There is a labor shortage in the food and beverage industry which has made it difficult for many restaurants to staff their operations adequately. For the Lodge and other businesses in the Keweenaw, this is labor shortage is magnified because of our remoteness (we are not in downtown Chicago; Copper Harbor is the furthest town from any US Interstate in the lower 48 states). On top of this, there is added pressure to ensure the health and safety of the staff and guests during the pandemic. As such, we have decided to scale back our hours of operation for dining services this summer (starting now, and will go through Labor day, September 6th).

We currently have approximately 30 team members on the resort team, while we should have 50-55 team members by the end of this month. We have had 20+ positions posted for the past 2-3 months. We filled some of them, however, many of the food and beverage positions remained unfilled to date.

We take our time in hiring as we work to find a good fit with applicants based upon the team core values. We are a strong team, and have spent the last 12 months working endlessly to keep operations going at the Lodge with a limited number of staff members. After running through the winter, the current food and beverage staff has been working extra hours to ensure quality food and service in our dining services.  We have received kudos for the quality of our products and services this past summer and winter with our guests.  And, we want to keep improving and providing better food and service in order to WOW our guests. 

To keep the focus on quality of the food and level of service high — and building our food niche: Rustic Worldly Food — while not stressing the team, we have made the decision to scale back.

The culinary experience is one of the three buckets that we focus on at the Lodge (with the other two buckets being the experience with the historical nature of the resort and the outdoor activities in the Keweenaw). We want to make the culinary experience something that is worth remembering — WOWing the guests. If the staff is tired and not enjoying their time when operating the food and beverage operations at full scale seven days a week, the quality of food and level of service will suffer. Thus, it is best to scale back for the entire summer, and provide an enjoyable experience for both the guests and the staff.

Updated of F&B Hours of Operation

Here are the updated hours of operation for the Little Cabin Cafe and the dining room.

Little Cabin Cafe

• Monday – Wednesday, 8am – 5pm (limited cafe menu)
• Thursday – Saturday, 8am – 9pm (full cafe menu)
• Sunday, 8am – 5pm (full cafe menu)

Little Cabin Cafe is counter-service, where you order from the cafe window and then can eat in the cafe area, the bar area, the front porch area, and outside. The Little Cabin Cafe menu is breakfast, appetizers, salads, and sandwiches / wraps.

Dining Room

• Thursday – Saturday, 4:30 – 9pm (dining room menu, reservations required)

The Dining Room is table-service, where you order from your table via servers, and where you will have the full dinner menu.

The main change is to the hours which we offer table-service, as table-service is more labor intensive. Table-service, which is in the dining room, will be Thursday-Saturday, 4:30 – 9pm, and will be reservation only. Since we are a destination resort with lodging, our lodging guests will have priority for with the reservations in the dining room.

You can find the current hours of operations for dining services at any time on our web site [ see the latest F&B hours operations ].

We will revisit this decision later in the summer to determine what changes we will make to our food and beverage hours. However, for planning purposes, guests should expect that this will be our hours through Labor Day (September 6th). 

On Tuesday the golf course maintenance crew ventured out on the golf course to survey the condition of the golf course. Bill, Karl, and Ron are now working through the schedule for the next 4 weeks to get the golf course ready to open on June 1st.

The crew is starting to clean the debris on the golf course, as we have fallen limbs from the snow and wind over the winter. Cleaning up the limbs and residual leaves are one of the main activities over the next several weeks. With the course being soggy after the snow melt and April rains, we are gingerly using equipment on the turf at this time.

Overall, the turf looks good for late April. The limited amount of snow (170 inches compared to the average of 250-280 inches) and the rains in April have allowed the grass to shine through earlier than normal. The grass has begun to green-up already. 

We do have an unusual amount of snow mold on the greens — probably caused by the freeze-thaw cycle we experienced in October-November-December before the snow-base accumulated. This caused moisture to be trapped under the snow.  We will spend the next month working on getting the turf ready. 

Yesterday, we did the first cut of the greens.

We are working towards a June 1st opening, giving the turf at least a month of grow-in for the greens, as well as the tees and fairways. Sun, warmer temperatures, and some rain will be helpful for the turf.

As well, yesterday we received two Tempo Walks from Club Car (via John Bissell, Midwest Turf and Golf). This is part of our initiative to promote outdoor activities and walking the golf course — going back to how the game of golf was started in Scotland, walking.

The Spring 2021 semester is coming to an end at Michigan Tech, and we would like to congratulate all those students that are finishing up their studies at a wonderful university.

!!! CONGRATULATIONS !!!

To celebrate with food, here are the entrees that we will be offering the week of graduation, April 28 – May 2, 2021.  

