Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is a unique destination with breath-taking views, hiking and boating adventures, and the great outdoors. People travel from all around to see the famous cliffs and enjoy the beauty of Lake Superior.
We both grew up in Michigan where Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is almost a celebrity. We saw pictures and heard about friends' trips but never managed to get up there ourselves - until this last summer! We finally made it up north to Michigan's Upper Peninsula and now we're here to fill you in!
Crossing on the Mackinac Bridge is the sign that you've made it to the Upper Peninsula. It was fun to learn about the history of the bridge and remember what an amazing structure it was for its time. It is $4.00 for regular vehicles to cross each time and more per each additional axle if you're hauling a trailer or camper, etc. Enjoy the views or keep your eyes on the road - depending if bridges make you nervous!?!
Next, YOU'RE IN THE U.P.! Enjoy their famous pasties - essentially, a portable meat pie! There are several shops around as soon as you make it into the U.P.. I am not expert enough to tell you which is the BEST! I've enjoyed each one I've had, and all the places we went to served chicken, beef, or vegetable options. A nice, filling, treat for the long day on the road!
Sand Dunes Beach along the south side of the U.P. was a great beach where we swam in the warm water of Lake Michigan. Now, of course, I can't guarantee the water here will always be warm, but I can probably guarantee that it will be warmer than Lake Superior! If you need a break from the chill, it is a great beach to make a stop at before crossing back over to the Lower Peninsula.
The Lakeshore itself is full of forest, beaches, trails, and waterfalls. Accessibility to these beautiful sites was definitely different than what we've experienced before. We are use to our manicured parks, and paved parking lots! It is a large park and accessibility to attractions varies, so you will want to plan ahead depending on the abilities of your party. Here's some information to help you plan (Note: we were staying in Munising, so we spent most of our time in the west side of the park).
Alger Falls - Is just on the side of the road, so it is very easy to see on your way into town.
Munising Falls - While we did not stop by this one ourselves, it looks very close to the road and the visitors center, so I am guessing it has easy access.
Sand Point Beach and Maritime Exhibit - This was a fun area and had a lot of families enjoying their time together.
The Miners - Looking back, I would have liked to spend more time in this area. The Miners Castle Scenic Overlook presents the best view of the cliffs from land, as well as a close up look at the lower level (which has some stairs, but it is not a long distance at all). There are also some of the nicest park bathrooms at this location along with many picnic tables and great places to rest and enjoy a picnic lunch. Miners Beach was busy, but had pretty good accessibility. Dirt road, and dirt parking, outhouses, and wood path with a few stairs down to the beach. It was a great beach and easy for families to spend hours there. However, it was a very busy location with a local kayaking business using this beach as a launching or picking up point. There were teenagers running up and down the path pushing loads of kayaks back and forth and they were asking people to not use the path, but walk to the side. I thought, "My tax dollars paid for this path, I'm going to use it!" haha I had pain in my ankles at the time so I may have been a little extra sensitive to not using a path. If you have little ones or elderly, just keep an eye out for flying kayaks! Once you get down to the beach it is not a problem at all and is a relaxing, beautiful and fun environment. Miners Falls - we didn't make it there ourselves, but it looks like a great site to see with a short, dirt road, and a very short hike (I want to say just 0.5mi.) off from the parking lot to the falls. There is a lower overlook, 64 steps down if you want a closer look.
Chapel Basin - In this area there is Mosquito Falls, Mosquito Beach, Chapel Falls, Chapel Rock, and Chapel Beach. After about 5miles on a dirt road, you reach parking for this area and outhouses. The entire trail loop around this area is about 10miles. There are smaller loops, either towards chapel or mosquito, that are 6-7miles total. You can also go to either of the falls, turn around and come back, for about a 3mile round trip. This is definitely the spot to do some hiking and you can choose the distance depending on your party and experience levels. Make sure you have at least water and snack bars with you if not a lunch!
Beaver Basin - If you're looking for rustic camping or a good fishing area, this is for you! There is also hiking around this area, it is "wet land" almost - lots of tall grasses and cat tails type landscape, which we don't personally enjoy hiking in. There's a long dirt road to get here and outhouses at the rustic campsite.
The rest of the park to the west - such as Twelvemile Beach, Hurricane River, the Log Slide, etc. We didn't get past the Beaver Basin Wilderness. We looked up some of those areas online and, with the extra distance, nothing was particularly calling to us. However, if we totally missed something incredible, please let us know!!!
Lastly, there is a trail all along the edge of the cliffs that I'm sure is beautiful, but we have not checked it out ourselves yet.
In our opinion, the best view of the rocks is from the water! There are several kayaking companies in the area for you to explore the lakeshore, however we think the best bang for your buck is a cruise with Pictured Rocks Cruises! Kayaking prices were upwards of $100 per person and you may not see as much of the lakeshore paddling yourself. We did a tour with Pictured Rocks Cruises where you sit on a boat and the captain talks you through a tour as you enjoy an endless amount of views! If you want great photos, sit on the right side of the boat (we sat on the top level), as they'll go slower when that side is facing the rocks. We both agree that, hands-down, this was the most worth it part of the whole trip and only $40-48 for adults. They also have some of the best t-shirt designs in town if you're looking for a souvenir. Note: We take Dramamine a 1/2hr before boat rides to prevent motion sickness.
Munising is a cute little town with unique restaurants, bars, and coffee shops. We really enjoyed Falling Rock Cafe' & Bookstore for a break from hiking. We enjoyed their coffee while also checking out some books in their library-feel cafe. We also had Rustic Grounds Coffee Company Trailer coffee before getting on the road in the morning, which is a food truck style shop. It adds a nice touch to shopping downtown.
In general, the Upper Peninsula is much more rural than the Lower Peninsula. Food, bathrooms, and gas stations are fewer and farther in between. Camp stores may have higher prices, or not have what you need, etc. We had to use a super old gas pump! It's all part of the experience, but without much cell reception, make sure you have what you need before venturing out for the day (and when you see a good bathroom, use it!).
This trip has been on our bucket list for ages and it was a pleasure to finally experience it!
Comments