Germfask Mercantile and Hostel

10/18/2026

Thanks for a great summer & fall!

We are taking a break until mid-November when short-term rentals & hostelling will resume.

The Merchantile will be open by appointment only until May.

Snowmobile season is right around the corner so make your arrangements now!

Hostel availability opens up one month before the date.

We are 100yds from trail 443 & less than a me.from cross country & snowshoe trails at Seney!

10/17/2026

Finally!

Our first frost.

Winter is coming.

Have you made your reservations?

VRBO system is open now!

10/16/2026

Weather prediction was for lake effect rain.

Well, that, and now we have lake effect flurries.

Our trend for first snow before October 24 continues....

10/14/2026

Railroad history timeline:

1880 Detroit, Mackinaw & Marquette Railroad starts limited operations operating between Marquette & St. Ignace.
1881, Dec 9 -- Passenger rail reaches McMillan from St. Ignace.
1882 Train operates between St. Ignace and Marquette. Old Native trail essentially abandoned for this new route.
1886 - Manistique Railroad established between Grand Marais and Seney by the Alger and Smith Company.
1889--Manistique Railroad Spur to Germfask is finished.
1893 — A railway branch is constructed through Germfask by Alger & Manistique interests, linking logging operations with the mainline at Seney.
1902 The principal business of the railroad is the transportation of logs. One mixed train runs each way every day for passenger traffic. Passengers traveled by stage on the Manistique Road (River Road) to and from Germfask.
1906 Railway extended from Germfask into Curtis & Williams Mill
1910 Passenger service to Germfask discontinued Nov 5th
1910 The railway was sold to a lumber company and “abandoned” shortly thereafter between Seney and Grand Marais.
1922 Stack Railroad Company bought the line occasionally ran loads from Seney to Curtis.
1932: The last freight run was made to Curtis
1955 — The last remnants of industrial logging railroads near Germfask were abandoned or removed.

10/14/2026

When I don't have guests, my morning routine is to watch the first hour of the The Dan Patrick Show. Someome called in from the Yoop and Dan gave us a great plug & so did Paulie. Something about we have the best fall leaf color, happy hour all week long, and if you have a friend with a place in the UP invite yourself over or break in.

10/13/2026

In the past ten years, it has snowed at least once by October 24th.

10/13/2026

Methinks that will be the end of the fall colors.

UPCOMING HAZARDS ⚠️

Michigan, Friday is looking like one of those days where you’ll definitely notice the wind. Gusts will pick up statewide as a cold front moves through, with many areas potentially seeing 30–40 mph gusts and some lakeshore and northern spots potentially pushing into the 40–50+ mph range.

Then once that front moves through, we trade the wind for the cold. By Friday night into Saturday morning, temperatures could fall into the 20s and low 30s across much of the U.P. and inland northern Lower Michigan, with mid-30s reaching farther south. That means frost and freeze potential becomes the next thing to watch, especially inland where winds are lighter.

So basically, Friday wants to yeet your patio furniture around, and Saturday morning wants to remind you of the season that lies ahead.

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10/11/2026

Beautiful weekend in the Yoop! Looks like we may squeeze out one more weekend of good weather and color.

If you haven't been up here, we are wide open for reservations for a hostel stay.

Get on it and make that reservation!

Links in the comments.

10/11/2026

10 day forecast

10/10/2026

Snowfall predictions are showing less than 200 inches....the variable that would push us over is lake effect....

Reserve now for winter!

Snowmobilers, we are 100 yards from trail 443 and we have a drive through parking area.

Quiet winter sports enthusiasts: we have groomed ski trails one mile away along.with miles upon mes.worth of snowshoe able two tracks at Seney NWR.

Link in the comments.