Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan's Upper Peninsula

[Janice]

As requested (@John Morrow) here's a TR from our Pictured Rocks trip a few years ago (June 2017). Pictured Rocks is a long, narrow park along Lake Superior with wonderful rock formations, gigantic dunes, waterfalls, sandy beaches, streams, forests, a lighthouse, etc. The first time our family went in 2008, our boys were young and we just did short hikes and the boat tour out of Munising where you can see the rock formations from the water. On this trip, we went with another couple and hiked most of the 40-ish mile trail along the coast. Since we had two cars, we left one at the Munising Visitor Center where we'd finish at the western end and drove to our start at the Log Slide near Grand Sable Visitor Center at the eastern end. The trail has almost no elevation change. Occasionally you go along a road or by a campground, but most of the time you're along the edge of the cliff, down on the beach, or in the woods. There were some very muddy sections in the woods! Campsites were reserved in advance.

Day 1 - Start at Log Slide and hike to Seven Mile (9.1 miles)
Day 2 - Seven Mile to Chapel Beach (11.6 miles)
Day 3 - Chapel Beach to Cliffs (10 miles)
Day 4 - Cliffs to Munising (6.4 miles)

Here are some pics of the scenery. (There were some great shots with our friends, but I don't feel like getting their permission to post so am only including these.)

Grand Sable Dunes

Down by the water

Chapel Beach

Fabulous tree on top of Chapel Rock (the photo doesn't show it well, but the roots are to the right of the rock, spanning the empty space to the adjacent land)

Views from our campsite near Chapel Beach

Tannin makes the river water reddish brown

If I remember correctly, these scenes are at or near Grand Portal Point

Spray Falls

Miner's Castle

Lots of beautiful flowers and fungi in the woods. I was excited to see Lady's Slipper!

We went through a LOT of mud. This was our end of trip photo!

 

[John Morrow]

Thank you, thank you! Love seeing wild places I am completely unfamiliar with. Filling the bucket.

 

[Pringles]

Thank you for sharing this. I lived near Pictured Rocks for 20 years, and hiked here often. I miss it.

 

[Glasterpiece]

Beautiful place and pictures. Thank you for sharing. I miss the U.P. Did you get a chance to swim in the big water?

 

[Janice]

Beautiful place and pictures. Thank you for sharing. I miss the U.P. Did you get a chance to swim in the big water?

A few people in our group dunked in Lake Superior, but it was way too cold for me! Did you live in the UP? I'm in SE Michigan, which is lovely but quite different from the UP...

 

[Glasterpiece]

A few people in our group dunked in Lake Superior, but it was way too cold for me! Did you live in the UP? I'm in SE Michigan, which is lovely but quite different from the UP...

I grew up in Wyandotte. If I had 3 days off I headed to the UP. Brevort, Eppoufette, Cut River, and such. I swam in the big lake at Whitefish Point in June 1973. Once was enough for me.

If I had 2 weeks off I headed west.

1976 found me living in Flat Rock, MI. I found a book in the library about southern Utah called Slickrock. I was hooked. That was March. By September we lived in Utah with a good paying job. We never looked back.

I still miss the big water and the huge freighters on the Detroit River. The hardwood forests of the UP. There's nothing like that out here.

If the pandemic gets somewhat under control I will come home for the last time. I have family in Southgate and Traverse City.

 

[Janice]

I grew up in Wyandotte. If I had 3 days off I headed to the UP. Brevort, Eppoufette, Cut River, and such. I swam in the big lake at Whitefish Point in June 1973. Once was enough for me.

If I had 2 weeks off I headed west.

1976 found me living in Flat Rock, MI. I found a book in the library about southern Utah called Slickrock. I was hooked. That was March. By September we lived in Utah with a good paying job. We never looked back.

I still miss the big water and the huge freighters on the Detroit River. The hardwood forests of the UP. There's nothing like that out here.

If the pandemic gets somewhat under control I will come home for the last time. I have family in Southgate and Traverse City.

Great to hear about your experiences. I can't imagine Whitefish Point in June. Brrrr!

I've been in Michigan almost 20 years now, after moving from the East Coast. We like it here very much and have loved our trips up north and the UP. Can't get enough of the dunes and scenery near Traverse City. What a gem that is - and so unknown in other parts of the country. But now that I've done some hiking & camping trips in southern Utah, I want to vacation there every year. I was sad to cancel our April trip this year and wonder what next April will bring...

Stay well, and hope you're able to visit your family in MI soon.