Pictured Rocks National Park is well worth a visit but make sure you do your research on the park before visiting.
This is the only cliff area accessible by vehicle. You can continue on and walk to Miners Beach, which is just a mile each way. Get some nourishment. This is a great spot to enjoy a picnic and to go for a quick dip in Lake Superior.
Grand Portal Point offers one of the best views in Pictured Rocks park. With plentiful caverns, unique formations, a suspended archway, and a massive rock face, Grand Portal and the point it creates along the lakeshore make you feel jarringly small if you choose to slowly cruise past.
Mid-afternoon to late evening is the best time of day to take photos of the Pictured Rocks. Later in the day, the sun is low and shines directly on the most colorful portions of the cliffs.
Give yourself at least 5 to 6 hours to enjoy it all and not have to rush. over a year ago. It will take a couple of hours to see both Upper and Lower Falls. There is good food available at the Upper Falls in case you are there around mealtime.
Dispersed backcountry camping, which offers no man-made comforts of any kind, is also available in certain parts of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Swimming: You can swim and wade in many areas along the lakeshore, although the chilly waters are bracing for all but the hardiest swimmers.
Seeing the lakeshore from the water is a whole different experience than hiking. John Madigan, owner of Pictured Rocks Cruises, says even if you hiked all over the area, there's no substitute for seeing the lakeshore from a boat on Lake Superior. “The rock formations face west.
The main road that travels through the national lakeshore is Alger County Road H-58. Other access roads (some unpaved) that lead to lakeshore sites such as campgrounds, day use areas, scenic views, and trailheads are clearly marked on the park map. Please stay on H-58 and these official roads.
Welcome to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, America's first National Lakeshore! Unlike any other place on Lake Superior, Pictured Rocks offers the opportunity to explore miles of pristine beaches, hike nearly 100 miles of trails, view towering sandstone cliffs, and experience the serenity of northern woodlands.
The Classic and Sunset- Classic Cruises are about 2 hours 35 minutes. The Spray Falls and Sunset – Spray Falls Cruise are about 2 hours 15 minutes.
Twelve Mile Beach is located within the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and can be accessed at the Twelve Mile Beach Campground. This is located 16 miles west of Grand Marais, Michigan on Alger County Rd H58.
To get there, you'll need to drive and then take a hike along the trail. From Munising, head east on H-58 for about 11 miles. Turn left onto Chapel Drive just after passing through Melstrand. Signs will indicate Mosquito/Chapel Area.
You can choose from tours that are two hours long, up to full day 7 hour kayak tours along the rocks.
This is a great lookout point over Lake Huron, and the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. On a clear day, you can see remnants of a shipwreck near the shore. In the summer, you can take a guided tour of the lighthouse for $3 per person.
One such place is the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Chapel Rock is another iconic formation of the Pictured Rocks. Here, you’ll find fewer tourists due to the 2.5 mile hike it requires to get there. There is also a small beach here, which is a great place to rest from the hike. On the hike in, you’ll pass Chapel Falls which is a great, scenic resting point.
Heck yes, and this one is the best of them all. With a small parking area at the end of a dirt road, this waterfall is slightly less populated with tourists than most others. The wide dirt pathway makes a very gradual descent to one of two viewing platforms for this waterfall. Be on the lookout for wildlife here!
Since they face outward, toward Lake Superior, there are many iconic rock formations that cannot be seen from anywhere else but the water. If you have your own boat, kayak, or canoe, you can totally bring them and put them in the water. But if not, you’ll have to whip out that debit card for a tour.
When you come to Pictured Rocks, you’re camping. There are three campgrounds in the National Lakeshore and many state campgrounds right nearby. If you like to be near Lake Superior, I’d recommend grabbing a spot at either Lower Hurricane River campground or Twelvemile beach campground. Both campgrounds tend to fill up quickly in summer, though, ...
Right up there with Mackinac Island, Tahquamenon Falls, and the Porcupine Mountains, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is one of the most popular areas of the Upper Peninsula, and for good reason! I’ve visited Pictured Rocks in the summer a few times, and because there’s so much to do and see there, I thought it’d be useful to write ...
