Curwood Mountain LbNA #61390
Contact
Map
Nearby Boxes
Add Note
Add Location| Owner: | Prince Igor
 |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | Apr 7, 2012 |
| Location: | |
| City: | L'Anse |
| County: | Baraga |
| State: | Michigan |
| Boxes: | 1 |
| Found by: | Prince Igor |
|---|---|
| Last found: | Jun 19, 2013 |
| Status: | Oa |
| Last edited: | Aug 27, 2019 |
Until 1982, Mt Curwood was the highest point in Michigan. In 1982, a resurvey showed that neighboring Mt Arvon was higher, and still is today. But only by one foot.
Mt. Curwood was named after James Curwood, a prolific writer in the earlier 1900’s. He used to write adventure stories of life in the wilderness with several of his books have been turned into movies. He used to live in a camp out in the Huron mountains of Michigan as well as cabin in Roscommon, MI.
His writing studio was in Owosso, MI, and it's still there today. He built his studio in the style of a 18th century French chateau and it named Curwood Castle. Note that I have planted a letterbox by Curwood Castle. I've actually replanted a few because they keep disappearing.
I’m classifying this as an extreme letterbox because it’s almost essential that a 4 wheel drive vehicle or ATV be used to get to Curwood Mountain, especially the last 2-3 miles. You could probably take a regular family car, but only if you don't like it anymore. Unlike Mt Arvon which has blue signs showing you the way, there is nothing to direct you to the summit of Mt. Curwood. For the last couple of miles, you are driving on unimproved, unmarked logging roads. Extremely rough and water covered. You should have GPS and logging maps. The directions listed here are by someone who drove to the top and they are the directions that I used, but I was still not sure where to drive near the end. But I got there, somehow.
UPDATE: 8/22/19
After visiting the Travel Association in L'Anse, I found out that some Highpointers went to the top of Mt.Curwood using a Jeep with oversize tires. They took my directions and added to it the mile markers when using a Jeep. Below are both sets of mile markers.
Also, in 2018, someone marked the road with blue markers. It's unknown if those blue markers are still there.
I did not have a chance to check on this new set of direction nor check on the condition of the letterbox. As far as I know, the box is still there. No one has found it yet nor reported it missing.
CLUES
****Modified driving directions****
Updated 8/22/13
Jeep Orig
0.0 - 0.0 Start at Travel Association
0.5 - 0.6 Turn left (east) on Dynamite Hill Road
3.5 - 4.1 Fork in the road, street sign on the left. Arvon Rd. goes left, Silver Rd. goes right. I'ts actually Indian River Rd. Go right onto Silver Rd.
5.0 - 5.9 Fork in the road. Go straight on Silver Road. Indian River Road goes right.
5.5 - 6.5 Cross Silver River Bridge
5.9 - 6.9 Greenhouses on left. Might also be called Keweenaw Flower Shop.
6.4 - 7.6 Fork in road. Go straight on the road that has a sign that says “Caution. Heavy Truck Traffic”. Unnamed road goes left.
6.9 - 8.1 Go straight. Pass road on the right. Road on the right has orange/red planks across the road that says “Camp road”.
7.0 - 8.3 Go left. A grassy road goes straight.
9.0 - 10.6 Go straight. Two track road on the right
9.2 - 10.9 Veer right
9.6 - 11.2 Turn right. Once you turn right, almost immediately there is a wooden, one land bridge that you go over.
10.0 - 11.7 Veer left. Road on the right.
10.0 - 11.8 Y in the road. Go right.
10.3 - 12.1 Veer left. There’s a grassy road to the right with a berm.
10.4 - 12.3 Go over a poor condition culvert – washout possible
10.5 - 12.4 Go straight. Do not turn left.
10.7 - 12.5 Veer left. Grassy road to the right.
10.8 - 12.8 Turn right. Two track road on left. Once you turn right, within 50 feet there is a small, narrow one lane bridge that you go over.
10.9 - 12.9 Go left, stay on gravel road, Grassy road on right.
11.0 - 13.1 Go left, stay on gravel road, Grassy road on right.
11.2 - 13.4 Veer left, Road going to the right.
11.3 - 13.6 Y in road, go left.
11.7 - 14.3 Veer left. Grassy road to the right.
12.4 - 15.0 UPDATE: From what I heard (not confirmed), the road to the left is closed. You can only go straight. Do not take the road on the right. (Old direction: Come to an intersection with 3 roads. New road on left. Road on the right is hard to see. Move up and veer to the right and you will immediately see the road to the right. Take the center road.)
12.7 - 15.2 Wetlands – washout possible.
12.8 - 15.3 Go right, not left. You will drive through several mudholes and over a few stone outcroppings.
13.2 - 15.9 Come to a fork. There’s a “For Sale” sign which points to the right. Do not turn right. Go straight.
13.3 - 16.0 Summit. Road ahead blocked by a cable. There’s a snow fence here as well as a broken For Sale sign. Park here and take the foot trail on the left to the summit.
Walking directions.
Go left (north) on small trail. Walk about 100 yards to the summit.
At the summit, there will be a Geological Marker, a cairn, and a log book for reaching the summit.
The marker is in concrete slightly above ground.
