Our family generally plans an annual summertime beach vacation somewhere along the Gulf Coast of Florida, where we soak up the sun and play in the waves. Never in a million years have we ever considered the Upper Peninsula of Michigan a “beach haven.” This new adventure has opened our eyes to so many new possibilities of places to explore!
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, America’s first national lakeshore, offers pristine beaches and gorgeous, clear turquoise water like you’d find in the Carribean. Add to that nearly 100 miles of trails to hike, towering sandstone cliffs to view (AKA the pictured rocks), and the serenity of northern woodlands to experience, and you’ve got yourself a true paradise along the banks of Lake Superior, just outside of Munising, Michigan. The park is open year-round and is truly a four-season recreation destination with hiking, canoeing, kayaking, sightseeing, birding, backcountry and drive-in camping, fall color viewing, winter ice climbing, ice fishing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing… the list goes on!
Our visit to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in mid-August, 2020, offered an all new experience and challenge for the Rhodes Rules Family as we tackled our first major hike ever! We stood in awe with every turn on the 10-mile Chapel Falls, Chapel Rock, Chapel Beach, Mosquito Campground Loop Trail. This loop gave us far more than we expected in both effort and payoff. Hiking along miles of 200-foot cliffs overlooking the frigid, turquoise waters of Lake Superior was packed full of breathtaking overlooks and wow moments!
The next day called for a less strenuous hike. Miner’s Falls and Miner’s Castle Trail gave us even more incredible views to behold and to definitely entice our family to plan another trip in the near future to explore more of the Lake Superior coastline!
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Join our family in the fifth episode of our Westward Expansion series as we experience our first major hike ever to explore the oh-so-amazing Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on Lake Superior.
