Upper Peninsula Ambassadors:
Nathan Miller
Favorite UP spot: The Ottawa National Forest's Trap Hills. Best explored via the North Country Trail!
Favorite activity: Bushwhacking to new places!
Favorite memory: Any adventure that includes digging into rarely or never visited sites is a favorite of mine. Whether that includes paddling down untouched tiny rivers, winter camping on cliff edges, or discovering waterfalls that aren't on ANY map, adventures into the unknown rule.
Website: www.nathaninvincible.com
Bio: I'm Nathan Miller, aka Nathan Invincible. I've been living in the Keweenaw since 2006. When I'm not helping to develop the epic mountain biking trails in Copper Harbor, I'm out adventuring across the Western U.P. From camping in -19°F winter temps to paddling the wildest lakes, I'm up for just about anything. My focus is non-motorized travel, often combined in goofy ways to make for challenging multi-modal trips. Road biking in XC ski boots? Sure, why not! I'm an avid semi-pro photographer and love capturing the U.P.'s hidden, rugged beauty.
Joshua Haertel
Favorite UP spot: It is difficult to pick a specific location within the Upper Peninsula to call my favorite. I am a sucker for waterfalls and lighthouses, which were my go to locations I would frequent when I would travel up for vacations. Keweenaw Peninsula will always be a frequent location for me, but nevertheless, Marquette County alone has a bountiful amount of sights to be seen!
Favorite activity: My favorite activity would definitely be hiking with Ember! She is a very energetic doggo and LOVES to run, which works out perfectly. When we hike, I love being able to feel peacefulness, relaxation, and as if all cares are gone. Being able to take in the sights, smells, and feels of Lake Superior, the forest, the crisp air is something I truly cherish. I will say, you will find me in the Winter with a snowboard strapped to my back while I find that perfect backcountry landscape to carve!
IG: @jhnfcknglennon
Bio: My name is Joshua Haertel, and I'm proud to live in Marquette, Michigan. I recently moved up to Marquette this past spring for work as a Paramedic. Aside from my full time work, I have been a hobby photographer for a few years now and love to share my experiences and adventures. Alongside me throughout my adventures is my dog Ember, who is a five year old Red Heeler.
Marco Brugnoli
Favorite UP spot: Do I have to choose just one spot?! All the places I’ve been offer a unique experience I haven’t found anywhere else. I’ve watched freighters in the Soo, played in waterfalls at Tahquamenon, biked the hilly and winding roads of the Keweenaw, watching the sunsets over Indian Lake, and consumed more pasties than I can shake a stick at. Luckily my home has wheels!
Favorite activity: I love anything and everything to do with cycling! I’m trying my best to SUP, but really bad at the whole “stand up” part. One day. One day. If I have some time to burn in the evening, I’ll grab my fishing pole and cast a line!
Favorite memory: As a native Floridian, I crossed the Mackinac Bridge for the first time only a few years ago and instantly fell in love. Since that day I haven’t been able to stop coming back.
Website: www.marcobrugnoli.com
IG: @marcobrugnoli
TikTok: @marco.brugnoli
Bio: Hi! I’m Marco! A professional photographer who turned my passion for travel into an amazing life by hitting the road to full-time RV!
Ruffa Villota
Favorite UP spot: Anywhere you can see the lake! Speciffically Presque Isle and Little Presque Isle.
Favorite activity:
Winter: xc skiing, droning pancake ice, and strategically planning how to shovel my driveway.
Spring/Summer: biking down the Iron Ore Heritage Trail and Lakeshore drive. Overall just enjoying the 3 months of "warm" weather we have UP here and all the local food trucks!
Fall: hiking everywhere and admiring the colorful trees!
Favorite memory: Too many! Lower Harbor completely froze over one winter. The ice was thick enough so that you could walk and ice-skate on it! It was a giant ice rink! A Lake Superior ice-rink! The entire town was there. It was insane!
IG: @ruffa_violet
Bio: My journey as a photographer began with my day job as a pharmacist from metro-Detroit. As a float pharmacist, work would send me to different cities across Michigan. After I clock out from work, I would always bring my DSLR camera with me to document my trips/hikes. My pharmacy career has brought me to the Upper Peninsula in 2018. Falling in love with the scene
Levi Montilla
Favorite UP spot: Definitely the Superior trail along the lake in Porcupine Mountains! The constant crashing of the waves creates this almost magically silent white noise that makes you feel like you're at the edge of the earth. My favorite campsite is along this trail and it just has this prehistoric feeling that brings you back in time!
Favorite activity: Backpacking with my camera... I probably end up taking too many pictures through my hikes but it allows me to revisit my trips thoroughly when I'm stuck at home!
Favorite memory: I was on the last day of a solo backpacking trip in the Porcupine Mountains at one of the cliffside campsites along the Escarpment Trail. I had just been relaxing and meditating close to the edge of the mountain side enjoying the view when I heard a slight inconsistent rustle in the overgrowth close to camp - upon investigation it turned out I had little visitor - an actual porcupine!
Website: https://500px.com/p/lmontill
IG: @acidwashed501s
Bio: Chicago native but I make my way into the wilderness at every opportunity that I can get, and I always try to bring my friends along to share the experience! In the past few years I've recently discovered the UP and have absolutely fallen in love - easily the best place to get some outdoor action in the Midwest. I've been a career bartender for over twelve years but currently in grad school doing a complete career change while also developing my side passion for photography. Being out in the wilderness with a camera is my all time happy place - capturing the beauty of the natural world and having the opportunity to bring that to others is incredibly rewarding!
