Huron Mountains

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title: "Huron Mountains" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["mountain-ranges-of-michigan", "mountains-of-michigan", "protected-areas-of-baraga-county,-michigan", "protected-areas-of-marquette-county,-michigan", "nature-reserves-in-michigan", "landforms-of-baraga-county,-michigan", "landforms-of-marquette-county,-michigan"] description: "Mountain range in Michigan, United States" topic_path: "general/mountain-ranges-of-michigan" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huron_Mountains" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Mountain range in Michigan, United States ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox mountain"]

Field	Value
name	Huron Mountains
photo	hogback_huron.jpg
photo_caption	Hogback Mountain (1,220 ft) in the Presque Isle Tract, a park within the Huron Mountain Range
country	United States
subdivision1	Michigan
subdivision2_type	Counties
subdivision2
highest	Mount Arvon
elevation_ft	1979
coordinates
::

|name = Huron Mountains |photo = hogback_huron.jpg |photo_caption = Hogback Mountain (1,220 ft) in the Presque Isle Tract, a park within the Huron Mountain Range |country = United States |subdivision1 = Michigan |subdivision2_type = Counties |subdivision2 = |parent = |highest = Mount Arvon |elevation_ft = 1979 |coordinates = |geology = |orogeny = |map = |map_caption = The Huron Mountains are located in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan, mostly in Marquette County, and extending into Baraga County, overlooking Lake Superior. Their highest peak is Mount Arvon, which is the highest point in Michigan at 1979 ft above sea level. Nearby Mount Curwood, Michigan's second highest mountain at 1978 ft, is also a part of the Huron Mountains.

Geology

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/Huron_Mountains_Summit.jpg" caption="A rocky summit in the Huron Mountains"] ::

The mountains are the remnants of much higher peaks, composed of Precambrian rocks which have gone through successive periods of uplift and erosion. The outcroppings of granite and siliceous metamorphic rocks bear the evidence of more recent glacial action. Geologically, the area is part of the Canadian Shield.

Pleistocene glaciation deposited sandy loam or loamy sand glacial till on most of the terrain, and the soils, podzolized in well drained areas, are largely mapped as Munising or Keweenaw series. Loamy or silty mantles atop the till are mapped as Michigamme series, while sandy outwash often is classified as Kalkaska series.

The region is subject to heavy lake-effect snow from Lake Superior. No official weather records are maintained in the mountains, but annual snowfall averages easily exceed 200 in across the entire range. Some higher elevations probably average over 250 in. The community of Herman receives an unofficial average of 236 in per season.

Ecology

The region is characterized by its boreal vegetation and unusually diverse and pristine habitats. It includes one of the largest remnants of substantially undisturbed old-growth forest in the upper Great Lakes region. Forests on the uplands are dominated by hemlock and northern hardwoods. Forests on the steep slopes and mountain ridges are dominated by pine-oak stands.

Fauna in the area includes wolves, moose, coyotes, cougar, fisher, marten, mink, white-tailed deer, gray and red foxes, porcupines, black bears, river otters and beavers.

Conservation

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/Huron_Mountains.jpg" caption="Looking east over the Huron Mountains from Skanee."] ::

The area has been preserved largely by the influence of the highly exclusive Huron Mountain Club (HMC) which owns a large tract of land in the mountains, including a portion of the Salmon Trout River. The club commissioned noted naturalist Aldo Leopold to create a preservation plan for the area. The HMC restricts access to its property, limiting whitewater rafting on the Salmon Trout River. The HMC put Henry Ford on a waiting list. In order to gain favor with the club, Ford blocked the construction of a planned extension of highway M-35 through the mountains. After gaining membership, Ford commissioned noted architect Albert Kahn in 1929 to build a $100,000 cabin for his use.

The Huron Mountain Wildlife Foundation sponsors natural science research in the region, including the HMC lands. In the late 1950s, the Huron Mountains were a candidate for becoming a national park. However, the HMC was influential in undermining the proposal.

References

References

1. California Soil Resource Lab. (July 10, 2021). "SoilWeb: An Online Soil Survey Browser". University of California, Davis.
2. Rydholm, C. Fred. (1989). "Superior Heartland: A Backwoods History". Braun-Brumfield.
3. Karamanski, Theodore J.. (2000). "A Nationalized Lakeshore: The Creation and Administration of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore". Midwest Regional Office, National Park Service.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::