Hogback Mountain, Marquette County (January 2005) - dwhike

The View North

Hogback Mountain is a small rocky peak amongst the Huron Mountains north of Marquette. It was one of my favorite dayhikes during my years in nearby Negaunee. The trail begins off County Road 550 just north of the Sugarloaf Mountain parking area. The 3-mile roundtrip passes some of the areas finest scenery. Come on along...

Trailhead GPS Coordinates: 46.615414, -87.468691

Route Type: Loop Difficulty: HARD

Mileage Hiked: 3.0 miles Hike Duration: 2:00

Trailhead Temp: 25'F Trail Traffic: 1-5 people

Min. Elevation: 710' Max Elevation: 1,220'

Total Vertical Gain: 700' Avg. Elevation Gain/Mile: 233'

Trails Used (blaze color): Harlow Lake (blue), Hogback Mountain Loop (blue)

Hogback Mountain, Marquette County (January 2005)

Trailhead Parking Area
One of the trails to Hogback Mtn starts at this parking area, across from the access road to the Little Presque Isle area, off County Road 550.
Starting the Hike
The trail is quite wide as it leaves the parking area. During the summer it is a dirt road.
Between the Pines
The trail soon leaves the road and quickly narrows as it winds between the pines.
Hogback Mountain
About halfway into the hike some rocks just off the trail to the left give you a view of what is ahead. The summit is just over 1200 feet above sea level, or about 500 vertical feet above where I'm standing here.
Abandoned Railroad Grade
The trail crosses this abandoned rail grade at about the halfway point to the summit.
Blowdowns
Just past the railroad grade the trail skirts the edge of a marsh, ducking and weaving around old blowdowns.
Tracks in the Snow
The usefulness of snowshoes is demonstrated here. The snow is a good 2-3 feet deep in the woods here and it would be quite difficult to go off-trail like this without them.
The Terrain gets Steeper
The second half of the hike involves a number of rather steep climbs as you can see a bit in this photo.
Snow and Pines
Up the Cliffs
This shot taken as I stood on the trail gives you a better idea of the steep grade we were climbing as we neared the summit.
A Sign!
The only trail sign you'll find on the whole route is just a quarter mile from the summit. Its still a 200 foot vertical climb from this point however.
Still Climbing...
Breaking out of the Trees
As you climb out of the trees you see for the first time how high you've climbed.
Summit Snowfield
Looking east to Lake Superior just below Hogback's summit.
Sugarloaf Mountain View
Looking east to the Marquette area's more well-known but shorter peak, Sugarloaf Mtn.
Hogback Mountain Summit
The summit rocks of Hogback Mountain.
Hogback Summit Ridge
Looking west towards the Negaunee Iron Range.
Hogback Summit Ridge
Looking west
The View North
Looking north-west towards the Huron Mountains.
The View South
owards the west end of Marquette.
Marquette View
The Presque Isle Power Plant and the Superior Dome are about the only two buildings you can clearly see from the summit.
The "Alternate Route"
In the winter the alternate route is whatever you make it. I like to head down off the west side of the summit, dropping into a narrow notch in the mountain filled with small birch trees. In the summer there is usually quite a bit of standing water here.
The Gully
After dropping into the notch, or gully, I follow it downwards heading north.
Mountainside View
Lake Superior is visible in the distance just before you drop back into the trees. From here I follow the curve of the hillside back east a short distance until you intersect the main trail at the previously pictured sign.