptors funneling along the Keweenaw Peninsula each April and May, making the overlook a legitimate birdwatching destination on top of everything else. The summit area also falls within the Keweenaw Dark Sky Park, which means clear nights here are genuinely dark and the Milky Way is visible without fighting any light pollution.