3 Days on the Lakeshore Trail: Pictured Rocks

Day 1 of 3

Munising to Mosquito Beach · Miners Castle & the first cliffs

Sort your shuttle and pick up your backcountry permit, then start from the Munising end of the Lakeshore Trail. The first miles roll through forest and along the bluffs, with a worthwhile stop at Miners Castle, the park's most famous formation, a turreted sandstone point standing above the impossibly blue water. From here the cliffs begin in earnest.

4 stopsDay one

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⠿Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.

1. ⠿↑↓1
   Start from where are you driving from?Permit pickup · shuttle hub · Drive

   Munising is the western gateway to Pictured Rocks and the main base for logistics. Pick up your backcountry permit, sort your shuttle to Grand Marais, and consider the Munising boat cruise to see the cliffs from the water. Marquette (MQT) is the nearest airport, about an hour west.

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   Miners CastleThe park's most famous formation · Viewpoint

   Miners Castle is the park's most famous formation, a turreted sandstone point standing above impossibly blue water. It is also reachable by car so it can be busy by day, but it marks where the cliffs begin in earnest on your walk east.

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   Lakeshore Trail to Mosquito BeachBluffs, forest & first shoreline · Hike

   The Lakeshore Trail rolls through forest and along the bluffs to Mosquito Beach and the Mosquito River, one of the prettiest stretches in the park with flat sandstone shelves and clear water. This is a signed section of the North Country Trail.

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   Camp at the Mosquito backcountry siteReserved permit site · recreation.gov · lodge

   Camp at the reserved Mosquito backcountry site (or nearby Cliffs) so you fall asleep to Lake Superior. Every night needs a reserved permit through recreation.gov, and these sites fill fast for summer weekends. Filter your water and secure your food overnight.

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Day 2 of 3

The cliff miles · Chapel Rock, Spray Falls & Grand Portal Point

This is the heart of the trip and the most spectacular cliff walking in the park. Side-trip up to Chapel Falls, then drop to Chapel Beach and Chapel Rock, the iconic sandstone arch with a lone pine growing on top, its roots stretched across the gap to the mainland. From here the trail clings to the cliff tops past Grand Portal Point, one of the great viewpoints on Lake Superior.

4 stopsDay two

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⠿Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.

1. ⠿↑↓1
   Chapel Falls & Chapel RockThe iconic tree on the arch · Viewpoint

   Side-trip up to Chapel Falls, then drop to Chapel Beach and Chapel Rock, the iconic sandstone arch with a lone pine growing on top, its roots stretched across the gap to the mainland. This is the photographic heart of the trip.

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   Grand Portal PointA great Lake Superior viewpoint · Viewpoint

   From Chapel the trail clings to the cliff tops past Grand Portal Point, one of the great viewpoints on Lake Superior. Stay well back from the soft, undercut sandstone edges, especially when they are wet, and keep kids and dogs close.

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   Spray FallsWaterfall straight into the lake · Viewpoint

   Spray Falls is where a creek pours straight over the cliff edge into Lake Superior, best seen from the trail above or from the water on a boat cruise. It is one of the most striking sights on the whole Lakeshore Trail.

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4. ⠿↑↓4David Wilson from Oak / CC BY 2.0
   Camp at the Chapel or Coves siteReserved permit site · recreation.gov · lodge

   Camp at the reserved Chapel or Coves backcountry site to break up the long cliff miles right beside the most scenic stretch of trail. These are among the most popular sites in the park and sell out quickly for summer weekends, so reserve early on recreation.gov.

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Day 3 of 3

The Log Slide, Au Sable Light & the Grand Sable Dunes

The final stretch trades cliffs for sand and lighthouse history. Climb to the Log Slide, a steep dune overlook where loggers once sent timber sliding 300 feet down to the lake, with a huge view back toward the cliffs and ahead to the dunes. A spur leads to the Au Sable Light Station, a classic Lake Superior lighthouse on the point, often the highlight of the day.

4 stopsDay three

▾

⠿Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.

1. ⠿↑↓1
   The Log Slide overlookSteep 300-ft dune to the lake · Viewpoint

   Climb to the Log Slide, a steep dune overlook where loggers once sent timber sliding 300 feet down to the lake, with a huge view back toward the cliffs and ahead to the dunes. It looks like an easy run down, but climbing back up the soft slope is exhausting, so enjoy it from the top.

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   Au Sable Light StationClassic Lake Superior lighthouse · Viewpoint

   A spur leads to the Au Sable Light Station, a classic Lake Superior lighthouse on the point and often the highlight of the day. Build in time for it, as it is one of the most photogenic stops on the route and easy to skip if you are rushing.

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3. ⠿↑↓3Tony Webster from Minn / CC BY-SA 2.0
   Grand Sable DunesPerched dunes above the lake · Viewpoint

   The trail runs above the Grand Sable Dunes, perched sand banks rising hundreds of feet above Lake Superior, before easing down toward Grand Marais at the eastern end of the park. It is a sandy, scenic finale after the cliff miles.

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4. ⠿↑↓4Tony Webster from Minn / CC BY-SA 2.0
   Finish & shuttle from Grand MaraisGrand Marais · ~1.5 hr to Marquette · Drive

   You finish in Grand Marais at the eastern end of the park, where your shuttle car or service meets you. From here it is roughly an hour west back to Munising and about an hour and a half to Marquette (MQT) for flights out. Confirm your shuttle pickup before you start the trip.

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