Whitefish Bay National Forest Scenic Byway

File:Point Iroquois Lighthouse boardwalk.jpg

The byway starts at an intersection with M-123 south of Paradise in the Hiawatha National Forest where it runs eastward along Lake Superior Shoreline Road through birch forests. The roadway runs parallel to the North Country Trail, a hiking trail that spans several northern U.S. states; the trail crosses the road near Naomikong Creek.{{cite book |author= National Geographic Society |author-link= National Geographic Society |year= 2001 |title= Guide to Scenic Highways and Byways |edition= 2nd |location= Washington, DC |publisher= National Geographic Society Book Division |pages= 121–122 |isbn= 0-7922-7468-7 |oclc= 45648102 |url= https://archive.org/details/nationalgeograph0000unse_r0d6/page/121 |url-access = registration |access-date = December 18, 2019 |via = Archive.org }} After about {{convert|3|mi|km|spell=in}}, the road comes to the shores of Tahquamenon Bay, part of the larger Whitefish Bay. The byway follows the shoreline running near sandy beaches at the edge of the forest. Near Naomikong Point, the roadway turns inland for about {{convert|3|mi|km|spell=in}}. Along this section, Lake Superior Shoreline Road, which bears the FFH 3150 designation, ends at the intersection with Lakeshore Road. East of here, the byway transitions from FFH 3150 to follow FFH 42 easterly. FFH 42 runs along the shoreline providing access to two campgrounds at Monocle Lake and Bay View as well as picnic areas. The road also provides access to the Point Iroquois Lighthouse which is open for tours. The lighthouse was built in 1870 and offers visitors a view of the Canadian shore at the top of its spiral staircase.{{cite book |editor-last=Booth |editor-first= Barbara |title= The Most Scenic Drives in America |edition= Revised |location= Pleasantville, New York |publisher= Reader's Digest |year= 2005 |page= 213 |isbn= 0-7621-0580-1 |oclc= 55960878}} After passing through the Point Iroquois area, FFH 42 turns southward to follow the shore line on Iroquois Road, terminating at the national forest boundary west of Brimley.{{cite web |author= Roundabout Publications |year= 2011 |title= Whitefish Bay Scenic Byway |url= http://www.scenicdrivesusa.com/node/100 |work= Scenic Drives USA |publisher= Roundabout Publications |access-date= April 9, 2012}}{{google maps |url= https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=M-123+S%2FWhite+Fish+Rd&daddr=W+Lakeshore+Dr&hl=en&sll=46.442825,-84.823551&sspn=0.11403,0.116558&geocode=FURTxQIddHbt-g%3BFTnjxAIdZeL0-g&oq=Paradis&mra=ls&t=h&z=10 |title= Overview Map of the Whitefish Bay Scenic Byway |access-date= April 9, 2012}} The FFH 42 number is not signed along the roadway.{{cite MDOT map |year= 2011 |section= C10 }}

Image:Whitefish Bay National Forest Scenic Byway.jpg

The roadway is part of the Forest Highway System that is funded and administered by the USFS and the Federal Highway Administration;{{cite web |url=http://flh.fhwa.dot.gov/programs/plh/fh/documents/fh.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090320045129/http://flh.fhwa.dot.gov/programs/plh/fh/documents/fh.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 20, 2009 |title=Forest Highways Fact Sheet |author=Office of Federal Lands Highway |publisher= Federal Highway Administration |date= |access-date=July 28, 2010 |format=PDF}} the system was created by the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1921.{{cite web |url=http://flh.fhwa.dot.gov/programs/plh/fh/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090320040354/http://flh.fhwa.dot.gov/programs/plh/fh/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 20, 2009 |title=Forest Highways |author= Office of Federal Lands Highway |publisher= Federal Highway Administration |date= December 18, 2009 |access-date=July 28, 2010}} An earthen roadway was present through the area by 1936.{{cite MDOT map |date= 1936-06-01 |link= yes |c-link= yes |section= C10 }} In the beginning of 1937, the easternmost section around Point Iroquois was improved to a gravel road.{{cite MDOT map |date= 1936-12-15 |section=C10 }}{{cite MDOT map |date= 1937-05-15 |section= C10 }} Two years later, the westernmost section from Naomikong Point to the junction with M-123 was improved to gravel.{{cite MDOT map |date= 1938-12-01 |section= C10 }}{{cite MDOT map |date= 1939-04-15 |section= C10 }} The entire road surface was improved to gravel by 1945.{{cite MDOT map |date= 1945-10-01 |section= C10 }} Paving started on the road in the mid-1950s on the eastern end.{{cite MDOT map |date= 1954-10-01 |section=C10 }}{{cite MDOT map |date= 1955-04-15 |section= C10}}

