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.