From the marker, go 54 steps due north.
(NOTE: if you do not have a compass, do the following:
On the marker are the words “MT CURWOOD”. Make it an arrow by having the “M” be the tail and the “D” be the arrowhead. It’s now pointing the way)
You will come across a large boulder and on the north side of it will be a SPOR.
The letterbox is in the SPOR
Mt. Curwood was named after James Curwood, a prolific writer in the earlier 1900’s. He used to write adventure stories of life in the wilderness with several of his books have been turned into movies. He used to live in a camp out in the Huron mountains of Michigan as well as cabin in Roscommon, MI.
His writing studio was in Owosso, MI, and it's still there today. He built his studio in the style of a 18th century French chateau and it named Curwood Castle. Note that I have planted a letterbox by Curwood Castle. I've actually replanted a few because they keep disappearing.
I’m classifying this as an extreme letterbox because it’s almost essential that a 4 wheel drive vehicle or ATV be used to get to Curwood Mountain, especially the last 2-3 miles. You could probably take a regular family car, but only if you don't like it anymore. Unlike Mt Arvon which has blue signs showing you the way, there is nothing to direct you to the summit of Mt. Curwood. For the last couple of miles, you are driving on unimproved, unmarked logging roads. Extremely rough and water covered. You should have GPS and logging maps. The directions listed here are by someone who drove to the top and they are the directions that I used, but I was still not sure where to drive near the end. But I got there, somehow.
UPDATE: 8/22/19
After visiting the Travel Association in L'Anse, I found out that some Highpointers went to the top of Mt.Curwood using a Jeep with oversize tires. They took my directions and added to it the mile markers when using a Jeep. Below are both sets of mile markers.
Also, in 2018, someone marked the road with blue markers. It's unknown if those blue markers are still there.
I did not have a chance to check on this new set of direction nor check on the condition of the letterbox. As far as I know, the box is still there. No one has found it yet nor reported it missing.
CLUES
****Modified driving directions****
Updated 8/22/13
Jeep Orig
0.0 - 0.0 Start at Travel Association
0.5 - 0.6 Turn left (east) on Dynamite Hill Road
3.5 - 4.1 Fork in the road, street sign on the left. Arvon Rd. goes left, Silver Rd. goes right. I'ts actually Indian River Rd. Go right onto Silver Rd.
5.0 - 5.9 Fork in the road. Go straight on Silver Road. Indian River Road goes right.
5.5 - 6.5 Cross Silver River Bridge
5.9 - 6.9 Greenhouses on left. Might also be called Keweenaw Flower Shop.
6.4 - 7.6 Fork in road. Go straight on the road that has a sign that says “Caution. Heavy Truck Traffic”. Unnamed road goes left.
6.9 - 8.1 Go straight. Pass road on the right. Road on the right has orange/red planks across the road that says “Camp road”.
7.0 - 8.3 Go left. A grassy road goes straight.
9.0 - 10.6 Go straight. Two track road on the right
9.2 - 10.9 Veer right
9.6 - 11.2 Turn right. Once you turn right, almost immediately there is a wooden, one land bridge that you go over.
10.0 - 11.7 Veer left. Road on the right.
10.0 - 11.8 Y in the road. Go right.
10.3 - 12.1 Veer left. There’s a grassy road to the right with a berm.
10.4 - 12.3 Go over a poor condition culvert – washout possible
10.5 - 12.4 Go straight. Do not turn left.
10.7 - 12.5 Veer left. Grassy road to the right.
10.8 - 12.8 Turn right. Two track road on left. Once you turn right, within 50 feet there is a small, narrow one lane bridge that you go over.
10.9 - 12.9 Go left, stay on gravel road, Grassy road on right.
11.0 - 13.1 Go left, stay on gravel road, Grassy road on right.
11.2 - 13.4 Veer left, Road going to the right.
11.3 - 13.6 Y in road, go left.
11.7 - 14.3 Veer left. Grassy road to the right.
12.4 - 15.0 UPDATE: From what I heard (not confirmed), the road to the left is closed. You can only go straight. Do not take the road on the right. (Old direction: Come to an intersection with 3 roads. New road on left. Road on the right is hard to see. Move up and veer to the right and you will immediately see the road to the right. Take the center road.)
12.7 - 15.2 Wetlands – washout possible.
12.8 - 15.3 Go right, not left. You will drive through several mudholes and over a few stone outcroppings.
13.2 - 15.9 Come to a fork. There’s a “For Sale” sign which points to the right. Do not turn right. Go straight.
13.3 - 16.0 Summit. Road ahead blocked by a cable. There’s a snow fence here as well as a broken For Sale sign. Park here and take the foot trail on the left to the summit.
Walking directions.
Go left (north) on small trail. Walk about 100 yards to the summit.
At the summit, there will be a Geological Marker, a cairn, and a log book for reaching the summit.
The marker is in concrete slightly above ground.
From the marker, go 54 steps due north.
(NOTE: if you do not have a compass, do the following:
On the marker are the words “MT CURWOOD”. Make it an arrow by having the “M” be the tail and the “D” be the arrowhead. It’s now pointing the way)
You will come across a large boulder and on the north side of it will be a SPOR.
The letterbox is in the SPOR