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Luckily, on the day we visited, there were groups of kayakers near several of the scenic areas, and their presence helped to give the cliffs a sense of scale. The Pictured Rocks get their name from the visible striping in the rock layers and mineral deposits left on the surface from spring water that leaks out forming colorful streaks. Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore contains many pristine lakes and streams that are threatened by unwelcome visitors—invasive aquatic plants and animals. These non-native organisms can negatively impact wildlife habitat, upset the food chain, and out-compete native species. Hitchhikers spread from lake to lake by boat, trailer and fishing equipment, and expelled bilge water. Or try to reel in a fishing line clogged with spiny water fleas.
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The road to the Duck Pond Eatery & Beer Garden takes you right through charming Christmas, Michigan where you can see Santa every month of the year. We’ve slowly been making our way through the Upper Peninsula as the kids get older and can handle longer car rides. This time, we left home later at night, so we boondocked at the Walmart in Gaylord before making the rest of the drive to Munising in the morning.
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This thin cascade runs down the sloping edge of the cliff into the lake. It’s most active during the spring, and by the time we visited in mid-July, it was completely dry. One of the first landmarks you’ll encounter is the rock formation known as Miners Castle. It’s one of the few spots in the park you can drive to, but views from the water are still the best. It’s named due to the rock “turrets” that make it look castle-like, and even though one of them collapsed in 2006, you can still see where it gets its name from. No matter what time of year you plan to travel to Munising, it’s best to plan to ensure your vacation goes as smoothly as possible.
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Boat RentalsPontoon boat and other rentals for use on Lake Superior are available in nearby communities. SAILBOATS AND PADDLEBOARDSLake Superior - Small sailboats and paddleboards can be launched into Munising Bay at Sand Point Beach. Munising Bay is a good place for sailing and paddleboarding since it is generally a more sheltered area. Larger boats should use the municipal boat ramps listed above to enter Lake Superior.Inland Lakes - Little Beaver Lake, Beaver Lake, and Grand Sable Lake are also suitable for small sailboats and paddleboards. The photos below are but a small sample of the unique landscapes of Mother Nature. Our captain guide was fantastic – not only did they offer information in a very casual way, but they were incredibly flexible when it came to taking photos and videos.
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4 Pictured Rocks Vacation Ideas for a Long Weekend - MyNorth.com
4 Pictured Rocks Vacation Ideas for a Long Weekend.
Posted: Thu, 25 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Your Pictured Rocks boat tour begins with a quick trip through the harbor out toward the national lakeshore. There isn’t a ton to see for the first few minutes, and the boat traveled at a pretty decent clip here. Because we were on the outside deck, it got pretty windy and I was a little chilly.
I was glad I had heeded the operators’ advice and brought a sweatshirt even though temps were in the upper 70s that day. The rest of the tour was at a much slower pace and I was quite comfy without the hoodie. Chapel Cove is a small inlet surrounded by cliffs on three sides. The water was incredibly calm that day, so the captain said he was going to take us up close to see it. I wasn’t expecting him to pull us all the way inside the cove though.
The dock for the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Grand Island boat ride is about a ¼ mile walk from the restaurant, through Paddler’s Village and along the lake shore. Golf cart rides are offered to those who are not able to make the trek easily, which was perfect for a portion of the group that we were traveling with. There was also a small cash-only snack bar where you could get cans of pop, bottles of water, and light snacks. Note that you are allowed to bring your own snacks and drinks on board (no alcohol) so you can pack your favorites with you. Grand Portal is the tallest portion of the cliffs here, and the archway was once large enough that decent sized boats could sail through it.
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After eating, we took a stroll around the property while waiting for our scheduled Pictured Rocks boat tour. In the parking lot of the Duck Pond Eatery & Beer Garden is the office to schedule tours – guided boat and kayak – or book a stay at their Paddler’s Village. There is plenty of free parking available in a dirt lot near the ticket office, so I wouldn’t anticipate having trouble parking your car. As noted before, it’s recommended to arrive at least 45 minutes before your scheduled departure if you want to snag one of the good seats. If you opt for the Spray Falls tour like we did, the final major landmark you’ll see is the namesake waterfall itself.
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But the low light conditions didn't diminish the beauty of the rocks and we all thoroughly enjoyed the experience and are looking forward to a return visit for a daylight cruise or a mid-summer evening cruise on a clear evening. Very little of the National Lakeshore is accessible by car so most visitors prefer to spend their visit on a Pictured Rocks tour boat. Viewing the colorful cliffs from out on the water gives you a much better view than you would have from the land anyway. The color of the water near the cliffs is unmatched, nearly Caribbean blue in color. While there are some tours offered during the daytime hours, I would highly recommend the sunset cruise if you love bold colors and the serene feel of the evening. Being up on the boat, it’s hard to get a good perspective on the size of them.
The passengers on the right got the better views for the first half, but we had the prime viewing on the way back, which worked out well for our particular cruise because the lighting was better then. I paid close attention to the captain’s narration on the way out because I wasn’t expecting him to redo it as we headed back, but that turned out to be unnecessary because he repeated almost all the information. In addition to the painted rocks there are unique formations like chapel rock, miners castle, and indian head rock. At the falls, the boat makes a U-turn and heads back to Munising.
However, our captain was incredibly knowledgeable about Pictured Rocks and gave us tidbits of information and fun facts as we were on our cruise. Every time we end up in the Upper Peninsula, I try my hardest to eat my weight in fresh whitefish (how can you not?!). The Duck Pond Eatery & Beer Garden did not disappoint, in fact, they offer whitefish appetizers, sandwiches, tacos, fish and chips, and a whitefish chowder.
It drops 65 feet straight off the cliff into Lake Superior and makes for a spectacular sight. The area at the base of the falls was also the location of a major shipwreck, where a boat named the Superior sank in a storm in the 1850s. Passengers were drawn to the seats on the right side – aka starboard or the passenger side of a car – but we ended up on the left side because the seats on the right were already full. Either side is perfectly fine though because the boat heads east along the shore and then turns around to repeat the same trip back.
While its rural location is part of the charm, cell service can be an issue for some arriving in the Upper Peninsula. Fortunately, we have a range of maps and guides to help you along the way.
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore stretches for fifteen miles along the Upper Peninsula’s Lake Superior shoreline. With naturally colorful cliffs that tower as high as 200 feet above the water, it’s a spectacular sight that’s a must-visit on any trip to the UP. While there are some scenic drive and hiking trails running through the park, the best way to really appreciate the cliffs is from a Pictured Rocks tour boat. A National Parks concessionaire called Pictured Rocks Cruises operates numerous sailings 7 days a week from mid-May to mid-October, and I absolutely loved our tour. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data.
Whoever was picking the designs for the shirts completely shared my taste and I would’ve happily bought at least 80% of the store. My fiance and I each had a terrible time choosing just one shirt each. Usually I’ll hunt around and maybe find a design or two that I really like, but there were great ones everywhere here, and they really weren’t expensive for a gift shop. My fiance has a great love for trees that are surviving in completely unreasonable conditions, so his favorite rock formation was an easy call. Chapel Rock was once connected to the cliff by a natural stone archway, and the roots from the tree pictured here grew on top of it. When the arch collapsed leaving Chapel Rock freestanding, the roots remained and the tree has continued to survive with its lifeline to the mainland.
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