Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Hello from Marquette! 👋🏻 I’m finally moving into my blog posts here… wee! I’m so excited. I’ve been wanting to get caught up so I can try to stay current, since I’m always on the move here and have so much I want to blog about. I’ve been posting on my stories everyday, but I’m excited to catch up the blog and my Instagram feed finally! But if you’re totally out of the loop, I am currently in Marquette, Michigan for a month! I absolutely love it here so far, it feels 100% like home in such a weird and amazing way, and I already don’t want to come back, hahaha. I’m working remotely, so my days are still full-time in the “office” but every second I have outside of work, I’m out exploring. And my first big adventure the weekend I arrived was to Pictured Rocks! It’s ~45 minutes outside of MQT, but I wanted to do this first, because I wanted to do a boat cruise and thought the earlier I went, probably the better weather I’d have and I was right! So I’ll be blogging all about my day on the lakeshore! I have so many Marquette (and surrounding areas) I’ll be blogging about soon, so stay tuned. I am so pumped.
MUNISING FRONT & REAR RANGE LIGHTHOUSES
I’ve seen these lighthouses before on a trip to Pictured Rocks, but I definitely had to go back! They’re super easy to spot just driving through town, but blink and you might miss them. But these two lighthouses replaced the Grand Island East Channel Light (see below!) in 1905. These two lights combine to guide boats from the East Channel next to Grand Island into the harbor of Munising. The Front Range Light is located at the western edge of Munising north of M-28. You can visit the grounds of both of these lights, but the towers aren’t available to tour!
FALLING ROCK CAFE & BOOKSTORE
One of my favorite places to visit in downtown Munising is Falling Rock Cafe & Bookstore! It’s so quaint, definitely a must-visit if you’re looking for coffee and breakfast or lunch in the area. They’re a locally owned shop and they have free wireless internet, homemade food with vegan and gluten-free options, custom roasted coffee, and they have ice-cream as well! They also have local artist exhibits, with thousands of hand-selected books among the shelves. It’s a cozy atmosphere and I thoroughly enjoy each and every visit here! I got their breakfast sandwich on a croissant with sausage, egg and cheese… along with an iced soy chai latte. Yum!
Munising Falls
Miners Falls
MUNISING FALLS & MINERS FALLS
After brunch at the cafe, I headed out to do a few of the easy Pictured Rocks sights before my cruise. The first easy waterfall is Munising Falls, which is just a few minutes outside of downtown Munising. It’s where Washington Street becomes Sand Point Road. There’s a paved 800-foot trail up to a shaded canyon along Munising Creek. There are two sets of stairs that lead to platforms of additional views of the 50-foot waterfall as it drops over a sandstone cliff. After that, I drove out to the parking lot for Miners Falls. It’s about four miles north off Miners Castle Road, and the walk from the parking lot to the waterfall is 1.2 miles round-trip. It’s a gravel and dirt path through the woods that leads to two overlooks. Super easy walk! The Miners River drops about 50 feet over sandstone, creating the park’s “most powerful waterfall”. This one is an easy hike… and definitely worth it!
MINERS CASTLE (UPPER & LOWER OVERLOOK)
After Miners Falls, I made my way down the road of Miners Castle Road to Miners Castle! This is one of the most famous landmarks (and pictures!) along the Pictured Rocks Shoreline, and it’s the only cliff area in the park accessible by vehicle. Anywhere else you have to hike to or see from a cruise/boat! There’s a large parking lot and a short paved foot trail that leads to breathtaking overlooks of Lake Superior and Grand Island. Stairs and a steeper trail lead to the lower overlook. There was also a rockfall in 2006 that dramatically changed the look of Miners Castle as one of its two turrets unexpectedly fell into the lake.
PICTURED ROCKS CRUISES
After exploring for a while, I made my way back down into Munising to get ready for my Spray Falls sunset cruise at Pictured Rocks Cruises. I had some time to kill, so I snapped a few photos at the marina and then checked in, got in line, and waited for our boat to arrive! The line ended up taking forever because the boat was having mechanical issues, but I’m so glad they were able to fix it… and we all got out on the water! I love these cruises, and I had never done the Spray Falls one before… and it was amazing. I sat in the back on the second level, and had a perfect view. They are still offering boat rides through October, but if you’re going to be in the area, be sure to book as far in advance as possible! I think I got my tickets 3 weeks ahead of time and I snagged the last ticket.
Grand Island East Channel Lighthouse
I’m glad I went this weekend though, because it was great weather all day long… but no matter what, it’s about 10-15º cooler out on the boat and Lake Superior. It was great for the entire cruise just wearing jeans and a thick sweater with a light jacket, but I’m really glad I brought gloves for the way back. They speed up on the way home since it’s totally dark out, so it was very very windy and my eyes were watering from the cold! But it was perfect. Seeing the rocks from a boat is such a unique experience and the best way to see the colors and get a guided tour of each of the rock formations. I especially loved Lovers Leap and Indian Rock. So unique. Just the blues and browns of this area in my eyesight are 🙌🏻. It’s hard to explain how much I love Michigan, hahaha. It’s just a freaking vibe. 😂
Lover’s Leap
Spray Falls
EH! BURGER
After the chilly boat ride back, it was totally dark out by the time we docked in Munising. So I immediately got off the boat, and walked up to Eh! Burger before they closed… and got there with just enough time to order, sit down, eat, and warm up! It was so good. I loved my meal. It’s a fast-casual place, you order at the counter, grab your food to-go, and can sit/eat inside or take it with you. I got the classic Eh! Burger which has American cheese, grilled onions, pickles and Holy Wah sauce along with a side of tots. Super duper yummy. Well that wraps up my day in Munising! If you are familiar with the area and have additional tips, let me know in the comments!
Outfit details:
Madewell Skinny Jeans in Mackey Wash
Target Anorak Coat (similar)
H&M Knit Sweater (similar)
Madewell The Transport Tote
Madewell Sidewalk Low-Top Sneakers