It’s easy to get to and just a short walk from the parking area to the viewing platform. Also easy to get to and equally awesome is the Log Slide overlook.
To summarize, unless you’re one of those lucky people roaming the country in an RV, there’s probably more to do in Pictured Rocks than you have time for. That’s okay! You’ll just have to hit the high points and come back again.
You take a cruise to view the Pictured Rocks cliffs either from a regular cruise boat, or a converted navy seal boat. Or, you could rent a pontoon boat and make your own tour! Since the Pictured Rocks Lakeshore is home to so many shipwrecks, a glass bottom boat shipwreck tour is a fun option. Or, if you’re into paddling, you could rent kayaks ...
Twelvemile campsite is a wonderful place to camp alongside Lake Superior, not only for its wonderful location, but also because it's a first-come first-serve campsite. This is essential for Pictured Rocks since it’s a very popular area, but you’ll still have to ensure you get there early for a beachfront campsite (ours sat atop a small bluff).
Kayaking along Pictured Rocks is something to experience, especially to see Bridalveil Falls. While you can see the falls from a hike, the 140-foot cascade is best seen from the water.
Mosquito Beach is a wonderful place to relax after a long hike or paddle. This is a great place to stop for lunch and walk along the waterfront littered by rocks and unique formations.
Driving to the Miners Castle overlooks is something you will not want to miss when visiting Pictured Rocks, it is by far the most famous formation of the area. Erosion over long periods of time has created the interesting rock formations that give this place its name.
One of the top waterfalls in the U.P. is Miners Falls, just a 1.2 mile hike into the woods (round trip). There are two overlooks at the end of the trail, the first offering an overhead view of the drop over sandstone outcrop. The Miners Falls Nature Trail also has wonderful views of the Miners Basin along the way.
Chapel Falls is another wonderful landscape in the area. Just under a two mile hike through the woods stands the falls cascading towards Chapel Lake.
Tahquamenon Falls is definitely my favorite. One of the largest waterfalls east of the Mississippi, the Upper Falls has a drop of 48 feet and stretches more than 200 feet wide. The Lower Falls, a series of five smaller falls cascading around an island, can be found downstream. This is a definite must-see.
Designated the first national lakeshore in the United States, the Pictured Rocks is encompassed by massive sandstone cliffs and formations that are painted with vibrant colors from lake minerals. The park also has several unique waterfalls, impressive sand dunes, and miles of serene recreational trails. See Available Cruise Tours.
Within driving distance from Toledo, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, the Pictured Rocks makes a perfect road trip for anyone living in Ohio since there’s plenty to see along the way. Check out these attractions along the way as you cruise through Michigan’s two peninsulas:
Its original name was the “Mirror of Heaven” given to it by the early Native Americans. The spring is 200 feet across and 40 feet deep and is a constant 45 degrees, year-round. To see the springs, there is a raft available year-round for self-guided tours.
All seasons are beautiful at Pictured Rocks. Summer is ideal for swimming, camping and sightseeing. We enjoy visiting in the autumn as the trees are magnificent and the tourists are less. Black flies and mosquitoes can be a pest mid-May to mid-July. Stable flies are common along the shore in warm, humid weather.
We really REALLY enjoyed our exciting Rip Tide Ride around Grand Island during the Rip Tide Ride in Munising, Michigan. This is a great family owned business to support as they are so friendly and care about your well being.
30 minutes east of Munising. There are 36 sites total, including 2 handicap accessible sites so book early to secure a spot.
While at Miner's Beach, check out Elliot Falls which is on the east end of the beach. While it is small, it takes the day for it's beauty! It's rock formations makes it an exquisite waterfall at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
Sand Point Beach is a great spot to spend the afternoon! Wonderful beach to wander along and build sand castles. The water is amazingly clear and beautiful as you can see. I love that there is shade trees to get a break from the sun.
Yeah, you are stuck with a photo of us, but you know you gotta find this point of Pictured Rocks National Park and take a pic! It's so incredibly beautiful! See the point on the map above!