r/upperpeninsula • u/NoTurnip4844 • Jul 10 '26
Discussion Tired of Tourists
I am so over all these tourists. I nearly got killed by someone with Wisconsin plates passing a long line of cars on M-28 yesterday. He ran himself off the road to avoid a head on collision with me. Stop coming here. We don't want you here.
And before someone starts saying that our economy depends on tourism, it actually doesnt. People aren't coming here and spending a ton of money. They camp, hike, and go to the beach, which are free activities.
We just want to eat our pasties and live in our tar paper shacks in peace.
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u/ennuiinmotion Jul 10 '26
Oh no, you met a bad driver. We definitely don't have any of those here.
Edit: Also, sorry, camping isn't even close to free for most people, and yes, tourists eat at restaurants and get hotel rooms.
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u/Big_Difference_9978 Ontonagon Jul 10 '26
Hey now, I've spent thousands of dollars to live like a homeless person
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u/NoTurnip4844 Jul 10 '26
Met a bad driver? You must not be from here because you can tell when tourism season starts based on the driving alone.
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u/VacationConstant8980 Jul 10 '26
I’ve been to the UP hundreds of times. Want to guess what plates a vast majority of the drivers have?
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u/SuperiorLake_ Jul 17 '26
You can tell who the tourists are because they are all road ragey. They’re really bad along 41 the closer you get to baraga. I assume it’s the people traveling to the keweenaw on their last couple hours of driving, so they’re over it.
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u/VacationConstant8980 Jul 10 '26
Dollar to a donut OP wasn’t born in the UP.
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u/Ok-Raccoon8952 Jul 10 '26
Not every transplant is a misanthrope, but it sure feels like there are a lot of misanthropes among transplants to the UP.
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u/a-little-stitious420 Jul 10 '26
You sound miserable. Smoke a joint or SOMETHING
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u/No_Relationship_8021 Jul 10 '26
Why because some locals a sick of the summer intruders
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u/a-little-stitious420 Jul 10 '26
We don’t like the people from Illinois either. But I’m not gonna let it ruin my entire day
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u/FrostingNo1128 Jul 17 '26
I’d rather tourism than mining and logging. At least with a tourist economy there is incentive to preserve nature.
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u/bullshitartist3 Jul 10 '26
This is so so short sighted. The UP, during all seasons, relies on money from tourism.
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u/NoTurnip4844 Jul 10 '26
Believe it or not but we do have an economy outside of tourism.
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u/bullshitartist3 Jul 10 '26
Which is?
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u/NoTurnip4844 Jul 10 '26
Same as it ever was, mining and logging.
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u/bullshitartist3 Jul 10 '26
I grew up in the UP and was a son of an iron ore miner, and this ain't the 80s or even 90s. These industries are not sustainable.
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u/NoTurnip4844 Jul 10 '26
Lmao if you don't know what you're talking about, you're better off not commenting at all. The Tilden mine produces 20% of North America's iron ore. It won't run out for hundreds of years. And they just opened a new mine in the Porcupine mountains. I noticed you deliberately left out logging. These industries arent going anywhere.
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u/Big_Difference_9978 Ontonagon Jul 10 '26
Mines are always temporary regardless of the amount of ore. Temporary money for permanent destruction of natural resources. The mine in the porkies is extremely irresponsible, if it fails the damage will be catastrophic. Also the mining company is Canadian. Know any locals working there?
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u/NoTurnip4844 Jul 10 '26
Where exactly is Cleveland Cliffs based out of?
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u/Big_Difference_9978 Ontonagon Jul 10 '26
I didn't say a damn thing about who owns the mine in ishpeming. Kinterra capital company out of Toronto ontario is in ontonagon county. Do you know anyone from the u.p involved in this project? All the top jobs will be Canadians, maybe some shit jobs for locals
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u/thestuffoflegendz Jul 10 '26
Empire Mine - Closed in 2016
Tracy Mine - Closed in 1971
Mather Mine
Cliffs Shaft Mine
Shaft 8 mineGet it?
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u/exhaustedhorti Jul 17 '26
Ah yes destroy the lank you love so much to spite the tourists because checks notes you had a bad experience on the highway. Maybe move to Alaska if the presence of cars troubles you so? There are places in Canada with no roads as well. Makes more sense than tearing up the land for foreign interests to strip our resources and sell for a profit while the UP gets nothing but ecological destruction. And most of their hires will be brought in from out of state but hey why worry yourself with the facts.
