Pictured Rock Trip Report

“I've been meaning to post a trip report since I got back but things at work have picked up so finding time has been tricky.

But at long last here it is.

Pictures are available here

We got there earlier than we expected on Friday and ended up waiting for the shuttle so we hit the trail about when we expected. Weather reports were telling us the Saturday and Sunday we would be seeing some less than ideal weather conditions. The weathermen were right for a change and we were being rained on before we reached our camp site on Friday. We hastily made camp, and holed up until morning. This was my first night ever in my Clark Jungle Hammock and other than having to mess with it a bit to get it hung right the night went really well. I did mess up and not get one of the under pockets covered by the rain fly so some water got into the inside of the hammock. However the hammock kept me warm (considering the temp had to be around 30) and I didn't know any water got in the hammock until I was packing the next morning. We woke to rain so I made a quick breakfast (the other two guys weren't into having a morning meal) packed up and off we went. The scenary out there was great and our first look over the dunes to the lake was great, although quite windy. Soon the sun was out and we had a nice day for hiking stopping for lunch a couple of miles past the lighthouse. It was a nice improved campsite with water and picnick tables etc. I took the time to hang my hammock and sleeping bag to dry out. We passed the spot of a shipwreck but the lake was too choppy to see it. We hiked on the rest of the afternoon and it was raining again by the time we reached our camp site for the night.

We woke the next morning to snow and once again I got a little water in my hammock, getting the rain fly tied out just right is important especially in the high winds near the lake. We tried to make a fire with limited success (everything was just too wet) so we got packed and started moving. Sunday we had more great scenary and even came across this old car out in the middle of the woods. We stopped for lunch on the beach and had a chance to really enjoy the lake. The weather had calmed down, the lake was glassy smooth and amazingly clear. We had some great photo ops and made it to our camp early with clear skys. I hung out my sleeping bag and hammock to let them dry out, we walked down to the beach and just had a nice evening. Monday morning we woke up to cold, I'm guessing in the mid to high 20's, again I was nice and warm in the hammock but getting out was not so pleasent. We all got packed up and moved out by 9 with a nice day in front of us. We were all amazed by how fast the weather changed in the UP. Monday night was another surprise it was warm (high 50's-60's) when we went to bed and expected the temp to drop as in the previous nights but it didn't I slept on top of my sleeping bag and opened the inner lining of the hammock to cool off. Getting up Tuesday was easy it was nice out and the morning wasn't cold. We had been talking the night before about just finishing the hike today instead of camping out one more night and hiking 4 miles Wednesday morning. So we moved out and kept a fairly good pace all day. We were surprised by the terrain after minors castle since alot of it was marshy. I'd have to say that in the future I'd hike from Munising to Minors Castle as quick as I could, or even consider skipping it.

Well we made it to Munising and our car by 5 and were quickly sitting in Hardees eating our burgers happily, on the road home by 6:30 (we drove down to sand point before leaving) and were back in Peoria Il by 3 AM. It was quite the trip and I learned alot about what not to take with me hiking.

On the don't take list: Anything cotton (gets wet then its heavy and worthless), extra sweats/shirt, camp pillow (I was thinking of it as my comfort item, next time will save the weight).

Things I will keep though: My blackend bottom pot. My friend and I both had the same stove and I was heating my water to boil in about half the time it took him.

Thats my trip report, thanks for all the good info.”

“I've been meaning to post a trip report since I got back but things at work have picked up so finding time has been tricky.

But at long last here it is.

Pictures are available here

We got there earlier than we expected on Friday and ended up waiting for the shuttle so we hit the trail about when we expected. Weather reports were telling us the Saturday and Sunday we would be seeing some less than ideal weather conditions. The weathermen were right for a change and we were being rained on before we reached our camp site on Friday. We hastily made camp, and holed up until morning. This was my first night ever in my Clark Jungle Hammock and other than having to mess with it a bit to get it hung right the night went really well. I did mess up and not get one of the under pockets covered by the rain fly so some water got into the inside of the hammock. However the hammock kept me warm (considering the temp had to be around 30) and I didn't know any water got in the hammock until I was packing the next morning. We woke to rain so I made a quick breakfast (the other two guys weren't into having a morning meal) packed up and off we went. The scenary out there was great and our first look over the dunes to the lake was great, although quite windy. Soon the sun was out and we had a nice day for hiking stopping for lunch a couple of miles past the lighthouse. It was a nice improved campsite with water and picnick tables etc. I took the time to hang my hammock and sleeping bag to dry out. We passed the spot of a shipwreck but the lake was too choppy to see it. We hiked on the rest of the afternoon and it was raining again by the time we reached our camp site for the night.