Our entire menu will be posted during the week of April 28th, as we have a revolving menu each week, with slight changes to keep things fresh. To understand our Rustic Worldly Food, you can see Past Week’s Menus. 

At Monday night’s Eagle Harbor Township Board meeting, the Board voted to send the pending application for the cell tower special use permit back to the Zoning Administrator for further review in order to ensure compliance with the Township’s Zoning Ordinance.

The application will then go to the Eagle Harbor Township Planning Commission for a new determination on whether to approve or deny, and the Board will then make its own determination to approve or deny the application and allow the tower to be built in the proposed location. It appears as though the Planning Commission will be holding a hearing on this determination on May 6, 2021 at 2:00pm.

The Lodge encourages members of the public to submit written comments to the Planning Commission and attend the meeting to voice their thoughts about the proposed tower during public comment. Additional information should be posted on this website as it becomes available:

• Planning Commission – Eagle Harbor Township (eagleharbortwp.org)

There was a very high amount of attendance, and written public comment, at the Board meeting this past Monday night. It was wonderful to hear the public becoming involved, expressing their opinions, and raising ideas about alternate options that could provide better cellular coverage in a less obtrusive way (falling in love with the problem in order to find a good solution).

It is important that the public continue to remain involved and to express their views at the May Planning Commission meeting. 

Additional details will be posted as they become available.

UPDATE, April 12, 2021:

The Eagle Harbor Township monthly board meeting is today, Monday, April 12th, at 7pm. At this meeting, the board will discuss the conditional use permit for the proposed cell tower (see meeting agenda).

It is encouraged that people attend the meeting in person or online (via Zoom) to voice their thoughts about the proposed location of the cell tower. The community’s voice can be heard at the beginning of the meeting when there will be an opportunity for public comment. Providing public comment before the board discusses the proposed cell tower later in the meeting provides the board members to have more information during their discussions about the conditional use permit.

[ Click here to attend via Zoom on Monday at 7pm EDT: Zoom Meeting link, meeting id: 738 312 0244, pwd: 321)

This first image shows what the Lodge may have to switch its logo to in the near future.  In case you have not heard, Diamond Towers V LLC (“Diamond”) is seeking to purchase property from TRG and build a 263-foot tall cell tower in the vicinity of the Lodge and Brockway Mountain. 

This second image is a simulated image of the proposed new AT&T cellular tower that Diamond is seeking to place on property it intends to buy from TRG Threshold Timber Michigan II, LLC, in the vicinity of the Lodge and Brockway Mountain.  This image was provided by Diamond as part of its conditional use permit application to Eagle Harbor Township. 

As can be seen, the proposed tower would have a significant impact on the historic, scenic viewsheds from the Lodge’s first hole, adjacent cabins, and drive.  Other viewsheds from the Lodge golf course holes would also be negatively impacted.  Additionally, the tower would have a white flashing strobe light during the daytime and a red flashing beacon at night.

a. The Special Land Use shall be designed, constructed, operated and maintained in a manner harmonious with the character of adjacent property and the surrounding area.

b. The Special Land Use shall not change the essential character of the surrounding area.

c. The Special Land Use shall not be detrimental to the health, safety or welfare of persons or property through the excessive production of traffic, noise, smoke, fumes, ground vibration, water runoff, odors, light, glare or other features of the proposed use.

The proposed cell tower does not meet any of these three standards.  The area of proposed placement for the tower is one filled with trees, unobstructed by other towers or high visual impacts.  The height of the tower and the required lighting at the top of the tower will negatively affect scenic views from the Lodge (as discussed above), as well as from Brockway Mountain.  The placement of the tower and its red flashing nighttime beacon has the potential to negatively affect any dark sky certification efforts made by the Lodge (see current application), Brockway Mountain, Eagle Harbor Township, Grant Township, or Keweenaw County.  The proposed placement of the tower would be on 40 acres that Diamond intends to purchase from TRG (the northeast quarter of the northeast quarter of Section 1, Township 58 North, Range 29 West, Eagle Harbor Township, Keweenaw County), which is a parcel included in Keweenaw County’s nomination for land acquisition by the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund.  That nomination, which seeks state acquisition of privately owned forestland at the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula near Copper Harbor for purposes of state ownership and development for recreational purposes, has received wide support from community members, and references the “spectacular” views of “Lake Superior, Keweenaw Bay, Copper Harbor, Copper Harbor Lighthouse, Manitou Island, Brockway Mountain, East Bluff, and vast expanses of forestland.”  The proposed tower will negatively affect those spectacular views.  The State Historical Preservation Office and Diamond’s consultant in the mandated Section 106 process have both confirmed their understanding that Brockway Mountain and the Lodge (which are both included on the National Register of Historic Places) would be adversely affected by the proposed tower placement.  The State Historical Preservation Office has stated in a communication to the FCC that, with regard to the Lodge, “it appears that the construction of the proposed tower at that location could result in the introduction of a visual element that diminishes the integrity of the property’s significant historical features.”

