Visit Bessemer

Throughout the year, the hills and valleys of Bessemer and the surrounding areaprovide you with beautiful vistas, cascading rivers, and endless recreational opportunities. From skiing and snowmobiling to mountain biking, hiking and fishing, your day can be as full as you want.

If festivals are what you seek: Pumpkinfest, Christmas Tree Lighting, and the best Fourth of July around awaits you in Bessemer. "Come on over to our patch" as Fall brings us the annual Pumpkinfest. Take in the crisp, clean air of a fall day as Main street is filled with vendor booths, and contests like the best carved pumpkin and seed spitting.

Early December, takes center stage on Main Street. Join our elementary school choir singing some of your Christmas favorites. Enjoy a hot cup of cocoa as you travel through town in a horse-drawn carriage, all in anticipation of the lighting of our Christmas Tree.

If you really want to have a "blast," visit us over the 4th for eight fun-filled days leading up to the best parade and fireworks in the midwest. And don't forget to buy your 50/50 ticket. Last year's winner took home over $25,000.

Bessemer has some unusually attractive features. Overlooking Bessemer's main street is its unusual Tudor city hall, designed by local, self-taught architect Albert Nelson in the mid-1930s. Its attractive details and stonework wouldn't have been possible without federal funding during the Depressoin. Inside are showcases containing 120 years' worth of ornate fire department trophies and other prizes.

One block north of the traffic light on Moore Street stands the stately red sandstone Gogebic County Courthouse, erected in 1888 just four years after the first iron was shipped. The original interior and the high-ceilinged circuit court room are pretty much intact.

Go another block north and you'll be at the beautiful Massie Field baseball and football complex. With the bluffs looming in the background, there is no better place to watch a ballgame or listen to music. Massie Field's recently refurbished bandshell hosts several musical events during the summer months.

Right next door to Massie Field is Steiger Little League Field. Ensconsed in a little bowl with the bluffs as a backdrop, this is truely "The most scenic Little League baseball park in America."

A little bit further north on Moore Street takes you to Bluff Valley Park. The park features a pavilion with picnic tables, tennis, basketball, and volleyball courts and playground equipment. Across the footbridge, a trail leads up the bluff, offering a beautiful view of Bessemer.

Black River Harbor Recreation Area: Leading north from Bessemer along the corridor of Black River Road (C.R. 513) through the lands of the recreation area to Black River Harbor is a National Forest Scenic Byway. Trails along the road include a segment of the North Country Trail and four short hikes to waterfalls. All of the trails include stairs, and all except Sandstone include viewing platforms. The trailheads are at well-marked parking lots along C.R. 513 beginning a few miles south of Black River Harbor. A developed U.S. Forest Service campground and other amenitites are located near the mouth of the river.

• Conglomerate Falls is reached by a 0.75-mile hiking trail.

• Gorge and Potawatomi Falls are reached by a series of short trails including one paved section at the Gorge Falls parking area that leads to an accessible viewing platform at Potawatomi Falls.

• Rainbow Falls is reached on the west side by a 0.5-mile hiking trail leading out of a parking lot or on the east side by a 0.75-mile section of the North Country Trail reached by crossing the suspension bridge at the Black River Harbor Picnic Area.

• Sandstone Falls is reached by a 0.25-mile steep and strenuous hiking trail.

• The North Country Trail within the recreation area is the only certified section of the long-distance trail in Gogebic County. The trail begins at the north end of Copper Peak Road and winds north for six miles past all five waterfalls to the harbor itself. The trail then continues another 5.8 miles east to the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park

Boulder Creek Golf Course: Set along Sapp Sucker Creek, with rocks and terrain that claim the name Boulder Creek, this 9-hole course with driving range offers challenging holes and scenic views.


Copper Peak Ski Flying, located off Black River Road north of Bessemer, is beginning development in 2013 of an extensive mountain bike trail system. A special opportunity will be to ride the chairlift to the top of the ski hill and ride a bike down.

• Big Powderhorn Mountain, just northwest of the City of Bessemer, has a 32-kilometer network of cross-country ski trails along with downhill skiing, snowboarding, and a terrain park.

• Blackjack Ski Resort between the cities of Bessemer and Wakefield offers 30 kilometers/19 miles of cross-country ski trails in addition to downhill skiing, snowboarding, and a terrain park.

•Indianhead Mountain, along with its downhill skiing, allows for some rugged hiking in summer.