America’s first national lakeshore is in Michigan and most people have never heard of it

It’s America’s first national lakeshore

Forty-two miles of wild shoreline stretch between two small towns in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and most people have never heard of it.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore sits between Munising and Grand Marais, covering more than 73,000 acres of cliffs, beaches, dunes, forests and inland lakes.

The Ojibwe called Lake Superior “Gichigami,” meaning “great sea,” and they cherished this land for thousands of years before European explorers showed up.

Congress gave it national lakeshore status in 1966, the first in the country. The cliffs alone would be enough to pull you here, but they’re just the start.

Iron, copper and manganese paint the cliff face

Northeast of Munising, 15 miles of sandstone cliffs rise up to 200 feet straight out of the water.

The rock dates back roughly 500 million years to the Cambrian period, and groundwater has been doing the decorating ever since.

Water seeps through cracks, trickles down the face and leaves mineral streaks behind as it dries. Iron turns the rock red and orange.

Copper adds blue and green. Manganese leaves brown and black, and limonite paints white.

Waves and ice have carved shallow caves, arches and formations that look like castle turrets into the base.

Paddle close enough to touch the rock

From land, you get a sense of scale. From the water, you get the full picture.

Boat cruises leave Munising and run along the cliff face for two to three hours, and the late afternoon light pulls the brightest colors out of the rock.

If you want to get closer, guided kayak tours let you paddle right up to the sandstone and slip into sea caves. Lake Superior can turn rough fast, though, so a guide is the smart call if you’re in a kayak.

A tree on Chapel Rock refuses to let go

Miners Castle is one of the most photographed spots in the park, a sandstone formation that once looked like a castle with turrets.

One of those turrets collapsed into the lake in April 2006, worn away by natural erosion. You can reach it by a paved road and a short walk, or spot it from the water on a boat or kayak tour.

A few miles east, Chapel Rock has a tree growing on top of it with a single root stretching across open air to the mainland, pulling water and nutrients across the gap just to survive.

Five waterfalls and none of them disappoint

Every waterfall here has its own personality. Munising Falls drops 50 feet over sandstone, and you can reach it on a paved 800-foot path near the visitor center.

Miners Falls hits the same height but with more force, and 77 steps take you down to the viewing platform. Chapel Falls plunges about 60 feet at the end of a 1.2-mile forest walk.

Spray Falls drops roughly 70 feet directly into Lake Superior, best seen from a boat. Sable Falls near Grand Marais tumbles 75 feet, with 170 steps leading down to the base.

Walk 42 miles of lakeshore on one trail

More than 100 miles of trails run through the park, and they range from flat paved paths to multiday backpacking routes. The North Country Scenic Trail covers the full 42-mile length of the lakeshore.

For a solid day hike, the Chapel Loop runs about 10 miles and passes two waterfalls, beaches and clifftop views. Shorter walks like the Munising Falls and Miners Falls trails clock in under a mile each.

Cell service drops out across most of the park, so download your maps before you head in.

Sand dunes rise 300 feet above the lake

Near the eastern end of the park, the Grand Sable Dunes climb more than 300 feet above Lake Superior.

These ancient perched dunes rank among the largest freshwater dunes in the world, and they shelter rare plant species found in few other places.

Nearby, the Log Slide Overlook marks the spot where 19th-century loggers built a wooden chute to send timber down to the water.

You can stand at the edge and look out across the dunes, the lake and the Au Sable Lighthouse in the distance.

A lighthouse built for the Shipwreck Coast

The Au Sable Lighthouse went up in 1874 to warn ships away from one of Lake Superior’s most dangerous stretches. The waters here sank so many vessels that people started calling it the Shipwreck Coast.

The entire lighthouse complex has been fully restored, and during summer months, guided tours let you climb the tower for a wide-open view of the lake.

The trail to get there passes remnants of the Mary Jarecki, Sitka and Gale Staples, shipwrecks still visible along the shoreline.

See shipwrecks without getting wet

The Alger Underwater Preserve runs along much of the park’s shoreline, protecting several well-preserved wrecks from more than a century of shipping on turbulent Lake Superior.

Divers explore intact wooden vessels from the 1800s in water clear enough to see detail, and they can also drop into underwater sea caves carved into the sandstone cliffs.

If diving isn’t your thing, glass-bottom boat tours leave from Munising and pass over two wreck sites in about two hours. You watch the whole thing from a dry seat.

Pink garnet sand and 12 miles of empty beach

Sand Point Beach near Munising is the easiest spot for families, with shallower water that runs a bit warmer than the rest of the lake.

A wheelchair-accessible mat extends to the water’s edge, picnic tables line the shore and pink garnet sand shows up at the far end.

Miners Beach sits between forest and sandstone cliffs, and people come for photography and sunset walks. Twelvemile Beach is exactly what it sounds like, 12 uninterrupted miles of quiet, undeveloped shoreline.

Lake Superior stays between 45 and 60 degrees year-round, so brace yourself.

Frozen waterfalls and blue ice curtains

The Munising area catches some of the heaviest snowfall in the country thanks to lake-effect snow off Lake Superior.

When winter hits, the waterfalls freeze into tall ice columns and the cliffs develop massive blue and green ice curtains.

The park has more than 50 named ice formations, making it one of the top ice climbing spots in the country. Cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling trails stay open through the season.

Most park roads close from December through March, but Sand Point Road stays open year-round.

Bears, dog rules and a park pass you’ll need

Everyone 16 and older needs a park pass, and you can buy one online or at the visitor centers in Munising and Grand Marais. The park stays open year-round, but many facilities and roads shut down for winter.

Dogs can only go on a few specific trails and beaches, including Miners Beach on a leash. Black bears live here, so campers need proper food storage.

Three drive-in campgrounds and 14 backcountry sites line the shoreline, and all of them need reservations or permits.

Explore Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan

You can reach the park from two directions. From the west, take M-28 or M-94 into Munising.

From the east, M-77 brings you to Grand Marais. The drive from Mackinac City takes about two and a half hours, and Green Bay, Wis., sits about three hours southwest.

Visitor centers at Munising Falls and Grand Sable can get you set up with maps and passes.

Check the official website for seasonal road closures and campground availability before you go, especially if you’re planning a winter trip.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

Read more from this brand:

• Michigan’s wildest lakeshore has 200-foot cliffs that bleed color into Lake Superior
• You can snorkel over shipwrecks in Lake Superior at this end-of-the-road Michigan town
• This Michigan island has no roads, no bridges, and wolves walking the trails with you