Discover Pictured Rocks

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Unless you’re from Michigan, chances are you haven’t heard of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. It was the first national lakeshore, declared in 1966, and is located on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (or the UP as locals calls it). The peninsula is bounded by Lakes Superior and Michigan, closer to Canada than it is to most of the States. Six hours north of Chicago, the closest major city, Pictured Rocks is remote enough to keep the crowds down. Put it on your summer roadtrip itinerary and discover Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore this year!

Exploring By Boat

The defining feature of Pictured Rocks is its multicolored sandstone cliffs, stained orange, red, blue and black by the minterals seeping down the cliff face.

The best way to see the famous cliffs is by boat. There are a few different tour companies in Munising, the gateway town to the park, but the official National Park Service concessioner is Pictured Rock Cruises. If you have time for just one activity on the national lakeshore, this should be it. So many of the landmarks can only be viewed from the water. The tour company offers guided tours aboard their ships, as well as a unique kayak option which launches from the back of a large catamaran. Their launch tours save you the trouble of paddling from Munising.

Guided boat tours are offered throughout the day, but for the best photography options, I recommend a sunset cruise. The light is perfect, drawing out the already brillant colors of the cliffs. Seats are not assigned, so arrive early to grab the good ones. Sit on the right side at departure for the best experience. The return journey will offer the same views to the other side, but at a much quicker speed, without stops.

Four Favorite Hikes

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore has over 100 miles of trails that lead to waterfalls and Lake Superior beaches. Here are just a few, from easiest to hardest.

Munising Falls

Munising Falls is right outside of town and is the easiest trail and waterfall to acces. It’s a short 1/4 mile trail to the falls, and despite the ‘Do not Enter’ signage, people climb over the fence to walk behind them. Most other trails in Pictured Rocks are miles down dirt roads, so definitely save this one if you’re short on time or are exploring with non-hikers.

Miners Castle

The Miners Castle overlook is not really a true hike, but is the only cliff section accessible by vehicle. A very short paved trail provides an impressive view over Lake Superior and the iconic Miners Castle rock formation. For a longer hike, continue on to Miners Beach. It’s 2 miles roundtrip, and you’ll definitely want to visit this beach. You can also drive to it, more on that below.

Miners Falls

Miners Falls is an impressive waterfall, cascading 50 feet down the cliff. The hike is a short 1.2 miles roundtrip, with a staircase at the end to the viewing platform. There’s no direct access to the base of the falls, but that doesn’t stop people from crawling and clambering down the steep drop off by the trail. Going down is easier than coming up!

Mosquito Beach via Mosquito Falls

Our favorite hike in Pictured Rocks, this 4.6 mile loop passes through lush woodlands and a waterfall before arriving at an unreal beach! Forget your typical sandy shore, this beach is made up of rippling, colorful sandstone. Ok, there’s a stretch of sand too, but if you’re looking for a typical beach, you might choose one of the others listed below.

The trailhead is accessible from the Chapel Basin/Mosquito Area, five miles down Chapel Road. It’s a fairly rough road that ends at a limited parking area. The parking fills up, so if you don’t arrive early, or later in the afternoon, expect to park further up the road.

The hike to Mosquito Beach can be done at 3.9 miles roundtrip, skipping the divergent trail to Mosquito Falls, but for a little more than 1/2 a mile, why not stop by the falls too? At the beach, the Mosquito River flows into the lake. Carefully, cross the river and wade around the bend. Hug the shoreline for a shallow trek to a great jumping point and some unique rock formations! The depth drops from barely waist high to 65 feet, so stick to the shallows.

Beaches

If you’ve never visited the Great Lakes, it might be hard to believe there are nice beaches so far north. Come summer, though, there are many beautiful, sandy beaches to kickback on! The longest in Pictured Rocks is the aptly named Twelvemile Beach, but there are numerous others as well.

Sand Point Beach

Sand Point Beach is easy to access, and provides a wide and flat sandy shoreline. It’s a great spot for picnic, and is one of the most family friendly beaches in the park.

Miners Beach

Miners Beach is more unique, and my pick for a relatively easy to access beach. Park nearby and follow a short boardwalk through the forest to some steep stairs. It’s a beautiful sandy beach, but also has its share of multicolored rocks. Miners River flows across the beach to Lake Superior about 1/4 mile west of the boardwalk entrance, creating some tidal pools.

Lake Superior is known for its beautiful rocks, and althought its illegal to take them from the national lakeshore, it’s still fun to find them. Miners Beach is covered in them! Have you heard of Yooperlite rocks? They glow orange under a UV light and are found along Lake Superior. While we didn’t find any, we did peruse the beach by night, UV lights shining.

Beyond the National Lakeshore

We could spend all summer exploring the Upper Peninsula, but there’s two sites near Pictured Rocks you won’t want to miss!

Bay Furnace

Located outside the national lakeshore in Hiawatha National Forest, Bay Furnace is a reminder of what the peninsula used to be, and why national lands are so important. During the 19th century, the UP became a barren wasteland, as the forests were leveled to fuel the iron blast furnances. In turn, the furnaces dumped their waste into Lake Superior. It took decades for the UP to return to its natural beauty.

At Bay Furnace, follow the short trail that circles the ruins of a pig iron blast furnace from the 1870s. Past the ruins, access the beach. It’s scattered over with slag, fascinating black stones formed as a byproduct of the iron smelting process. It’s similar to obsidian, but much easier to break, and can be sharp as glass. Technically it might be pollution, but the rockhound in me loved it!

Bay Furnace has a primitive campground, open to tents and RVs. There’s a dump station at the exit, along with vault toliets. Some of the sites back up to the cliff over the beach.

Kitch-iti-kipi Spring

Located in Palms Book State Park, about a 50 minute drive south to Manistique, visit the Kitch-iti-kipi Spring. It’s Michigan’s largest freshwater spring, pumping out 10,000 gallons of water a minute. The spring is stunningly clear, making it easy to see to the bottom of its 40 foot depth.

Take the raft, on a pulley system, out to the center for the best views. The raft has a glass bottom center. There is usually a line in summer, but it’s well worth it!

Where to Stay

Hands down, our favorite campground for tent camping! Munising Tourist Park Campground has both RV and tent sites, but the rustic tent sites are the best! They’re located down a trail, secluded from the rest of the park. They’re on the beach, right on Lake Superior! We stayed on Site Q, which is wide and has a private path up to it. The park provides wheel barrows at the rustic site trailhead, for hauling equipment to the sites.

There are some RV sites that back up to the beach too, though they obviously lack the privacy of the rustic sites. The campground and bathrooms are clean, with plenty of hot water in the showers. The campground is a few minutes outside of Munising, an easy drive to town and Pictured Rocks. Plus, you can’t beat the sunsets!

Eating in Munising

We have to call out a couple dining experiences in Munising that capture the spirit of the Upper Peninsula. They are as quentessential as the hikes and scenery.

Cap’n Ron’s

It might look a little rough, but the smoked fish dip is the best you’ll ever have! This small fishery and market serves fish ‘n chips and smoked fish dip. Yep, that’s it. The fish is always either Lake Superior Trout or Whitefish, caught a few feet away.

Muldoon’s Pasties

You can’t visit the UP without trying pasties! Brought over from Cornwall by the miners, these pies come stuffed with all sorts of tastiness today. From chicken pot pie to cheesburger, and the occassional vegan variety, you can find one you’ll enjoy.

Muldoon’s is a staple of Munising and the perfect spot to try your first UP pasty!

Looking for more Great Lakes adventures? Check out these posts!

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