Ana Easlick
Favorite UP spot: It is so hard to pick a favorite place in the UP because I love it all! But I often find myself in the Marquette area I think it is a great HQ and starting point to anywhere in the UP. I also love the parks and trails nearby, and you can often find me exploring the NTN year-round. Bond Falls, Lake of the Clouds, Fayette and Kitch-iti-Kipi are also places I never tire of returning to.
Favorite activity: My favorite activities in the UP are chasing waterfalls in the summer and cross-country skiing in the winter.
Favorite memory: I’m a nature lover and naturally, the UP to me in Paradise-On-Earth. I remember my very first visit to the UP: it was a visit to Sault Ste Marie. We visited the Soo Locks, walked around Portage Avenue and had white fish for dinner! From day one, I fell in love with the UP, the culture, the nature and have returned every year -- even in the winter! My favorite memories are my first full dive into Lake Superior at Sand Point Beach and finding my first Yooperlite.
Website: https://linktr.ee/michigantravelist
Bio: I was born and raised in Brazil and moved to Michigan in the year 2000. I became an American citizen in 2005. When I first arrived in Michigan, I didn't know much about it but I soon fell in love with the state's natural resources, parks and culture. I often tell my friends that Michigan is the United States’ “best kept secret”. We truly have it all here: beaches, woods, waterfalls, dunes, mountains, four seasons, amazing food, wineries, breweries, distilleries, artisans, entrepreneurs, etc.
Samantha Bohon
Favorite activity: My favorite thing to do in the UP is definitely camping. The UP has so many great campgrounds and it is often hard to choose!
Favorite UP spot: My favorite place also happens to be a campground, the Two Hearted River State Forest Campground.
Favorite memory: My favorite UP memory was seeing the Northern Lights for the very first time. It was magic.
IG: @sbohon1
Michelle Lutke & Brett Biggers
Bio: After years of visiting the Upper Peninsula together, we finally made our dreams come true this year when we moved to the Western UP. Most of our days are spent hiking, exploring and photographing this beautiful place. We love everything from the well-known popular places, to the true hidden gems that most people will never see.
Favorite activity: Hiking! We are out hiking almost every day with our dog Sisu.
Favorite UP spot: The Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park is our favorite place to go hiking. There are endless waterfalls and trails to explore in this area, and some of the best views in the state.
Favorite memory: Watching the Northern Lights dance over Lake of the Clouds in the Porcupine Mountains this past March. It was something we'd been dreaming about seeing and photographing since we moved here, and it was such a once in a lifetime amazing experience!
IG: @wandering_michigan @be_bigg_photography
Jared & Sam Allen
Bio: We are Jared and Sam Allen! We like to consider ourselves full-time adventurers, creatives, and doing our best to make our dreams a reality. In 2023, we sold our home for a 1998 Class A motorhome and have been traveling the U.S. full-time with our two cats, Henry & George, ever since. We are born and raised Michiganders and have traveled to the UP since we could walk. We take a trip across the bridge every year (yes - unfortunately we are trolls), sometimes multiple times a year, to enjoy all the UP has to offer. Of all the places we have been, the UP is by far one of our favorite places on the planet!
Favorite activity: Making memories with friends and family while exploring the wilderness of the UP! And of course, taking many pictures along the way. We don’t mind wandering into a brewery after a long day of hiking either.
Favorite UP spot: This is a hard question! We love finding tucked-away waterfalls in the western UP or hiking along the lakeshore by Pictured Rocks. We’ve spent a lot of time exploring Marquette and the surrounding area too! Some spots we tell everyone about include Dead River Falls, Brockway Mountain (at sunset!), Lake of the Clouds, Canyon Falls, Fayette Historic Park, and Presque Isle Park. The list continues to grow.
Favorite memory: Too many to choose from. Like getting engaged on the pier in Presque Isle Park. Or watching the red Buck Moon rise over Torch Lake as fireworks framed the view over the water. Or jumping from Picture Rocks into a cold, but refreshing Lake Superior. Or when all of us friends make time every year to meet up at a cabin in Newberry to make new memories, some of them not always easily remembered. The UP is a place that always seems to call us back. In the words of Sam’s Dad, “Every mile is a smile when you’re in the UP.”
TikTok: @kinoftooks
Instagram: @kinoftooks
Sam's Photography: @sam_one_eggroll
Jared's Photography: @jared_a_/
Cody McClellan
Bio: Howdy! I'm Cody, coffee driven adventure & lifestyle photographer based in Michigan's beautiful upper peninsula. After discovering photography and content creation in 2018, I have been sharing adventures and telling stories featuring the great outdoors.
Favorite activity: Sunset swims in Lake Superior
Favorite UP spot: Presque Isle, Marquette Michigan
Favorite memory: Collaborating, taking photos and learning from my good friend Elliot who inspired my creative journey and helped me through some difficult times. We photographed some epic Lake Superior surf action in Autumn of 2023!
TikTok: @themcclellanjacobcody
Instagram: @themcclellanjacobcody
Website: tmjcmedia.com