The lack of harmony with the adjacent property and surrounding area might be excused if the proposed tower was going to provide exceptional cell coverage.  The challenges with cell coverage in Copper Harbor should not be minimized.  However, maps showing proposed coverage (shown in the picture here) show only fair to marginal coverage in Copper Harbor.  The areas where the best coverage would be provided appear to be in areas that already have good coverage from another carrier (e.g. Verizon).  In short, the proposed location fails to resolve valid concerns about cell coverage in the Copper Harbor area.  Notably, because the tower would be located right near the border of the two townships, Eagle Harbor Township is responsible for making the decision on the granting of this conditional use permit, despite the fact that it would affect Copper Harbor and areas of Grant Township significantly.

[ These images with the before and after coverage maps were provided by Diamond within their application for the conditional use permit. ]

Notably, other possible locations exist that could have less of a visual impact and that potentially could have better coverage.  The Lodge previously began negotiations with Diamond for placement of a tower on Lodge property.  A tower of less than 200 feet (which therefore would not require lighting) was discussed, as Diamond indicated that the elevation at the Lodge would allow for a tower of such heigh.  The Lodge has expressed that it would happily explore the possibility of a tower placed on Lodge property as an alternative to the current proposed tower location.  Diamond’s consideration of alternative locations appears cursory at best.  In a letter to the State Historic Preservation Office, Diamond’s consultant, Ramaker & Associates, noted that alternative locations were not feasible for reasons such as the fact that many private landowners hold area land in the State’s Qualified Forest program and do not want to go through the process of having it removed for a sale.  This is despite the fact that Diamond’s purchase agreement with TRG for the proposed tower location has the property remaining in the Qualified Forest program as part of the sale.   Additionally, the fact that mineral rights are often reserved in sales of forestland in the area was raised as a challenge for finding a suitable property, as it could require that Diamond remove the tower in the future.  This is despite the fact that Diamond’s purchase agreement with TRG allows TRG to retain mineral rights.

It is extremely important that members of the public (whether an Eagle Harbor township resident, a Grant township resident, a former Lodge guest, a visitor to the Keweenaw, or otherwise) express their opinion on the proposed tower to the Board of Commissioners.  If the views from the Lodge or from Brockway Mountain are important to you or if you agree that the negatives to the proposed location outweigh the positives, you are encouraged to make your opinion known to the Eagle Harbor Township Board of Commissioners.  Written comments can be submitted to office@eagleharbortwp.org clerk@eagleharbortwp.org. in advance of the meeting. You can also make your opinion known during public comment during the Board of Commissioner’s meeting at the Eagle Harbor Township Hall on April 12^th.  The meeting begins at 7:00pm.  You have the option of attending in person or via Zoom.  Instructions for attending via Zoom can be found on Eagle Harbor Township’s website at www.eagleharbortwp.org (under the Board of Trustees page).  Please feel free to reach out the Lodge with any questions, concerns, or to discuss this important issue further.

[ The images above are simulated images that the Lodge has created based upon information that we have received from the current special use permit application process. These images reflect the approximate location (not an exact location) and estimated height of the tower (not an exact height). In addition, the style might be different based upon Diamond’s tower design and AT&T’s equipment on the tower. ]

Update: April 10, 2021

To understand what a cell tower with lights looks like at night 4-5 miles away from the Lodge, here is a night sky picture with the Lake Medora tower in it (the red light).

This picture was taken on Friday, April 9, 2021 on Hole 1 – white tees when taking pictures of the night sky. The Lake Medora tower is 4.5 miles from the first tee of the Lodge, and has a blinking red light on the top, and another red light in the middle of the tower.

The proposed tower would be on the right of this picture, a 1/2 mile away, and the height of the tree on the right. 

This weekend the 41st Great Bear Chase is being held in Calumet on the SwedeTown Trails. It is a wonderful cross-country skiing race that exhibits the winter wonderful of the Keweenaw.

Date: Saturday, March 13, 2021

We are one of the supporting partners of the event, as we believe in what the event stands for, and that it supports outdoor activities in the Kewenaw.

This weekend the 11th Copper Dog 150 is being held. Normally the race starts in Calumet, and runs through the Keweenaw peninsula up north to / from Copper Harbor. This year, the race is modified because of executive orders associated with health and safety. The start will be in Eagle Harbor on February 26th, and run to Copper Harbor. On Saturday ,February 27th, the race will be Copper Harbor to Copper Harbor. The last day will see the dogs and mushers run from Copper Harbor back to Eagle Harbor.

