Shipwreck Tours of Lake Superior

We took a drive up to Munising, Michigan to spend a day on Lake Superior. We were up and on the road by 6:30 am. The time changed from central to eastern at Escanaba. We arrived in Munising at 9:30 eastern time and began to explore the area. We had all morning to check things out. 

We'd been through Munising twice before; both times aboard our Albert 35, Mystic. We anchored at Grand Island in Murray Bay where the water is deep almost to the shoreline. The last time we anchored there we were on our America's Great Loop adventure. We woke to our boat bouncing on the shoreline after the wind changed and swung our stern onto the shallows. It was 1:00 in the morning but we lifted our anchor and moved to a spot where we wouldn't swing toward shore. It was right next to the wreckage of the sailing vessel Bermuda.

Our dock friends, John and Kitty invited us to join them on a glass bottom shipwreck tour. The ferry, Miss Munising, would takes us to visit two wreckages; the Bermuda, a 150 foot wooden schooner that sank at Murray Bay in 1870 with five crew members aboard. Everyone perished. The second wreckage, the Herman H Hettler, a 206 foot wooden steamer, sank near Trout Point off Grand Island. The Hettler hit a rock reef and broke in half. All 17 crew members aboard were rescued. Over the next few days, a storm destroyed what remained of the Hettler and spread it over a large area.

The Bermuda
photo from Glass Bottom Shipwreck Tours website

The Herman Hettler
photo from Glass Bottom Shipwreck Tours website

Miss Munising, left the dock promptly at 2:30 and took us out to Grand Island and into Murray Bay where the Bermuda sits in about 30 feet of water and is marked by a buoy. The ferry slowly moved over the wreckage, stopping so we could see key points of the fully intact ship.

Miss Munising

Friends Katie and Sam
at glass bottom viewing station

Viewing station on Miss Munising

First view of the Bermuda in 30 feet of water

Bermuda wreckage marker

Bow of Bermuda coming into view

Deck planks

Bulwark

Bermuda hatch

We passed the Grand Island East Channel Lighthouse on our way out to the wreckage of the Hettler. This made for a great photo opportunity. First in operation in 1867, it is said to be the most photographed lighthouse on the Great Lakes. It is the last wooden lighthouse on the great lakes. The Munising Front Range Light marks the channel these days. The beacon light changes color to indicate that an approaching vessel is oriented correctly to navigate safely through the hidden shoals. It was built in 1908, erected in the town of Munising overlooking the East Channel. It works in conjunction with the Munising Rear Range Lighthouse. When the two red beacon lights line up, they create a safe path or range for a vessel to successfully pass through the narrow channel.

Our ferry moved closer to Grand Island where the shoreline was made of cliffs with distinct layers of different rock types. Caves were cut into the cliffs by wave motion over thousands of years. The water was crystal clear. Our captain brought us to a tiny beach dug into the rock and slowly navigated into the cage beach. Water dripped down from the ledges above. 

East Channel

Rocky shoreline of Grand Island

Layers of rock creating patterns

Thousands of years created this beach

Distinct blended rocks

Grand Island shoreline

Caves carved into the rock

Rock layers

Miss Munising entering the cave beach

Our friend Kitty getting a closer look

Kitty taking photos of the cave beach

Trees growing out of the rocks

The cave beach

Rock outcropping

Next, we motored over to Trout Point where we were able to view the remains of the shattered Herman Hettler. In spite of the damage, we could recognize hatches, bolts, sections of decking and a toilet. It was amazing that everyone survived this tragedy.

Deck Planks

Ships toilet seat cover on the right

Porthole

Ships wheel

Hatch

Scattered pieces of the massive ship

We enjoyed the day immensely. Lake Superior is beautiful and has a lot to offer visitors. We packed a lot into our adventure but there is so much more to see and do. We look forward to our next visit!

Munising Waterfall Hike

We took a drive up to Munising, Michigan this summer. A glass bottom boat tour of two Lake Superior shipwrecks is what caught our attention. The tour was at 2:30 but we got there early and spent the morning checking out the town. Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Hiawatha National Forest and Grand Island National Recreational Area attract tourists to the area. We'd gone through Munising twice before by water aboard our Alberg 35, s/v Mystic. This was our first visit by land. Munising is the waterfall capital of the Upper Peninsula. We wanted to explore some of the many waterfalls located around the city.

Munising - a city of murals

Munising Bayshore Marina docks

Grand Island East Channel

Binsfeld Bayshore park

Munising wayside rest overlook - Grand Island view

After a quick stop in the visitor center, we had a free waterfall map in hand. Horseshoe falls was close by so we stopped there first. It is located on private land where a gift store collects a fee of $9 each to view the falls. We walked through the shop but chose to move on to the many other waterfall options that are free.

We stopped at Wagner falls, a 20 foot high waterfall just 1.5 miles south of Munising. A short walk along a well maintained trail through a lush forest led us to a platform overlook. Five foot tall Queen Anne's lace and yarrow were growing everywhere. It was competing with the lush forest canopy for sunlight. The trail smelled of wet earth and rich flora. We were surprised to find there were no bugs.

Wagner Falls Video

Wagner Falls

We moved on to Munising falls, a gorgeous 50 foot drop over sandstone cliffs. Unfortunately, the trail was closed due to storm damage. We have the America The Beautiful National Park Pass so we were able to go anywhere we wanted in the park areas. We headed for Sand point beach, east of Munising, in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.  We walked along the shoreline of Sand Point Beach, enjoying the beautiful view of Grand Island, the Munising waterfront and Lake Superior. The sand was super fine; the water was crystal clear!

Sand Point Beach

Clear Lake Superior water

Grand Island backdrop

Beautiful, warm day on Lake Superior

Miners Falls is east of Munising in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The busy trail was 1.2 miles round trip and reminded us of the Grand Canyon with it's man made natural log steps. The trail took us to a viewing platform that was above the 50 foot drop off over sandstone cliffs. Miners Falls is fed by  Miners River creating the most powerful falls in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. We viewed them from above but many visitors scrambled down the steep bank to get a closer look and to walk on the rocks along the bottom. 

Harmless Burl on forest tree

Looking down on Miners Falls

Miners Falls Video

With time running out, we continued east toward Miners Castle, the most famous landmark in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. This sandstone formation sits on top of a cliff overlooking a breathtaking Lake Superior cove. The water beneath it is a beautiful blue, green. The sandstone is highly susceptible to weather and crumbles easily. There was a second turret on the northeast side but it collapsed and fell into Lake Superior in 2006, changing this landmark for all time. The spectacular view was worth the detour!

Miner's Castle

Crystal clear waters of Lake Superior

With just enough time to spare, we made our way back to Munising in search of the Glass Bottom Boat Tour docks, the next adventure of the day. We were glad that we came early and had time to explore the area by land. There is so much to see and do. I'm certain we will be back.