Picture this: beautiful, colorful, tall rocks surrounded by Lake Superior. Pictured Rocks is one of the most gorgeous spots in all of Michigan and a place, I personally think, every Michigander and traveler to Michigan needs to experience for themselves. Pictured Rocks is located in the small town of Munising, MI.
There are two ways to explore the rocks; either by kayaking or a boat cruise. First, I wanted to kayak but my friends wanted to do the boat cruise. I'm glad I did the boat cruise for a couple reasons. Kayaking on Lake Superior (the largest fresh water lake in the world) is very difficult. It is not for beginners. There is a guide that kayaks with you. I do think the kayakers get to see little caves and are definitely closer to the rocks which is a bonus.
However, with the boat cruise, we were able to sit back, relax, bring snacks, and see ALL of the rocks with a guided tour. Our tour guide was fenaominal and funny. We watched the kayakers as we zoomed past them on the boat. Kayacking seemed fun but a little dangerous if rocks fell into the water. There are pros and cons to doing either the boat ride or kayaking.
Pictured rocks had multiple, cute gift shops and unique shopping. Munising is definitely a smaller town compared to an area like Traverse City, but it was still nice to walk around. The company that had the boat tours had a GREAT gift shop. I wish I could go back in time and buy more t-shirts and photography books.
One of the beaches we passed on the boat was Miner's Beach. Once we hopped of the boat, my friends and I drove directly there.
It was a beautiful beach with pictured rocks bordering it!!
Another thing I loved about the general area was the amount of people pulled off at the side of the road, jumping into Lake Superior. Most of the time while you're in Munising and bordered areas, you're traveling with Lake Superior right next to you. People would pull over on the side of the road and jump into the water or have picnics by the beaches.
My only regret of the whole trip was not buying a pasty. They are an essential in the UP and Munising had multiple stores selling them!
When to go and how long to stay: My friends and I needed one day in Pictured Rocks. It is a smaller town so there is not a lot of other things to do. Some people like to stay longer to camp and hike the multiple trails Munising has to offer. We visited in July which was a PERFECT time to go. It was warm and safe to go kayaking and go on the boat tour. There are multiple ship wrecks that can happen on Lake Superior so they are most likely not going to allow you to go on a boat or kayak during bad weather. Summer should be the time you visit.
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