The area around the Great Lakes was a part of the US that I didn’t know much about. When planning the trip it consisted of flipping through books and there happened to be a scenic photo of Pictured Rocks and it worked with the itinerary, so that is how I found myself here. It is located in a remote part of Upper Peninsula Michigan on Lake Superior. Its iconic images are of the sandstone cliffs and archways along the water, but I spent the first part of the day exploring the park’s trails and waterfalls. The first stop was Sable Falls. A short hike leads to many stairs down to the falls. Be sure to continue on the trail after the falls to the beach. The next stop as I worked my way down the lakeshore was Miner’s Castle. It provides a great lookout from the top of the cliffs and a view of the Miner’s Castle rock formation.
While I continued my way to Munising, the next stop was Miners Falls. The hike to the falls is 1.2 miles round trip and was through a beautiful forest. There are two overlooks on the very dramatic falls. And lastly, as I was arriving into town was Munising Falls. Unfortunately there hadn’t been much rain so it wasn’t as impressive as it normally is for this 50 foot waterfall that drops over a sandstone cliff.
There is no getting around it, the best way to see Pictured Rocks is from the water. I took an afternoon boat cruise to see it all from a new perspective. The landscape is constantly changing as water continuously erodes the cliffs. One of the remarkable formations created and iconic images is a tree on a rock outcropping whose roots run back to the mainland. As there isn’t sufficient soil on the rock, the large tree relies on these roots to get the nutrients it needs. It was able to form as a rock bridge once connected to the rock that has since fallen away. Along the lakeshore are all kinds of amazing colors and shapes (arches, feet, battleships, castle, caves, etc.). Be sure to get a seat on right side of the boat to have the best view of the sights as they go slow on the way out and then speed back to return.