The section through the Naomikong Point area was built starting in 1967 by the Michigan State Highway Department under contract to the USFS. The road, at the time, was intended to be part of a longer scenic highway that would connect a proposed lakeshore road through the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore with roads running along Whitefish Bay and the St. Marys River south of Sault Ste. Marie.{{cite news |title= Lake Superior Scenic Road Construction Scheduled |work= The Mining Journal |location= Marquette, Michigan |page= 3 |date= February 27, 1967 |issn= 0898-4964 |oclc= 9729223}} The western end was realigned and paved in the late 1970s, moving the roadway closer to Tahquamenon Bay west of Naomikong Point. The former roadway was removed in the process.{{cite MDOT map |year= 1977 |link= yes |section= C10}}{{cite MDOT map |year= 1978 |section= C10 }} The last section was paved in 1987 between the two paved sections at Naomikong and Iroquois points.{{cite MDOT map |year= 1987 |section= C10 }}

{{cite MDOT map |year= 1988 |section= C10 }} The National Forest Scenic Byway designation was granted on February 8, 1989. The roadway is maintained by the CCRC along with the USFS.

{{MIinttop|county=Chippewa|ref=|type=byway}}

{{MIint

|location=Whitefish Township

|mile=0.000

|road={{jct|state=MI|M|123|Tour|LSCT}}

|notes=Western terminus}}

{{MIint

|location=Bay Mills Township

|lspan=2

|mile=9.500

|road={{jct|state=MI|FFH|42|nolink1=yes}}

|notes=Byway transitions from FFH 3150 to FFH 42}}

{{MIint

|mile=27.138

|road=Lakeshore Drive

|notes=Eastern terminus at national forest boundary}}

{{jctbtm}}

{{portal|Michigan Highways}}

• Black River National Forest Scenic Byway, the other National Forest Scenic Byway in the Upper Peninsula
• River Road National Scenic Byway, another National Forest Scenic Byway in Michigan

{{Clear}}

{{Reflist}}

{{commons category|Whitefish Bay National Forest Scenic Byway}}

{{Attached KML|display=inline, title}}

• [http://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/!ut/p/c5/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gDfxMDT8MwRydLA1cj72BTn0AjAwgAykeaxcN4jhYG_h4eYX5hPgYwefy6w0H24dcPNgEHcDTQ9_PIz03VL8iNMMgycVQEADoWIdk!/dl3/d3/L2dJQSEvUUt3QS9ZQnZ3LzZfME80MEkxVkFCOTBFMktTNUJIMjAwMDAwMDA!/?ss=110910&navtype=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&cid=FSE_003741&navid=110000000000000&pnavid=null&position=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&recid=18187&ttype=recarea&name=Whitefish%2520Bay%2520National%2520Forest%2520Scenic%2520Byway&pname=Hiawatha%2520National%2520Forest%2520-%2520Whitefish%2520Bay%2520National%2520Forest%2520Scenic%2520Byway Whitefish Bay National Forest Scenic Byway] at the US Forest Service
• [http://byways.org/explore/byways/10782 Whitefish Scenic Byway] at America's Byways (Federal Highway Administration)
• [http://www.michiganhighways.org/other/forest_highways.html Forest Highways] at Michigan Highways

{{good article}}

Category:County roads in Michigan

Category:Forest Highways in the United States

Category:National Forest Scenic Byways

Category:Hiawatha National Forest

Category:Scenic highways in Michigan

Category:Transportation in Chippewa County, Michigan