The Estivant Pines
When you visit the Keweenaw, be sure to reserve some time to spend among the trees — the really big trees!
Estivant Pines near Copper Harbor is a nature preserve of close to 600 acres. Originally part of a 2,400-acre tract of land owned by Edward Estivant of Paris, the land was sold to Calumet and Hecla Mining Company in 1947 and in the 1960s to Universal Oil who began to deforest it.
The Michigan Nature Association led a three-year statewide fundraising campaign to purchase 200 acres of Estivant Pines from Universal Oil in 1973. Concerned citizens from the “Save the Pines” committee helped in the fundraising that led to this initial acquisition. Three additional acquisitions occurring between 1989 and 2019 have expanded the sanctuary.
Today, a series of trails take hikers through the towering old-growth pine forest, growing more than 125 feet tall and dating back well over 300 years. Dozens of bird species reside here, and wildflowers and ferns are in abundance on the forest floor.
These pines are stately and grand. Mesmerizing. They make you feel like a little person in a land of giants. It’s reassuring to know that these beautiful trees are now protected and will guard the land long after we are gone.
Photos by B & E Ball.