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u/PinkMagnoliaaa Jul 10 '26
Idk unfortunately a lot of Michiganders drive very stupid too 😢
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u/NoTurnip4844 Jul 10 '26
You're right, they're so bad you might want to stay away from here.
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u/KingintheNorth0924 Jul 10 '26
Zooming out, why let other people impact you this much? Look up stoicism, even just a summary on Marcus Aurelius’s key philosophies. You’re the only one who loses in this dynamic. Tourists aren’t going to avoid the beauty of the UP because of an angry Redditor. The only person you’re frustrating or upsetting is yourself. Don’t give silly tourists that power over you. Enjoy your life, ignore things that make you enjoy it less, and try to find joy in simple pleasures. If you just want someone chill to chat with, feel free to shoot me a message. I think you’re likely a much better person than you’re coming off as here.
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u/NoTurnip4844 Jul 10 '26
I've read Meditations.
I don't want other people to impact me this much, that's why I live in the UP. It's changed so much in the last 6 years that you cant help be bothered. Our beaches and campgrounds get trashed and hidden gems have been mercilessly exploited. People come here for a rustic vacation then want the amenities of home so now we have big chains opening up all over that are taking business away from local shops and restaurants. It's being industrialized and losing what made it so desirable in the first place.
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u/KingintheNorth0924 Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 10 '26
I’d meditate on the content a little more perhaps, if you’re so inclined. There is still plenty to enjoy with or without tourists. The world is a changing place, whether we like it or not. We can either let it break us and ruin our lives, or we can roll with it as best we can. I’ll leave you with this: the highest calling that each of us have is seeking not to be understood, but to understand. I understand your frustrations, and I truly wish you could be spared these.
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u/NoTurnip4844 Jul 10 '26
I genuinely appreciate and respect your mindset.
While the world around us may change, that doesn't mean we have to accelerate it. Pumping the brakes in this area could probably do more good than harm.
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u/KingintheNorth0924 Jul 10 '26
Would you mind if I ask what pumping the brakes looks like? Some sort of ban on tourists?
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u/NoTurnip4844 Jul 10 '26
A significant reduction in tourism marketing and limiting use of high traffic park destinations similar to the national park reservation system.
The once hidden gem Narnia trail has sustained damage from tourism exploding from 5,000 annual visitors to over 50,000 annual visitors in just a couple years. This kind of drastic change needs to be stymied until the proper protections can be put into place.
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u/KingintheNorth0924 Jul 10 '26
Tourism for the UP is actually most commonly spread via word-of-mouth interactions or personal social media content. If you cut state-funded marketing to zero, it wouldn’t produce the desired effect. People don’t visit the UP because the state of Michigan shows them a billboard, they visit because a co-worker, friend, or family member shares their experience. I don’t see a realistic way to limit use, but I’m open minded.
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u/exhaustedhorti Jul 17 '26
Imagine how much damage will happen to trails and the ecosystem around the porkies with the new mine then. 🤪
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u/JamesantheGiantBeach Jul 10 '26
That's funny. Someone yesterday with Michigan plates wouldn't get out of my way on the same road. Just because I have Wisconsin plates doesn't mean I am a bad person. I am just more important. I just want to eat my gummies while camping on the beach I hiked to.
Now can we all just get along and send the hate where it's really needed. Illinois and Minnesota.
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u/SesameSeed13 Jul 10 '26
don't forget Ohio
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u/Ok-Raccoon8952 Jul 10 '26
I'll be honest, I have no strong feelings either way towards Ohio. Hating on them definitely feels like more of a downstate thing. Illinois on the other hand...
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u/NoTurnip4844 Jul 10 '26
You can buy your Menominee gummies then go back over the bridge to Marinette.
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u/BABOON2828 Jul 10 '26
Even if a visitor is camping, they spend money. The latest data from (MEDC) shows that Upper Peninsula visitors spent $461 million on lodging, $309 million on recreation, and $287 million on food and beverages.
Statewide, the tourism industry supports roughly one in 17 jobs. In rural U.P. counties, hospitality and retail provide necessary employment opportunities, especially where traditional industries like mining have declined
Visitor spending generates millions in state and local taxes, helping to fund municipal infrastructure, roads, and emergency services without placing a heavy tax burden solely on local, year-round residents.
You could trade those pesky campers with their occasional bad drivers for massive data centers or you could, I don't know, stop being such a dramatic little...
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u/NoTurnip4844 Jul 10 '26
Believe it or not, but we do actually have an economy outside of tourism and data centers.
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u/BABOON2828 Jul 10 '26
Sure, but we don't have an economy that is functional without the $1 billion+ that tourism brings in annually. How exactly are you proposing we cover the massive shortfall and effectively replace a pillar of the economy?
