Northern Lights Photography Workshop
2026-10-10 19:00 - 21:00, 2026-11-07 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Detroit) | MI
About the Workshop
The purpose of this workshop is to educate people on how to capture the beauty of the northern lights and the night sky on camera. Topics being covered include equipment needed, camera settings, and the best locations for viewing. These workshops will start out with a PowerPoint presentation (in the conference room), and then we will go outside for hands-on experience — taking pictures of the night time sky (hopefully northern lights) around the Lodge property (weather depending). With the information garnered from the workshop, it will make stargazing more enjoyable.
Please bring your camera, a tripod, a red flashlight, warm clothing, and a great attitude.
Price
Free for Lodge guests, $75 for non-Lodge guests.
Reservations are required. Space is limited, so you will want to register early to reserve your spot. To reserve your spot, please call (906-289-4403 ext 4) or email outdoor-activities@keweenawresort.com.
Location
Meet in the Class Room at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge at 7:15pm, and the session will last about 2 hours.
About the Instructor: Nate Bett
Nathan Bett is a photographer and educator in Hancock Michigan. Although originally from Marquette, Michigan, Nathan recently relocated to Hancock from New York City, where he taught at the City University Of New York, and represented a major camera manufacturer as a technical specialist in photography. He now spends his time indulging in the over abundance of natural beauty in his native UP and spending excesses of time outdoors with his family. Nathan maintains a passion for photography and the outdoors that he delights in sharing with students. His work can be viewed at nathanbett.com and @natebett and @artmonstermedia on Instagram.

Last Day of the 2026 Season for the Golf Course
2026-10-15

Full Moon (Hunters) – October 2026
2026-10-26

Lights Out!
2026-11-06 - 2026-11-12, 2026-12-04 - 2026-12-10

New Moon – November 2026
2026-11-09

Lodge Closed – Staff Holiday
2026-11-15 - 2026-12-13
The Lodge is closed for a staff holiday / break. Only employees are allowed on property during this time period.

Full Moon (Beaver) – November 2026
2026-11-24

New Moon – December 2026
2026-12-08

Full Moon (Cold) – December 2026
2026-12-23

2027 Upper Peninsula Dark Sky Festival
2027-04-08 15:00 - 2027-04-10 23:30
[ Purchase Tickets ]
Limit: 50 tickets
Last day to purchase tickets: March 31st

The Keweenaw Mountain Lodge, the headquarters for the Keweenaw Dark Sky Park, is hosting its fourth annual event around International Dark Sky Week: The Upper Peninsula Dark Sky Festival. DarkSky International (formerly known as, the International Dark-Sky Association) encourages people worldwide to discover the night during International Dark Sky Week. This annual week-long event aims to raise awareness about the negative impacts of light pollution, the solutions that exist and simultaneously celebrate the night.
The 2027 event will be held over April 8th, 9th, and 10th, and provides three days / nights of learning. Events and workshops will be hosted at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge, headquarters for the Keweenaw Dark Sky Park.
The event is intended for all ages of dark sky enthusiasts. The evening event on Thursday allows guests to check into their accommodations, have a meal and then take in the presentation. Friday and Saturday’s events in the afternoon allow guests to have a morning adventure and an afternoon and evening of learning.
[ more info to be provided at a later date ]

Schedule, Speakers, and Topics
The schedule will be provided as we get closer to the dates of the schedule.
In the meantime, you can view the schedule of the previous years to get an idea of the schedule, speakers, and topics.
Confirmed speakers for this year (last updated 2026-08-15): Nate Bett, Todd Burlet, Dave Falkner, Amber Harrison, “Astro” Bob King, Robert Nemiroff, Stephanie Vermillion, Jamie Westfall

Location
The festival will be held at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge, the headquarters of the Keweenaw Dark Sky Park.
Keweenaw Mountain Lodge
14252 US Hwy 41
Copper Harbor, Michigan 49918

Price
Tickets for the festival are $250 / person + tax. Tickets include admission to all presentations and the lunch on Friday and Saturday. A maximum of 50 tickets will be sold. The last day to purchase tickets is March 31st, 2027.
[ Purchase Tickets ]

