Day 3 - Pictured Rocks and Other Stuff

Pictured Rocks

PICTURED ROCKS NATIONAL LAKESHORE - FEDERAL LANDS PASS REQUIRED (KM HAS THIS)

100 City Park Dr, Munising, MI 49862 - USE THIS ADDRESS FOR THE BOAT TOURS!

Boat Tour: https://picturedrocks.com/

Waterfalls: https://www.nps.gov/piro/planyourvisit/waterfalls.htm

Another boat tour option: https://riptideride.com/

More boat tour options: https://www.munising.org/water-activities/boat-tours/

Getting to Pictured Rocks

Please note, if you are using Google Maps to navigate to the park, please use "Munising Falls Visitor Center", or "1505 Sand Point Road, Munising MI" as your routing point! Using "Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore" will NOT bring you to a visitor center!

GET A MAP AT THE WELCOME CENTER - GPS DOESN'T WORK!

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is located on the south shore of Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, between the communities of Munising (west) and Grand Marais (east). The main park visitor center is located in Munising at Munising Falls.

Michigan state highways M-28 and M-94 lead to Munising. State highway M-77 leads to Grand Marais. Alger County Road H-58 and other spur roads (some unpaved) provide access throughout the lakeshore. Many roads are closed by snow during the winter. See winter road closure page for more information.

Getting Around Pictured Rocks

The main road that travels through the national lakeshore is Alger County Road H-58. Other access roads (some unpaved) that lead to lakeshore sites such as campgrounds, day use areas, scenic views, and trailheads are clearly marked on the park map. Please stay on H-58 and these official roads.

(For winter road closure information click here.)

Avoid narrow dirt roads, two-tracks, and potential dead end roads where you might get stuck, resulting in very costly towing fees. Use the park map instead of relying on GPS, Google Maps, or other apps which do not work well here.

H-58 is suitable for vehicles of all sizes. Some park roads have size restrictions and others are not recommended for large recreational vehicles, busses, and vehicles with trailers.

Dark sky park is amazing near Pictured Rocks! 

Other Things!

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Au Sable Light Station

stands on Au Sable Point on the south shore of Lake Superior; free, range-led climbs daily through the summer (11a - 4p, almost every 30 minutes); GET THERE: Drive to the Hurricane River day use area and hike the Light Station Trail (1.5 mi - FULL HIKE) to the Light Station grounds - https://www.nps.gov/piro/planyourvisit/au-sable.htm

Grand Sable Visitor Center:

E21090 County Road H-58 (Two miles west of Grand Marais, Michigan)

Free Guided Climbs at the Au Sable Light Station

Summer lighthouse climbs and tours at the Au Sable Light Station begin on June 8th, 2025 through October 15th, 2025.

Join a ranger at 11:00 am, 11:30 am, 12:00 pm, 1:30 pm, 2:00 pm, 2:30 pm, 3:00 pm, 3:30 pm, and 4:00 pm for a guided climb up the Au Sable Light Station! Climbs are free, but spots on each tour are limited. Climbs are first-come, first served.

Guided climbs include a brief overview of the history and purpose of the Au Sable Light Station, a walk through of the Assistant Keeper's Quarters, and a climb up the 98 steps to the top of the lighthouse for a view of Lake Superior and the Grand Sable Dunes.

Securely-strapped shoes (no flip flops, slides, or bare feet) are required to climb the lighthouse.

This active lighthouse along Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore sits surrounded by astonishingly beautiful shoreline. Just west of Grand Marais, the light’s a short distance from Log Slide Overlook in one direction and from Twelve Mile Beach in the other. A 1-1/2 mile walk along the historic U.S. Coast Guard road nearby is worth the trek, with scenic overlooks of Lake Superior and paths out onto Twelve Mile Beach, the beauty only increases the closer you get to Au Sable.

Bear Trap Inn

N7294 County Road H15Route # 1, Shingleton, MI 49884

Nestled between the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and the Hiawatha National Forest, the Bear Trap Inn is a unique and family friendly restaurant and bar. Serving a full menu of delicious and plentiful food as well as a complete bar selection. Banquets and parties enjoy special attention from the crew with Frank's Prime Rib, a specialty of the house.

Log Slide Overlook

The Log Slide is located about 11 km west of Grand Marais, Michigan. This is a must-see stop on any trip to the Pictured Rocks.

Round-trip: 1 km
Difficulty: Easy
Location: Grand Marais, MI

Click Here for Google Map of the Route

The log slide itself was a chute that loggers used to move logs from the top of the dunes down to Lake Superior to be loaded onto boats for transport. The wooden chute is no longer there, but it was said that sometimes the logs traveling down the chute would catch fire due to the friction from the sand and wood, as well as the heat of the sun.

From Grand Marais, Michigan take county road H-58, for 11 km then turn onto Log Slide Road for about 1 km to the parking area.

From the parking area, it is about 600m to the overlook. The trail is fully accessible and leads through mature hardwoods to an old log landing at the former site of the Log Slide. Interpretive displays provide information on the dune formations and logging history of the area.

From the overlook platform, you can see the Au Sable Lighthouse to the West and the Grand Sable Dunes to the East.

Enjoy the sunset at Sandpoint Beach

During the day this gorgeous beach comes alive with activity from early morning kayakers to vacationers looking for a beautiful place to nap. At night, the beach clears out giving you plenty of space to set up camp for the sunset. Each night the sun cascades beautiful hues of pinks and oranges as it sets behind Grand Island and the shoreline. The beach offers an unobstructed view of the beauty. 

See the Munising Falls

This is a quick but unique stop! A short, 800 ft. hike (one-way) through sandstone canyons takes you to the 50-ft. Munising Falls. There are two viewing platforms and dogs are welcome to come along too. Visitors also recommend visiting this spot in the fall and winter for the gorgeous scenery. 

Visit Grand Island 

Just a tad larger than Manhattan, Grand Island is home to scenic overlooks, beautiful beaches, hiking/biking trails, and miles of untouched wilderness.  There are a couple of ways you can explore its beauty.

First, hop on the Grand Island Interpretive Bus tour which covers the island’s history while checking out beautiful vistas and wildlife. The tour is available from May – October and is $30 for adults and $15 for children, reservations are recommended. 

If you’d rather explore on your own, grab your bike, kayak, hiking shoes and hop on the ferry, and go! There are over 40 miles of trails throughout the island including the 20-mile island perimeter. If you’re not opposed to the cold and are a little fearless (actually a lot fearless!), in the winter trek across the frozen Lake Superior to see the incredible ice caves that form along Grand Island. 

The ferry to the island runs from Memorial Day – Mid-October and tickets are $23 for adults and $15 for children.

Check out Grand Sable Dunes

These enormous dunes rise 300 feet above Lake Superior and stretch for five miles along the Pictured Rocks Lakeshore! They are one of two examples of perched dunes in Michigan (the other is Sleeping Bear Dunes). Because the ecosystem of the dunes is fragile, you can’t explore everywhere. The best place to start is at The Sable Falls parking lot and take the short Grand Sable Dunes Trail, which offers sweeping views.