Strong, but Short, Alger County Winter

Did the lack of snow for most of the U.P. hurt one of the areas that’s usually hardest-hit by Old Man Winter?

Overall, business for Alger County was down this winter by 10 to 15%.

But compared to other areas, the county seems to have fared pretty well.

Munising’s snowmobile drag races, the U.P. 200 and the Winterfest brought crowds to the area, helping balance out the lower-than-expected snowmobile traffic.

Char Carberry of Munising’s Downtown Development Authority says although it was a much shorter winter than usual, Munising was one of the areas of the upper Midwest that still had a decent amount of powder, and that helped Alger County tremendously.

She says when there’s plenty of snow everywhere, tourists from outside the area don’t come in because they don’t have to.

However, when snow is in short supply, snowmobilers and cross-country skiers will travel to use it, and Munising was one of the main places where people were traveling to.

The warmer weather in most areas also seemed to entice more people to come out and enjoy Alger County’s winter activities.

So much so, in fact, that Carberry says based on the information they have, the majority of the people visiting Alger County this winter were first-timers.

As the temperatures continue to climb, the area is also getting ready for summer tourism.

To find out what’ll be going on, you can go online to www.algercounty.org .