Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Park &
Grand Marias, Michigan
Waterfalls,
Hiking & Camping
- South Shore Lake Superior Circle Tour
Sunset over Grand Marais, Michigan - Upper Peninsula
We first stayed in our RV at Grand Marais's Woodland Park campground in 2006 and enjoyed rock picking on their Agate Beach. Previously we had visited Grand Marais when we were still tent camping and first exploring Pictured Rocks National Park. Grand Marais anchors the eastern end of the park easily accessible to Sable Falls, the Grand Sable Dunes, Au Sable Lighthouse, and the Log Slide Overlook.
Woodland Park is operated by the city of Grand Marais. Rates are reasonable, its location very good (adjacent to Pictured Rocks and within walking distance of downtown Grand Marais), and the campground has a very scenic and expansive sandy beach which also offers some pretty good rock picking, including an opportunity to find the treasured Lake Superior Agate. The sites themselves aren't spacious but are level and adequate. They offer electric, water, and a dump station.
The town itself has a well protected harbor that offers sailing and boating opportunities essentially equal to an inland lake. It also has an expansive, sandy swimming beach. Even if it were not the eastern gateway to Pictured Rocks, I could see Grand Marais being a popular destination vacation area. Probably the main reason it isn't overrun with vacationers is that it is only reachable via a dead end road, Michigan Highway 77 - 25 miles off the beaten path. |
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Gramd Marais, Michigan Harbor - Bayshore Park and Swimming Beach
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~~~"Click" on smaller images for a larger picture~~~ |
< < < A "Laker" freighter heads west near Grand Marais as the sun sets.
This historic First Lutheran church across from the Woodland Park campground played its chimes every hour. |
< < < The Woodland Park Campground sites offer some shade but are spaced more for RV's than tents.
 The outer beach at Grand Marais, MI is attractive and an excellent Lake Superior Rock Picking site and some of the premier Lake Superior Agate finds have been in this vicinity.
If I had continued to dig down through this submerged pile of pretty beach stones maybe I would have found one!
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 Rock Picking and Agate Hunting on Lake Superior Beaches |
Grand Marais Events, Festivals, & Links
More interesting things to see and do
Great Lakes Sea Kayak Symposium July 17 - 21st
Grand Marais Music & Arts Festival - Aug 9 - 10th
More travel information on visiting Grand Marais, Michigan
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| Pictured Rocks, Grand Marais Area - Sable Falls, Grand Sable Dunes , Au Sable Lighthouse |
< < < Sable Falls is at the eastern (Grand Marais) edge of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore park. It is a short .6 mile hike that ends in a flight of stairs that descends into the gorge formed by Sable Creek.
Ross and Jo on the other side of the camera for a change. On the way to the falls, stop at the Grand Sable Visitor Center for maps and information.
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< < < A relatively short, handicapped accessible trail leads to the Log Slide Overlook. Both this trail and the one to the falls are among the few in the park that allow dogs.
< < < Looking east on the Overlook towards the Grand Sable Dunes
The beach below the Overlook > > >
< < < Looking west towards the Au Sable Lighthouse |
< < < The Au Sable Lighthouse can be reached by a 3 mile round trip hike along a woods road from the Hurricane River campground.
The light keepers residence housed two families, the head keeper and the assistant.
Lighthouse Tours are offered during the summer months. Click Here to learn more about the tours and the Au Sable Light Station here. |
Hiking Trails - There are a few more day hiking and walking trails at the Grand Marais end of the park, but you have to be willing to negotiate the sand road (County H58) that runs through the park to get to the trail head parking areas. Some of these also allow pets - if on a 6 foot leash. For ambitious day hikers without pets and overnight backpackers, the Lakeshore-North Country runs the entire length of the park and provides some great hiking with spectacular vistas. Several trailhead spurs intersect with the Lakeshore trail allowing longer day trips.
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Camping and Campgrounds - 3 drive-in campgrounds exist within the park providing water, tables, grills and toilets. There are no showers nor electric hookups so RV campers will have to dry camp. Also know that the access is via unpaved sand roads. Just south of the park are several more campgrounds located in Lake Superior State Forest, but are also limited in terms of services like electricity and showers.
In addition there are 13 backcountry campsites sprinkled along the Lakeshore Trail and 7 group sites. These are very rustic - wilderness style camp sites: no potable water and only a few have toilets. Camping is allowed only at designated sites and pets are not allowed on backcountry trails or in backcountry campgrounds.
*Here's an Adobe PDF file from the National Park Service showing hiking trails and campgrounds. |
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Western Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Park: Munising Area - Miners Castle, Miners Falls, Visitor Center |
See our Pictured Rocks Boat Cruise
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Official Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Website |
Munising, Michigan - Waterfalls, Camping, Attractions |
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