Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan's Upper Peninsula

 September 2024

I am sharing info about a few of the areas we hiked/visited along the Pictures Rocks shoreline between Munising and Grand Marais. We split our campground time between Bay Furnace National Park Campground (primitive campsites with a sanitation station and fresh water available), and Seney Township Campground (town park on Fox River with electric sites and artesian well on property). 

Mosquito Falls and trail in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Hiking to Mosquito Falls, Mosquito Beach, and Chapel Falls

We started our hike at Chapel Falls trailhead. This trailhead is about a 40-minute drive from Bay Furnace Campground. We put the destination in Google maps and our GPS before we left Munising, so it stayed connected even when our phone lost reception en route. There is a trail map and vault toilets at the trailhead parking lot.

Above: Mosquito Beach
Below: cave along Mosquito Falls Trail

We hiked the Mosquito loop trail first, which was almost 5 miles. We did not think this was a difficult hike, although many people turned around before Mosquito Falls, as the trail gets a bit wet and hilly in areas. Since there were not many hikers, we got to enjoy the scenery and saw several deer. Mosquito Beach is beautiful!

Above: Chapel Falls
Below: creek above Chapel Falls

The hike to Chapel Falls from the parking area was 2.5 miles roundtrip. This hike is quite easy; the trail is wide and level at the start. The falls were not flowing much in September. Just above the falls there is a bridge over the creek with some scenic views, as well. The trail then continues on to Chapel Beach.

Above: view of Au Sable Lighthouse barely visible on the point from Log Slide Overlook
Below: approaching Au Sable Lighthouse via North Country Trail

Hiking North Country Trail between Log Slide Overlook and Au Sable Lighthouse

This is a great hike! We started at Log Slide Overlook parking lot, which is about a 40-minute drive from Seney Township Campground. You can also visit the lighthouse from Hurricane River Campground, which is an easier walk of about 1.5 miles one-way from the parking lot. The hike from the Log Slide parking lot was a hilly hike of about 2.5 miles one-way.

Hiking North Country Trail between Log Slide Overlook and Au Sable Lighthouse

We hiked this trail on a Sunday morning, and did not pass any hikers on our way to the lighthouse. We passed two groups of hikers on our return. Picnic tables and fresh water were available at the lighthouse; however, lighthouse tours had ended for the season the day before our visit (last Saturday in September).

Munising Falls September 2024

Waterfalls and visitor centers

It is an easy wheelchair accessible walk from Munising Falls Visitor Center to the falls. There are additional steps that can then be climbed from the bottom of the falls viewing area.

Above: Sand Point Marsh Trail
Below: beach and what is left of Sand Point Historical Dock

North Country Trail is accessible from Munising Falls Visitor Center. The trail passes Sand Point Marsh Trail, and Sand Point Beach en route to the Lake Superior Shoreline. The Sand Point Historical dock building was closed at the time of our visit.

Sable Falls

There is a large parking lot at Sable Falls, or, it is a pretty easy hike along Sable Creek from Grand Sable Visitor's Center. There are a lot of steps down to Sable Falls when you get there!

Munising Falls and the Sand Point area are less than a 15-minute drive from Bay Furnace Campground. We visited Sables Falls area the same day that we drove to Log Slide Overlook from Seney Township Campground.

Miner's Castle Rock Overlook in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Miner's Castle Rock on Pictures Rocks National Lakeshore

This stop was the most beautiful of all the places we visited! The overlook area is wheelchair accessible, and there are steps down to Miner's Beach.

Above: Miner's Castle Rock Overlook
Below: Sand Point

Misc. and overall

We spent seven nights in the area, and could have easy stayed another week. Although the falls are not flowing as much in the fall as in the spring, we enjoyed visiting this time of year. The weather was great, and we did not have any bothersome bugs on our hikes. Our visit near the end of September was a week or two early for autumn colors. If you like to stay in National Parks during non-peak season, I suggest visiting the USDA Forest site for campground open dates. We found that information on that site was more accurate than the recreation.gov site.

Above: Mosquito Beach
Below: Lake Superior in front of Au Sable Lighthouse

I am sharing a few more photos of this amazing area! Let me know if you have any questions, and feel free to share this post for others.