We woke the next morning to snow and once again I got a little water in my hammock, getting the rain fly tied out just right is important especially in the high winds near the lake. We tried to make a fire with limited success (everything was just too wet) so we got packed and started moving. Sunday we had more great scenary and even came across this old car out in the middle of the woods. We stopped for lunch on the beach and had a chance to really enjoy the lake. The weather had calmed down, the lake was glassy smooth and amazingly clear. We had some great photo ops and made it to our camp early with clear skys. I hung out my sleeping bag and hammock to let them dry out, we walked down to the beach and just had a nice evening. Monday morning we woke up to cold, I'm guessing in the mid to high 20's, again I was nice and warm in the hammock but getting out was not so pleasent. We all got packed up and moved out by 9 with a nice day in front of us. We were all amazed by how fast the weather changed in the UP. Monday night was another surprise it was warm (high 50's-60's) when we went to bed and expected the temp to drop as in the previous nights but it didn't I slept on top of my sleeping bag and opened the inner lining of the hammock to cool off. Getting up Tuesday was easy it was nice out and the morning wasn't cold. We had been talking the night before about just finishing the hike today instead of camping out one more night and hiking 4 miles Wednesday morning. So we moved out and kept a fairly good pace all day. We were surprised by the terrain after minors castle since alot of it was marshy. I'd have to say that in the future I'd hike from Munising to Minors Castle as quick as I could, or even consider skipping it.

Well we made it to Munising and our car by 5 and were quickly sitting in Hardees eating our burgers happily, on the road home by 6:30 (we drove down to sand point before leaving) and were back in Peoria Il by 3 AM. It was quite the trip and I learned alot about what not to take with me hiking.

On the don't take list: Anything cotton (gets wet then its heavy and worthless), extra sweats/shirt, camp pillow (I was thinking of it as my comfort item, next time will save the weight).

Things I will keep though: My blackend bottom pot. My friend and I both had the same stove and I was heating my water to boil in about half the time it took him.

Thats my trip report, thanks for all the good info.”

“Great Pictures! Brings back many memories of my trip to pictured rocks this summer! Thanks for posting!”

“Thanks for the report and pictures. Looks like a nice area.”

“P.R. is on my agenda next year. Thanks for the report”

“too bad you weren't there for fall colors! glad to hear you had at least some decent weather.

i agree about skipping the portion between munising and miner's castle. pretty wet and not to much to see.”

“Great Pictures!
Could you put in some captions so we know what we're looking at though?”

“Jbane,

Great job on the trip report and awesome pictures! I agree with Dude though, captions would be a nice touch..;-)

Keep those picts and reports coming!

Tx”

“The pictures are great. It makes me want to do a lakeside backpacking trip.”

“Nice report & pics. Did a weekend hike there this summer and had a blast (damn buggy tho). Will definitely head back up there at some point.”

“I'm planning on organizing the pics and putting in captions and such but time is in short supply these days.”

“I know the feeling.”

“between munising and minors was my favorite. My least favorite was that stretch of woods with the car in it.”

“Wow. Outstanding pics!”

“GREAT Pictures...where was this place? and what lighthouse was that?”

“stikmon, PR is in Mi's Upper penninsula, east of munising along lake superior. About 45 miles of trail.”

“45 miles straight along the coast. More interior trails in the park. More shoreline and interior trails in adjoining state and national forest land, including the Fox River trail along the Big Two Hearted River of Hemingway fame. Cool place. Nice ice climbing I hear.”

“Do you ice climb RL? Its one of my goals for next winter if I stay in the states. maybe we could have a michigan Mountaineer Ice climbing trip”

“So I take it the best stretch is the 12-mile eastern section where the trail follows the sheer cliffs over Lake Superior and the worst is the Potato Patch to Mosquito area. Whare is that”

“Well, adventuregirl, I'm always up for new things, but ice climbing isn't exactly at the top of the list. Le Subtil, though, said that there is an ancient shoreline bay hidden off trail in the interior portions of the park. Apparently it is very cool and very much off the beaten path. I'd like to go there.”

“Oh, yeah, one more thing. I heard last week that jet skis are now temporarily banned along the shore.”

“Rite on. Make it permenent. I'd go into kill mode if I heerd jet skis or anything mankind on that trale”

“Which route is best?

#1: South to North: supposed to be a bit more rugged, prettier, drive time Sunday.
start: Munising Falls
Thurs: hike 6.1 miles to Cliffs Group Campsite (may have to hike +1m to water)
Friday: hike 10.2 miles to Chapel campsite, optional 1-2 mile spur to Misquito Falls in middle of day, or go inland loop for 12 miles to swing by Misquito
Saturday: hike 4 miles to Coves, do optional 4 mile loop around Beaver Lake area (without packs)
Sunday: optional loop or in-out; car parked at Coves area (within a mile or so of campsite, not sure from map). Head home

#2: South to North: supposed to be a bit more rugged, prettier, drive time Monday
start: Munising Falls
Thurs: hike 6.1 miles to Cliffs Group Campsite (may have to hike +1m to water)
Friday: hike 10.2 miles to Chapel campsite, optional 1-2 mile spur to Misquito Falls in middle of day, or go inland loop for 12 miles to swing by Misquito
Saturday: hike 6.7 miles to Pine Bluffs/Trappers
Sunday: hike 7 miles to Twelvemile
Monday: car at Twelvemile, drive home

