Fayette Historic State Park
Michigan State Park · Garden, Michigan
Fayette Historic State Park sits on the Garden Peninsula of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on Lake Michigan's Big Bay de Noc, and preserves the remains of an iron-smelting company town. From the 1860s to about 1890 the Jackson Iron Company ran blast furnaces here, using local limestone and hardwood charcoal to turn ore into pig iron, which was shipped out from a sheltered harbor under tall limestone bluffs. When the furnaces closed, the town emptied, and what remains is a ghost town of stone furnace buildings, a hotel, homes and shops that you can walk through at your own pace. The park also has a visitor center and museum (confirm), a campground and a harbor with views of the bluffs. It is remote, a long scenic drive off US-2, so go with fuel and food. The buildings are open roughly mid-May to mid-October (confirm), and you need a Recreation Passport. It suits history and photography fans, not anyone short on time.
4785 II Road, Garden, Michigan, 49835, United States
The state park grounds are commonly open daily from morning into the evening, and the townsite buildings and visitor center are usually open on a seasonal schedule from about mid-May to mid-October. Outside that period the town can still be viewed from outside, but interiors are locked and services such as the museum may be closed, so confirm current hours with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources before the long drive. A Recreation Passport is needed for vehicles. The campground has its own season and reservation rules. Weather on the Garden Peninsula can close roads or limit services in late fall and winter, so check conditions and plan to arrive with time to spare before closing.
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