Wetmore Landing is one of the many highlights, sunrise or otherwise, while driving northwest on county road 550. With tourists at the shop, I call them The Big Three. In reverse order they are Little Presque Isle, Wetmore Landing, all which can be seen from the top of Sugarloaf Mountain.

The Big Five would include Hogback Mountain and Harlow Lake, and eventually Thomas Rock, Yellow Dog Falls, Big Garlic Falls, Hidden Beach, Echo Lake, and on and on it goes for this magical stretch of the Upper Peninsula.

As iconic as Wetmore Landing is, I’ll be honest, I struggle with it as a sunrise location. I don’t know how this attitude began, but at some point along this journey I began to feel a lack of inspiration at Wetmore, feeling a little stuck and not knowing which direction to go or what to photograph. On the other hand, it’s a favorite place to go for an afternoon swim or catch the Northern Lights. It’s also my favorite hike (a walk really) from Wetmore Landing to Little Presque and back.

But sunrise? I just don’t know why there’s a lack of inspiration.

It’s possibly that it’s the conditions in which I choose to go. During the most inspiring morning, be it a morning epic in color or inclement weather and November gales, I find myself rushing to the nearest shoreline or going to Little Presque where on the point I’m fully exposed to the wind and conditions. Maybe, Wetmore Landing is just too sheltered for a guy who loves the most inclement conditions.

Either way, I won’t stop returning. And maybe during the next big gale, I’ll make a point to get to Wetmore Landing instead of my usual spots.

Of 1,359 published sunrises, 27 have been from Wetmore Landing, representing 2.0% of the project.