Escarpment Trail in Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Michigan

© Pat & Chuck Blackley/Alam

Autumn comes to the Porcupines

Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, is considered one of the few remaining large wilderness areas in the Midwest. Visitors can follow the park's Escarpment Trail, seen here, up to striking viewpoints of popular attractions in the park, like Lake of the Clouds and the Upper Carp River Valley. And in autumn, when this photo was taken, hikers are treated to a kaleidoscope of foliage as the hardwood forest canopy alights with fall color.

Autumn—specifically the fourth Saturday in September—is also time for National Public Lands Day. Established in 1994, the observance was created by the National Environmental Education Foundation. The main goal of National Public Lands Day is to promote volunteering to help maintain our amazing protected public lands across the nation. It's also a free day for most national and state parks—including Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park.