Kitch-iti-kipi is Michigan’s largest natural freshwater spring, and it’s located in Palms Book State Park, now a public park for all to visit.
It wasn’t always that way. Once used as a dump of lumber, Kitch-iti-Kipi was discover by Manistique businessman John Bellaire in the 1920’s. Bellaire saw through the decaying logs to the natural beuty below, and convinced the owner of the property, Frank Palms of the Palms Book Land Company, to sell the state of Michigan. The land becase the Palms Book State Park, and in 2003, a self-operating obersvation raft was constructed to allow a peek into this stocked pond.
The Big Spring is mesmerizing, characterized by it’s bright, emerald color that gives it an almost other-worldly look.
Set deep in the wilderness of the U.P., approximately 10,000 gallons of water per minute gush up from small cracks in limestone lining the bottom of the spring.Connected to nearby Indian Lake by an underground aquifer, the water in the spring is a constant temperature of 45-degree fahrenheit year-round.
Whether you call it Kitch iti Kipi, the Big Spring or even the “Mirror of Heaven,” the name given to it by native Ojibwe, you’ll agree that it’s a true wonder of nature.
You cannot swim in Kitch-iti-kipi. However, Indian Lake State Park is located nearby. It is located n the shores of Indian Lake, the fourth largest inland lake in the state and features a nice swimming beach.
