Ten Tips for Visiting Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Visitors at the Log Slide Overlook. NPS photo

1. Plan your route

Waterfalls, history, backpacking — start with the park's things to do and places to go. Driving? Download self-guided tours in the NPS App. Backpacking? Look into shuttle services.

2. Pick a tour

The best way to see the Pictured Rocks cliffs is from the water, with an experienced guide: authorized boat cruises and kayak tours. There are also guided photography workshops, backpacking and, in winter, ice climbing.

3. Prepare for bugs

Summer brings stable flies, deer flies, mosquitoes and other biters, many of which ignore bug spray. Pack long pants, socks that cover your ankles and even a head net — and check for ticks afterward. More on biting insects.

4. Know where pets can go

Leashed pets (leash 6 feet at most) are welcome at Sand Point Beach, Miners Castle, Miners Falls and Miners Beach, the Au Sable Light Station grounds and Munising Falls. Some places — such as the Chapel/Mosquito loop — are closed to pets because of rough terrain and sensitive habitat. Clean up after them and keep them away from wildlife. Pet rules.

5. Respect Lake Superior

Lake Superior behaves more like a sea than a lake. Wind and waves can be powerful, and along the cliffs there's nowhere to get out if the weather turns.

On the water you must carry a personal flotation device and a sound-producing device such as a whistle or air horn. Also recommended: a wet or dry suit, spray skirt, paddle float, bilge pump, paddle leash and marine radio — and the ability to rescue yourself, since help can be delayed by weather and remoteness. Always check the marine forecast. Unsure? Go with a guide. More on paddling.

6. Reserve your campsite

All camping is by reservation only, at the three drive-in campgrounds or in the backcountry, on recreation.gov. RV campers: check size limits. Little Beaver Campground allows no pets, because it's next to the Beaver Basin Wilderness.

7. Pack your patience

Popular trails such as the Chapel-Mosquito loop get crowded in summer. Arrive early, carpool, or try another trail — a different stretch of the North Country Trail or one of the interior trails.

8. Stop at a visitor center

Get your pass, a map and advice at the two visitor centers, one at each end of the park: Munising Falls and Grand Sable, staffed 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily from June 1.

9. Don't count on your phone

Cell service is spotty. Download maps and check conditions ahead — or grab a paper map. Tell someone where you're going and when you'll be back, and carry a real flashlight; a phone's drains its battery fast.

10. Leave no trace

Brush up on Leave No Trace.

• Food and anything scented goes in park bear boxes or a hard-sided vehicle; never feed wildlife.
• All trash in park bins — including apple cores and fruit peels, which aren't part of the natural environment.
• Human waste in park toilets. Portable tent-style toilets aren't allowed (a safety concern for custodial staff). Otherwise go at least 70 steps from trails, campsites and water, bury solid waste at least 6 inches deep, and pack out toilet paper.

Sources

Based on "10 Tips for Visiting Pictured Rocks," National Park Service, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore; a work of the United States government in the public domain.