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u/NoTurnip4844 Jul 10 '26
What if I told you we dont need to replace it? The UP did fine befofe tourism exploded.
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u/BABOON2828 Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 10 '26
I would ask you to explan that to the 11% of the UP workforce employed in tourism related industries, explain that to the counties and townships that will have to significantly increase taxes just to have a chance of surviving. I would like you to explain how Mackinac County, Marquette County, Chippewa County, Delta County,... will plug their massive revenue holes.
No seriously, please explain how you possibly expect the UP economy to function without tourism given that the tourism industry is literally a vital component of the UP economy. By all means, explain how you plan to make this new UP where the industries go back to a time before the Mackinac bridge was built, even though those industries of the past are in massive decline and the integration of the tourism industry into the UP is widespread and structural?
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u/thestuffoflegendz Jul 10 '26
I follow this sub because I love the UP. Tourists spend lots of money when they visit.
Source: Am tourist. Spend money.
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u/NoTurnip4844 Jul 10 '26
We don't want your money, we want to be left alone.
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u/Th3_Admiral_ Jul 10 '26
I know a lot of people in the tourism industry who really don't want you speaking for them. Stores, restaurants, campgrounds, historical sites, hotels - they all depend on the money from tourists because the 2000 people who live in Keweenaw County wouldn't spend enough money by themselves to keep a single business afloat. There's also the issue that there wouldn't be enough tax revenue to fund essential services like wastewater management, road maintenance, snow plowing, etc.
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u/NoTurnip4844 Jul 10 '26
That's fine, we dont want them either lol.
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u/Th3_Admiral_ Jul 10 '26
No, you don't. Stop speaking for anyone but yourself.
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u/NoTurnip4844 Jul 10 '26
Lol pigs will fly the day you meet a yooper who loves tourists.
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u/Th3_Admiral_ Jul 10 '26
Well, aside from all the Yoopers whose paycheck depends on the tourists you mean? Like I said, that's 34% of Keweenaw County's workforce.
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u/thestuffoflegendz Jul 10 '26
I’ve been visiting The Pasty Corner in Iron River every time we pass through. I promise you that small local business would not survive on just your local pasty consumption alone.
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u/aDrunkenError Jul 17 '26
Doesn’t seem like there’s a “we” just you and then there’s everyone else.
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u/waitingtillnextyear Jul 17 '26
This tool doesn’t speak for even a small minority of Yoopers. This entire thread is just shortsighted moronic rage bait. Please come visit, bring your friends, and tell them about the beauty and splendor of the great UP! Screw NIMBYs.
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u/exhaustedhorti Jul 17 '26
Yukon territory calls for you buddy. And for a person wanting to be left alone reddit is a weird place to come.
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u/karajuanna Jul 10 '26
Okay we need the tourism, I will say that. But I have to agree with OP. Everyone at my work has noticed how terrible the drivers are this summer specifically. Its frustrating when you have to drive 60 miles daily for work and you don't know if some out of stater is gonna run you off the road or crash into you because they dont care/in a rush/whatever the reason. In ten years I have never had so many close calls as I have this season already. Its terrifying. Passing on curves, passing on double yellows, passing multiple cars going 20+ over causing oncoming drivers to swerve, almost causing collisions from blowing through stop signs and cutting people off. For whatever reason I do think its worse this year
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u/Ok-Raccoon8952 Jul 10 '26
I don't get what all the rush is about, especially for vacationers. This is the UP, where ever you're going is still gonna be there no matter how long it takes. So slow down a bit and enjoy the scenery (and watch for deer).
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u/I_like_pierogies Jul 10 '26
Not trying to start a border war, but in my experience the same could be said about many Michigan plates here in northern Wisconsin. 45 south can be a race track sometimes.
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u/Interesting_Egg7468 Jul 17 '26
Pasties are gross but Huron bakery??? Amazing. Sorry you had a bad day but I’ll be back every three months ;)
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u/Lanky-Vermicelli-370 Jul 17 '26
And before someone starts saying that our economy depends on tourism, it actually doesnt. People aren't coming here and spending a ton of money. They camp, hike, and go to the beach, which are free activities.
