Picturesque Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore has been at the top of my bucket list for years now, and we finally made the trip happen this summer. It did not disappoint! 

Pictured Rocks is located in the upper peninsula of Michigan, which we like to call “the UP”. It’s about a six hour drive from the Chicago area, which is why it’s taken me a few years to make the trek. For those of you who know Michigan well, it’s not traditionally known as a state with many geographic features (though we are a bit more hilly than states in the Great Plains). The area of Pictured Rocks is completely different. Running along the upper coastline of the upper peninsula, it has over 40 miles of rainbow-colored cliffs, fresh pine trees, and crystal blue water from Lake Superior. There are also nearly 20 waterfalls within the lakeshore. 

It is one of three national lakeshores in the US, first established in 1966. One of the others is located in Michigan as well: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. (I have visited this a few times, it is another gem I’d recommend adding to your travel plans).

We decided to make a week of nature out of the trip, so we decided to camp nearby. We had to make this decision six months before our trip, as soon as campground reservations were released by the campground. Pictured Rocks is one of the hardest areas to find camping, with the primary campground in the area recently listed as the second most difficult campground to get into. For those of you just learning about Pictured Rocks, this is probably very surprising! 

Trails and Waterfalls

There are over thirty marked trails for use in Pictured Rocks. With the short time we had, we were only able to explore a few of them. We set aside time two of the days we were there to do a few hikes in the morning. 

One of the mornings it was pouring rain, but it was our last day, so we decided to continue with our plans. I was happy we did- between the lush forest, vibrant green leaves, cool temperatures, and fog, it felt like we were in the Pacific Northwest. Though it was extremely muddy, we were well prepared with our gear and it didn’t bother us much. We had to laugh with the number of people we saw attempting to hike the trails in flip flops and socks. Their feet were covered in mud!

The highlight of many of the trails are the waterfalls. The waterfalls are typically at their high point it in the spring due to the melting snow, but we found many of the waterfalls were still a sight to behold. Many of the trails to see them were quite busy, so you may have less time to enjoy the view than you were hoping for. However, I’d still recommend checking them out. There aren’t many places that you can see so many waterfalls all in one place. 

Boat Ride Time 

If you’re visiting Pictured Rocks, the best way to see it is on a boat. While there are trails throughout the park that will allow you to see bits of the coast and cliffs, the views are quite limited and you’re otherwise unaware of the miles and miles of mineral-barren cliffs jetting out from Lake Superior. 

There is an official authorized boat tour operator called (not surprisingly) Pictured Rocks Cruises. Boat tours last around 2 hours and you can typically book them throughout the day, including special sunset tours. I would definitely recommend booking your ticket ahead of time, as we saw many tourists hoping to buy tickets day of with no luck. 

Make sure to bundle up! Even in the middle of the summer, by the end of the boat ride we were freezing cold. The wind and cool air is no joke on the open water of Lake Superior. 

During the tour, you’ll see miles and miles of amazing colored cliffs, woods, and waterfalls. The tour guide will point out various points of interest, such as archways or interesting facts. One of the most interesting tidbits I learned about on the tour is that during the winter waves from Lake Superior can form ice sheets of up to 50 feet tall along the cliff sides. Even in this world we live in today, it’s incredible this can happen just six hours north of Chicago. 

Munising 

Pictured Rocks is located near a small town called Munising. It is a small town of about two thousand people. What’s quite incredible is that over 1.3 million people visit Pictured Rocks a year, mostly during the summer. You can then imagine what all of those visitors do to the overall population each day during busy periods. 

The town itself is very similar to midwestern small towns, with a few main streets, local restaurants, a few bars, and various art and clothing shops. We found everything that we needed in town, though we mostly just stopped in for groceries and cooked at our campsite. One of the nights we were in town, we checked out one of the local breweries. It was the definition of small American town bar. I loved the beer, and I also loved the logo! 

In Summary

Pictured Rocks was by far high and above any of the expectations I had. Pictures do not do capture the feeling of being below towering colorful cliffs. It’s something you need to experience in person- and you should!