The Best Cliff Jumping Spot in Michigan
If you can't jump into Lake Superior from Blackrocks in Marquette, you probably couldn't last a winter in the U.P.
Marquette — In the Upper Peninsula, summer moves fast. While the rest of the state deals with bad weather, winter in the U.P. is a different beast.
That means Yoopers try to make the most of the limited summer they have. They excel at cramming as much activity as possible into three beautiful months before the cold comes calling again. And they are tough! When you live in a place where there can be blizzards in May and snow piles 6 feet high, you either toughen up or leave.
Both factors come together 5 minutes north of Marquette at Presque Isle Park. It’s a little outcrop of rocks and forest that juts into Lake Superior. You know you’re close when you pass the super tankers loading up with iron ore. It’s a gorgeous place to picnic or go for a run, but the real attraction is the Blackrocks, exposed slabs of rock surrounded by deep, clear water. In a state that is relatively flat, it’s one of the best cliff jumping spots you can find.
If you’ve been cliff jumping before, the Blackrocks aren't much of a challenge. At its highest point, it’s maybe 20 feet from the top to the water. It’s an easy jump that is easily conquerable by the ordinary Joe. It only gets difficult when you hit the water and realize it’s 45 degrees.
Lake Superior is cold year-round, but in early June, when I jumped, the water was freezing because the ice only melted two months ago. Hitting the water felt like taking an ice bath. The swim to shore is way longer than it looks from the cliff and can be pretty dangerous if you aren’t prepared.
One local told me he liked to snorkel and rock hound in the water around the cliffs, and he was decked out in a full wetsuit to keep the cold at bay. He often has to pull tourists out of the water who jump in and can’t handle the cold.
Blackrocks is more than just a tourist spot. For locals, it’s something more. Every town has a must-see place and for Marquette, that’s Blackrocks. It’s a perfect distillation of the Marquette experience. You’re surrounded by a lake so vast it feels like an ocean. In the summer, the cliffs are prettier than anywhere in the U.P. And yet the cold water lurks below, just like how the winter is on everyone’s mind, even during the brightest and hottest summer days.
If you can’t jump from here, then you aren’t going to make it in Marquette. Jumping proves you’re tough enough to handle the cold, that you have the fortitude necessary to handle all the extremes the Upper Peninsula can throw at you. But it also proves that you know how to let loose and enjoy the moment.
Marquette is a weird city, and I mean that as a complement. It’s full of crystal stores, secondhand clothing shops, and fusion restaurants. There are normal people living normal lives to be sure, but most people don’t move there just to work a 9-5. There are better places to live in Michigan for that.
Marquette’s remote, it’s cold, it’s relatively small. The people who move to Marquette are different. They want that remoteness. They want that space to be themselves. They know how to have fun when it’s time to have fun.
Jumping off the cliff is the ultimate shit test. If you won’t even jump, then you aren’t going to fit in. So, if you go to Marquette, head to Blackrocks, just to prove you have it in you.