Dates: February 26-28, 2021

We are one of the supporting partners of the event, as we believe in what the event stands for, and that it supports outdoor activities in the Kewenaw.

Here at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge, we require minimum-night stays for lodging guests: a 2-night minimum.

To understand this reasoning, first understand: we are a historic resort in the wilderness, at the top of the Keweenaw — Copper Harbor, Michigan.

When we say historic, we were established in 1934 via a WPA / CCC initiative, and we are on the state and national historic registers. It takes time to get to know and feel the history and purpose of the Lodge.

We are not easy to get to, which is one of the draws for people to come up to the Keweenaw and stay at the resort. We are a far drive away from most everything in the continental USA. Copper Harbor, Michigan is the furthest town away from any US Interstate Highway in the continental United States. 

We are a lodging resort, with multiple outdoor activities and operations year-round. This includes biking, golfing, hiking, snow-shoeing, and cross-country skiing.

To check-in at 3pm or later, sleep several hours, and then check-out by 11am the next day (spending less than 24 hours) does not provide ample time to detox from technology and engulf yourself in the beautiful surroundings that the Keweenaw has to offer.

If you can only make it for one night in the Keweenaw, there are other establishments that can accommodate you. If you find yourself back in the Keweenaw with more time to enjoy and unwind, we would love to be able to share what makes the Keweenaw and the Lodge special.

Updated 2022-01-28: Changed from a 3-night minimum for the winter to be a 2-night minimum stay. This means that there is a 2-night minimum stay year-round.

This past fall, one of our staff members, Mariah Summers, took the Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC) course at Michigan Tech. The OEC course is required to become a member of the National Ski and Bike Patrol, and was held at a local ski hill, Mont Ripley — which is owned and operated by Michigan Tech. Mariah took the course in order to increase her knowledge and skills to be better prepared for accidents around the Lodge, Copper Harbor, and the Keweenaw. 

Mountain biking in Copper Harbor has grown significantly in recent years, as well as winter activities. These types of outdoor activities are full enjoyment, but also have a level of risk where accidents can happen. As such, having individuals certified to help in the case of an accident has become more important for Copper Harbor. Adding to the list of qualified people to help patrol the trails and ensure riders are staying safe while having fun improves the outdoor experience.

The OEC course was 14 weeks and taught the students how to manage and stabilize injured guests in an outdoor environment until they can be transported to a higher level of care. The class consisted of learned skills and scenarios where different injuries were simulated.

After completing the class, students are eligible to join the National Ski and Bike Patrol, under their local patrol. Note: The class is not a recognized level of EMS, however, students are trained to the level of First Responder. 

It will also be good to have qualified staff for winter outdoor activities. 

“Good News You Can Use from the
Keweenaw Mountain Lodge!”

Many exciting things are happening at the lodge.  We are getting our groomer ready for when the snow flies.  We’ll have cross country ski trails and snowshoe trails on the perimeter of the golf course and through the woods on our property, 10 kilometers of fun trails to ski and snowshoe on.

Lodging

We are currently taking reservations for cabins 1 through 14 for a three or four night stay. You can either call us at 906-289-4403 or go online to make a reservation:

Remember that cabin 2 has the jacuzzi tub and our guests love it especially during the winter months!  All of our cabins have fireplaces to enjoy!

Black Friday Sale on
Winter Lodging Reservations

Call on Friday, November 27th, and book your winter lodging reservations at 20% off. Phone 906-289-4403, ext 1. Restrictions apply.

Black Friday Sales at the
Lodge Life Shop

November 27th is Black Friday and the Lodge Life Shop will be featuring a number of popular items on sale that day – KML Flannel jackets & shirts, crewneck sweatshirt, hoodies, our new KML beanie from Dead Miners Company,  KML ceramic mugs, pint and wine glasses, KML recycled tire coasters and Sew UP Dog Bandanas. You can stop in and say “hi”, shop and enjoy some hot chocolate or order your favorite items online.

Dining Services Re-opening December 3rd

 

Take-out food service will reopen on December 3rd.  We will have take-out only from December 3rd – 6th, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.  Dine-in services will reopen on Thursday, December 10th. Breakfast will be served from 8:00 am to 11:30 am and dinner will be served from 5:30 to 9:00 pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Breakfast will be served from 8:00 am to 11:30 am on Sunday. The counter-service from the Little Cabin Cafe will be open to provide service to guests from 8am – 5pm (with a break in-between 11:30am and 12pm).
 

[ More Dining Information ]

 

Please note that we will be following executive orders from the governor and health department for both dining in and take-out.