The Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It stretches for about 15 miles starting just east of Munising, MI. It is truly one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. The Pictured Rocks are only about 3 hours from where we live. When we saw it for the first time, my wife kept saying, "I can't believe we have lived so close to something so amazing and have never been here before."
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| Miners Castle photo by mrbturner |
If you did a web search for Pictured Rocks National
Lakeshore, this is one of the first images you’ll probably see. This is Miners
Castle. Water and wind erosion have shaped this formation over time. This is a
great place to start when you are exploring the Pictured Rocks National
Lakeshore.
We rented a pontoon boat to explore the lakeshore. You can also take the Pictured Rock Boat Cruise if you want. We chose to rent the pontoon because then we could go at our own pace to see the lakeshore. We wanted that option because we like taking pictures and knew that we would be taking a boat load (pun intended.) We were given a map by the owner of the pontoon rental business. He told us where we could and could not go along the shore and also gave us some great information about some shipwrecks that we could also try to see. You have to sign some paperwork when renting the boat and, of course, provide a credit card as a security against damage. It is recommended that you have experience driving a boat and some knowledge of navigation. It was definitely the way to go. It allowed us to take our time and really see the Pictured Rocks. There is so much to look at, and you don't want to miss ANYTHING!
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| Photo by mrbturner |
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The Pictured Rocks rise out of Lake Superior some 50 to 200 feet! The colors of the sandstone are a result of the different minerals that are found within it.
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| Photo by mrbturner |
Many spots on the lakeshore looked as if someone had stood at the top of the cliff with a 50 gallon drum of paint and poured it over the edge and then repeated the same thing over and over with different colored paints to get the striations seen in many parts of the Pictured Rocks.
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| Photo by mrbturner |
There are a number of waterfalls that cascade over the edge of the Pictured Rocks. Depending on what time of year you visit, you may see all, some, or none. We were there in the first part of June, so we saw quite a few.
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| Photo by mrbturner |
There are many small caverns along the lakeshore. It would be really neat to kayak alongside the Pictured Rocks. You could really get up close to the caverns then.
Maybe next time...
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| Photo by mrbturner |
The colors in this area of the lakeshore were really impressive!
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| Photo by mrbturner |
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| Photo by mrbturner |
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| Photo by mrbturner |
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| Photo by mrbturner |
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| Photo by mrbturner |
Spray Falls is at the eastern end of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
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| Photo by mrbturner |
This is one of my favorite pictures. My wife and I think that we see the image of a horse in this sandstone cliff. What do you think?
Looking good Brett! Look forward to future entries!
ReplyDeleteInteresting information. I'm going to definitely try and visit this location this summer. Is this three hours from Rhinelander? Do you have to hike on a trail to get to the water before exploring/renting a boat?
ReplyDeleteYes, it's three hours from Rhinelander. It's about 50 miles east of Marquette, MI. You don't have to hike to get to the boat rental place or to the Pictured Rocks Boat Cruise. There are some beaches in and around Munising that you can park very close to and others that you have to hike to. Some of the hikes are very short and easy and others (like Mosquito Beach) are a little longer and more strenuous - but WELL worth it!
ReplyDeleteI can see the horse in your last picture that is pretty cool! This place looks so amazing and the rocks do look like they were painted over and over again. This looks like a gorgeous place to visit and sound like a good place to get away for a little bit.
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