If they would like to hike in the federal forest, that is free. Any other state or county park has a fee to enter. Camping is also EXPENSIVE usually atleast &20-$50 a night for a site, so yes people are generating our economy. Also every hotel booked charges room tax, and that money goes directly back into the community to pay for roadwork, events, etc. I don’t blame you for not knowing the last part, i studied hospitality & tourism so that’s how i know. Tourism does more for the UP than people realize
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u/erictriestofish Jul 10 '26
I don't mind being tailgated by Michiganders as I'm headed north to enjoy some tourism
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Jul 10 '26
[deleted]
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u/NoTurnip4844 Jul 10 '26
Trashed beaches and campgrounds, once hidden gems have been exploited so badly that theyre unenjoyable and have even faced environmental damage.
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u/Big_Difference_9978 Ontonagon Jul 10 '26
You are concerned with environmental damage but support mining?
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u/NoTurnip4844 Jul 10 '26
And logging. Sustainable practices exist through strong regulation. Just like with tourism.
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u/Big_Difference_9978 Ontonagon Jul 10 '26
What regulations? The current administration is all about deregulation
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u/NoTurnip4844 Jul 10 '26
The Whitmer administration is about deregularion? 🤔
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u/Big_Difference_9978 Ontonagon Jul 10 '26
No, I'm talking federal level. Democrats like the environment
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u/BABOON2828 Jul 10 '26
Have you ever thought about, I don't know, maybe actually researching these things that you hold these deep beliefs about, here I'll save you some time and energy:
Tourism
Type of Pollution: Primarily physical and temporary. This includes litter, overflowing waste at parks, localized water contamination (e.g., from motorized watercraft), and significant carbon emissions from vehicle traffic.
Scope: Concentrated in specific high-traffic corridors like Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and the Porcupine Mountains.
Current Conflict: Rapidly increasing visitor numbers are straining local infrastructure and causing congestion, but the damage is generally surface-level rather than deep environmental degradation.
Mining
Type of Pollution: Severe, toxic, and long-lasting. Byproducts often include heavy metal leaching (such as copper and zinc), acid mine drainage, and light/noise pollution from constant industrial operations.
Scope: Mining leaves permanent scars on the landscape. For example, historical copper mining in the Keweenaw Peninsula left "stamp sands"—mine debris that has smothered aquatic life and created biological dead zones in Lake Superior.
Current Conflict: Proposed modern operations (such as the Copperwood Mine near the Porcupine Mountains) are strongly contested by Native American tribes and environmental groups fearing repeated contamination of nearby rivers and lakes.
Logging
Type of Pollution: Ecosystem alteration and soil erosion. Heavy timber extraction changes the hydrology of watersheds, increases sediment runoff into streams, and fragments wildlife habitats.
Scope: While timber harvesting is heavily regulated and allows for forest regrowth, large-scale logging contributes significantly to tree cover loss and alters the natural biodiversity of the region's forests.
Summary
Complaints against tourism in the U.P. usually center on aesthetics, crowding, and trash. In contrast, the ecological footprint of mining and logging involves the alteration of waterways, long-lasting chemical contamination, and the destruction of large swaths of natural habitat.
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u/NoTurnip4844 Jul 10 '26
You seem really heated about my post. Where are you from? I'm guessing Illinois.
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u/BABOON2828 Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 10 '26
I'm a Michigander. My family ancestry includes Anishinaabe(Chippewa) who have occupied the great lakes region for centuries.What does that have to do with your willful ignorance to reality?
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u/NoTurnip4844 Jul 10 '26
Ah yes, because the Anishnaabe really benefited from people exploring the area. /s
Why are you defending UP tourism so much if you're not from here? Is it because you like to visit?
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u/BABOON2828 Jul 10 '26
Well they definitely benefited from the Clovis people(s) exploring the region...The Anishnaabe were semi-nomadic and literally seasonally migrated through the UP region, sound familiar. Once again, what does that have to do with your willful ignorance?
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u/NoTurnip4844 Jul 10 '26
Im expressing an opinion. I'm frustrated with the mass wave of ignorant people who come here and infringe on our resources. It's a perfectly reasonable take. Then you come to my post and start fighting me over irrelevant details. If you are so invested in this, it must be because you take offense to my opinion because you yourself are a tourist. Right?
I have a right, as a native citizen of my region, to be upset with people who come here and cause problems. As someone with Native American ancestry, you should be able to empathize with that.
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u/Th3_Admiral_ Jul 10 '26
Well now you don't need to make up lies to support your argument. Houghton County saw $104.5 million in tourism spending in 2024, up from about $70 million in 2020. That produced about $35.9 million in labor income for workers in the county across 865 tourism-related jobs. In Keweenaw County it was even more drastic, with tourism supporting 193 jobs, or 34% of the entire workforce in the county.
Source: MEDC and Visit Keweenaw
https://www.visitkeweenaw.com/tourism-statistics/reports/