#3: North End: not as rugged, easier terrain, not as pretty? drive home Sunday
start: Au Sable campground
Thurs: hike 10.7 miles to Benchmark
Friday: hike 8 miles to Pine Bluff
Saturday: hike 3 miles to Coves, do optional 4 mile loop around Beaver Lake area
Sunday: car at Coves, optional loop, drive home

#4: North End: not as rugged, easier terrain, not as pretty? drive home Monday
start: Au Sable campground
Thurs: hike 10.7 miles to Benchmark
Friday: hike 8 miles to Pine Bluff
Saturday: hike 6 miles to Chapel, optional loop 8 miles to Chapel lake (without packs)
Sunday: 5 miles to Misquito, optional 1-2 mile loop to Misquito Falls (without packs)
Monday: 2-3 miles to car at Chapel Trailhead, drive home

#5: middle option, Sunday drive
start: Twelvemile beach trailhead
Thurs: hike 7.3 to Pine Bluff
Fri: hike 6 miles to Chapel on shoreline, or 8 miles on Beaver Lake loop, optional Chapel Lake spur trail (without packs)
Sat: hike 4.4 miles to Misquito on shoreline, optional loop (without packs) to Misquito Falls and/or Chapel Lake
Sunday: hike 3 miles to car at Chapel Trailhead, drive home.

#6: middle option, Sunday drive
start: Twelvemile beach trailhead
Thurs: hike 7.3 to Pine Bluff
Fri: hike 6 miles to Chapel on shoreline, or 8 miles on Beaver Lake loop, optional Chapel Lake spur trail (without packs)
Sat: hike 4.4 miles to Misquito on shoreline, optional loop (without packs) to Misquito Falls and/or Chapel Lake
Sunday: hike 6 miles to Cliffs Group (may have to carry water 1m +)
Monday: hike 1m to car at Miner Castle Trailhead, drive home”

“Go with #2

8)”

“Got any input as to why I should choose #2, ICM?”

“For one the way you are staring is diffrest then the way I would so would get to see the cool rocks first.Also the spur trail to see the waterfall is very nice!That is a great place to camp.Chapel beach is cool also.

I don't know the whole trail is great!!!!!!

For me the best way is to start at Grand Marais and go past the cool dunes there its cool becuase sometimes if there is fog it comes up the sides of the dunes and that looks neat!

Or if you can find the time do the whole thing!

They have the bus that picks you still don't they?

8)”

“I'm meeting a friend from Minneapolis, so we'll have two cars to shuttle. Unfortunatly, its my vacation time that is limiting us.

Thanks for the input Mike!”

“If the bugs are out (which they will be), you'll want to avoid Cliffs and Potato Patch campsites. They are not close enough to Superior to get the breeze. And, there is very little to no water close by.

I think I mentioned that Chapel Beach was a great place to camp. The side trail to Chapel falls was worth it, too.

Mosquito Beach was nice. I didn't camp there, but would have.

Beaver Lake has a campground but it is for car-campers, too.

I never went east of Beaver Lake so I can't really comment on that portion.

What I do know is the most of the rock/cliff scenery was between Beaver Lake and Chapel Beach. Very pretty area. Fit that in somehow.

Can you start at Miner's and head east to Chapel Beach for the first night? I don't remember the mileage for that. Maybe 8 miles?”

“Drive up there Wed after work. (Figure we'll get there kind of late Wed, so sleep in Thursday.)

Thursday: Leave a car at Chapel Trailhead. Park at Hurricane River Campground. Hike less than 4 miles to Benchmark (backcountry campsite). Fiigure we got a later start after driving around, and may be tired from the drive the night before, so only do 4-5 this day. (Twelvemile beach backup if Benchmark full - car camping but only 0.6 miles further)

Friday: hike 7.9 miles from Benchmark to Pine Bluff (backcountry site). backup Trapper Group site, 0.4 miles less. extra loops at Pine Bluff /Beaver lake if we want.

Saturday: hike 8.6 to from Pine Bluff to Chapel (backcountry site, recommended). (Backup sites are 3-4 miles away. hope we can get it! I guess backup would be Coves, 4.3 miles back, but near Beaver lake loops; we could pick up the extra 4.3 the next day since it was only 4.4 to the next site) extra: chapel falls/lake this night if we want.

Sunday: Hike Chapel Falls/Lake? loop if we didn't do it the night before. hike 4.4 to Misquito (group campsite). Extra loops around Misquito Falls.

Monday: Hike about 2 miles to Chapel Trailhead where we had left a car. Drive home.”

“Dont let the bugs stop you from staying any place you want to. They will be there, but unless it is windy they will be everywhere. I like your option 2 smiley. When are you going? Me and roomate may go back there at the end of July”

“Third week in June.”