We made the trip up to the porcupine mountains in early May. The trees were still partially bare from winter and we even saw the last traces of snow melting! We camped at Mirror Lake and along the Big Carp River Trail. Mirror Lake: Mirror lake is tucked between ridges in an almost valley-like area and hiking there requires a bit of ascending then descending small hills. The hike takes you through one of the largest stretches of old growth forest in North America, which is beautiful. The trail is marked with blazes, although it was an effort to locate each successive blaze along the trail. Perhaps later in the season once the trail has seen more foot traffic, the path is more defined/easier to follow. Mirror lake offers an amazing way to view the forest and immerse yourself into the wilderness but it does not offer the iconic views of the Porkies.

Big Carp River Trail: Once the trail takes you up the mountain side, the trees start to break and you have an amazing view of the valley and old growth forest below. We hiked this trail along the cliff edge and found the perfect camping spot maybe 1/2 a mile down. It felt like one of those camping sites you see pictures of but never actually exist in real life. We camped right at cliffs edge looking out into the surrounding Porkies and I swear it was real.