Rustic and Worldly Lunches
Each ticket to the festival includes two rustic worldly lunches; one on Friday and one on Saturday. When purchasing your ticket please state if you prefer the lunch with meat or the vegetarian option. Please note that there are no substitutions, and the menu is subject to change as we get closer to the event based upon access to ingredients.
Rustic Worldly Lunch during the 2024 Upper Peninsula Dark Sky Festival
[ more info to be provided at a later date ]

Lodging
The dark sky park is in a remote area, so it is important for you to plan where you are going to stay before traveling. The following options are available for lodging in the area:

Aqua Cabins at Mt. Bohemia (Lac La Belle)
Brockway Inn (Copper Harbor)
Da Beach Cabin (Lac La Belle)
Dapple-Gray Bed & Breakfast (Copper Harbor)
Eagle Harbor Inn (Eagle Harbor)
Fitzgerald’s (Eagle River)
Keweenaw Mountain Lodge (host)
Mariner North (Copper Harbor)
Trails End Campground (Copper Harbor)

[ to see more Lodging options, go to Visit Keweenaw ]
Note about staying in a cabin at the Lodge: To stay in a cabin at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge during the dark sky festival, you will need to purchase your festival ticket first, and then email or call the front desk at the Lodge to make a cabin reservation. This is done as only festibval attendees are allowed on the property during the dark sky festival — and we want to ensure that only festival attendees are staying in the cabins. As well, the Lodge is closed during the month of April — except for the dark sky festival.

Food
The Keweenaw Mountain Lodge / Keweenaw Dark Sky Park is in a remote area, so it is important for you to plan where you are going to eat before traveling. The following options are available for food in the area:

Eagle Harbor Inn (Eagle Harbor)
Fitzgerald’s (Eagle River)
Glacia Tavern (Mohawk)
Keweenaw Mountain Lodge (host) – see the Lodge’s dinner options during the festival (which you reserve in advance, pay for separate from the tickets)
Mariner North (Copper Harbor)

[ Purchase Tickets ]
Limit: 50 tickets | $250 per ticket + tax

Past Instances of the Event

2026 Upper Peninsula Dark Sky Festival (April 16-18, 2026)
2025 Upper Peninsula Dark Sky Festival (April 24-26, 2025)
2024 Upper Peninsula Dark Sky Festival (April 11-13, 2024)
2023 Upper Peninsula Dark Sky Festival (April 21-22, 2023)

Back 9 Endurance Race
2027-05-29 08:00 - 2027-05-30 08:00

Front 9 Endurance Golf
2027-06-21 06:00 - 22:00
Front 9 Endurance Golf
Join us for the Longest Day of Golf in the Keweenaw!
Limit: 24 tickets
Last day to purchase tickets: June 19th

The Front 9 Endurance Golf is a one day event held on the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge golf course. It is connected to the celestial event of the summer solstice, which marks the official start of astronomical summer and the longest day of the year. This event also celebrates the anniversary of when the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge was designated an International Dark Sky Park.
The Keweenaw Mountain Lodge is a hickory-only, walking-only golf course. As such, this is a hickory-only and walking-only event: all players must walk the course and must play with hickory clubs.
Do not own hickory clubs? KML rents hickory sets (right- and left-handed) — reserve ahead, as sets are limited.

Rules/Guidelines:

The golf course is open from 6:00am to 10:00pm.
Maximum of 24 golfers allowed.
Golfers must make their first tee time. Tee times are 20 minutes apart. The KML team has the right to group golfers together.
Golfers can play unlimited rounds.
Golfers must play with hickory clubs — period or reproduction hickory-shafted clubs
Golfers must walk the course.
Golfers are allowed to take breaks then continue play.
Only complete 9 hole rounds of golf will count.
Only participants of the event are allowed to play golf that day.
Recognition for the golfer who plays the most rounds – medal.

Rules during play:

USGA rules apply
Players can tee off from any tee box
All Holes must be putted out – no gimmes
Players are allowed to pick-clean-and-place, within one scorecard length
Let faster players play through

Price
Tickets for the festival are $75 / person + tax. A maximum of 24 tickets will be sold. The last day to purchase tickets is June 19, 2027. No refunds.

[ Purchase Tickets ]
To request to purchase a ticket, send us an email to John Mueller.
