Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is a raw, magical place that has been celebrated by writers such as Ernest Hemingway, and for good reason. This wild piece of land is known for its deep woods, pristine rivers, and untamed nature. It is also surrounded by three of the Great Lakes, with long stretches of unspoiled shoreline where you can experience true solitude while watching the clouds blow over the water or, if you are very lucky, witnessing the kaleidoscopic light show of the aurora borealis.
Nowhere will you find this sense of splendid isolation more than Michigan’s Lake Superior shore, which stretches along the Upper Peninsula’s northern coast. The patch of coast is home to the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore — which you can visit on this Midwest road trip route around Lake Superior. This incredibly scenic reserve features sandstone cliffs, inland lakes, waterfalls, and plenty of beaches, including Twelvemile Beach, which — as the name suggests — occupies a dozen miles of prime lakefront real estate.
Twelvemile Beach offers more than just sweeping views of rocks, trees, and pristine sand meeting the water. You can also pitch your tent at the beach’s campground. What it lacks in amenities, it makes up for in pure natural goodness, which you’ll know as you drift to sleep in the perfect dark to the sound of the waves lapping the sand.
Experience a slice of lakeshore heaven
Other things to do at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Managed by the National Park Service, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is known for its striking cliffs, sand dunes, forest, and impressive waterfalls to explore. It’s also accessible by hundreds of miles of hiking paths, so one of the best ways to experience the park is by lacing up a pair of hiking shoes and hitting the trail.
The Beaver Basin Wilderness – which also includes Twelvemile Beach — is an 11,740-acre preserve that occupies 13 miles of the Lake Superior Lakeshore, featuring three lakes, five streams, backcountry campsites, as well as nearly 17 miles of interconnected hiking trails. The Pictured Rocks Lakeshore Trail is a 42-mile shoreline jaunt between Grand Marais and the town Munising, taking hikers past shipwrecks and lighthouses. For those wishing to take it easy, there are also plenty of hikes under a mile long.
Pictured Rocks is named for the colorful cliffs that are best viewed from the water. This means that it’s a kayaking hotspot, and Pictured Rocks Kayaking features tours where kayakers travel to the site from Munising in a kayak-launching boat before setting off on their own to explore the cliffs. Pictured Rocks Cruises also offers outings several times a day, departing from a dock in Munising. For more goodness on the shores of Lake Superior, check out this underrated city.
