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Michigan Fall Color: Double Rainbow Edition

Posted on October 28, 2025 by farlane

Fall Color Tour in Northern Michigan Rainbow edition by James Eye View Photography

mLive’s Mark Torregrossa shares that if you think there’s more rainbows out there than usual, you are correct! He explains the science behind Michigan’s rainbow bonanza:

To have rainbows, we need rain and sun at the same time. What weather pattern is classic for rain and sun at the same time? The current lake-effect rain shower situation is perfect for rainbows. The rain showers are small, maybe only five miles wide. There is a lot of clear sky around the rain showers.

…So we know why we have had and currently have a lot of rainbows in Michigan in the past few days- the spotty lake-effect showers combined with sunshine. But why have there been numerous double rainbows? It has to do with the angle of the sun, combined with the daily weather pattern.

For a double rainbow, the sun has to be fairly low on the horizon, lower than 40 degrees above the horizon. It just so happens the lake-effect showers reach their peak intensity and coverage during the late afternoon heating of the day, when the sun is low on the horizon.

James took these last Friday on the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. You can follow him on Facebook & Instagram. For sure visit his website to view & purchase his work including 2025 Photo Calendars.

Wildly enough, I featured Double Rainbow Sunrise from James last year – he clearly has a next level knack for rainbows!!

Happy 55th, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore!

Posted on October 21, 2025 by farlane

via Leelanau.com…

At the End of the Trail by James Banks

Today is the 55th birthday of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Normally, I would lead with a photo of the Dunes, but the creation of the National Lakeshore on October 21, 1970 preserved a whole lot more!!

Here is the tale of the tape on Michigan’s magnificent national lakeshore as of August 1, 2024!

Annual Visits – 1,589,248
Employees – 46 permanent, 83 seasonal
Volunteer Hours – 58,389 from 1,659 volunteers
Natural and Cultural Resources
Area – 71,318 acres
Lake Michigan Shoreline – 65 miles (35 miles on the mainland)
Inland Lakes – 26
Miles of rivers and streams – 12
Terrestrial plant species – 908
Bird species – 246
Federally threatened or endangered species – 6
Historic structures on List of Classified Structures – 369
Sites on National Register of Historic Places – 8
Cultural Landscapes – 9 (4,500 acres)
Prehistoric archeological sites – 150

Historic boats – 21
Lighthouse – 1
Historic artifacts – 70,158
Archived documents – 21,325
Infrastructure
Buildings – 370
Employee housing units – 38
Campgrounds – 9 (357 sites)
Picnic Areas – 5
Visitor Centers – 3
Outdoor ampitheaters – 2
Miles of roads – 23
Covered bridge – 1 (Pierce Stocking Drive)
Miles of trails – 105
Lake access ramps – 9
Signs and wayside exhibits – 3572
Major photovoltaic power systems – 3
Motor vehicles in fleet – 54
Large boats – 8

James took these in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore back in fall of 2023. See lots more great shots in his Top 100 gallery on Flickr!

I also added a hand colored photo of “the Bear” from 1940 by Leelanau photography legend Fred Dickinson whose work you can see at the Dickinson Photo Gallery on Glen Lake & who you can read more about on Leelanau.com.

Looking around at Chapel Beach

Posted on September 10, 2025September 10, 2025 by farlane

Chapel Beach Storm by Gary McCormick

Although we were just in the neighborhood on Monday for the Seven Wonders of Michigan, I couldn’t resist encouraging you to take a look around at one of my favorite Michigan hikes when Gary shared this photo of a storm rolling into Chapel Beach yesterday! The river you see in the foreground is the Chapel River that flows from Chapel Falls (pictured below).

You can see lots more in Gary’s Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore gallery on Flickr and view & purchase his photos of Pictured Rocks & elsewhere at Footsore Fotography!

7 Wonders of Michigan: Chapel Rock edition

Posted on September 8, 2025 by farlane

Chapel Rock by Craig Sterken Photography

Michigan has some truly incredible sights, but I have to think that Chapel Rock in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore belongs at or near the top of any list of the 7 Wonders of Michigan. Apparently I started to compile a list back in 2015 & added Mackinac Island’s Arch Rock to it. Let’s add Chapel Rock as well. If you have suggestions for the list, share in the comments and then we can vote on them all!

The Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore says:

The Chapel area was named by early European explorers and is found on early maps as La Chappelle. Chapel Rock is a remnant of Cambrian age sandstone that was carved by Lake Nipissing high water some 3800 years ago. Continual erosion has carved the rock into the beautiful sculpture it is today. There once was an archway connecting the rock to the mainland (see pic below!). The arch collapsed in the 1940s. The lone white pine on Chapel Rock is estimated to be about 250 years old.

Atlas Obscura adds that a member of the Douglass Houghton expedition exploring Lake Superior’s southern shore described a single pine tree that grew like a “spire” out of the sparse dirt covering the top of the outcropping. Till this day, the same resilient pine stands sentinel over Chapel Rock, connected to the mainland by its extensive root system.

Craig shares that the cool weather has him thinking about autumn colors, and that he was honored to have this photo purchased by National Geographic for a book on national parks! I will for sure share the book when it’s out. You don’t have to wait to see more from Craig though! Follow Craig Serken Photography on Facebook and view or purchase his work on his website!

Chapel Arch by Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Happy Father’s Day!

Posted on June 13, 2025 by farlane

Happy Father’s Day by Terry Zweering

Wishing all of the dads out there a Happy Father’s Day!

Terry took this on Pyramid Point overlooking Lake Michigan back in 2013. See more in her Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park gallery on Flickr!

Sunset at the Coves

Posted on May 19, 2025May 19, 2025 by farlane

The Coves Sunset by Footsore Fotography

I shared this photo 13 years ago, but it really felt like I needed to return here this morning, if only for a virtual moment.

Gary has been a part of Michigan in Pictures for years now, bringing photos from across Michigan, but especially Grand Marais & the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. View & purchase his work at Footsore Photography & for sure follow Gary on Facebook! The first two below are from The Coves along with a collection including Lower Mosquito Falls in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore & the last is from the upcoming Grand Marais Fly-in!

Planting the Forests of the Future in Detroit

Posted on April 24, 2025April 28, 2025 by farlane

Giant Sequoia in Detroit’s Circle Forest by Andrew McFarlane

“Here’s a tree that is bigger than your house when it’s mature, taller than your buildings, and lives longer than you can comprehend.”

-Andrew “Birch” Kemp, Executive Director, Arboretum Detroit

The Archangel Ancient Tree Archive & Arboretum Detroit have partnered on a truly incredible effort that is planting giant sequoia in Detroit! Bridge Detroit shares that these colossal conifers can live for more than 3,000 years and reach heights in excess of 300′ tall with a circumference greater than 30′ at the base.

The sequoias will eventually provide a full canopy that protects everything beneath, he said. “It may be sad to call these .5- and 1-acre treescapes forests,” Kemp said. “We are expanding on this and shading our neighborhood in the only way possible, planting lots of trees.”

Giant sequoias are resilient against disease and insects, and are usually well-adapted to fire. Thick bark protects their trunks and their canopies tend to be too high for flames to reach. But climate change is making the big trees more vulnerable to wildfires out West, Kemp said. “The fires are getting so hot that its even threatening them,” he said.

You can read lots more in Bridge and at the Archangel Ancient Tree Archive, which I encourage you to support with your donations & by spreading the word about their amazing work!

Here are some pics I took yesterday afternoon along with some pics from the Archangel Facebook page. The big tree is the Stagg giant sequoia tree in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains – fifth largest tree in the world – and the shot of the guys in the tree shows Archangel’s Jake Milarch & Aaron Johns actually inside the 3000+ year old tree! The one of the burned tree shows the 3,000 year old “Waterfall Tree” Giant Sequoia before and after the 2020 Castle Fire.

Continued (apparently) in Big Questions about Giant Sequoia on Michigan in Pictures!

Happy 55th Earth Day, Michigan!

Posted on April 22, 2025April 22, 2025 by farlane

Happy Earth Day by Paul Bruce

Today is the 55th Earth Day, and this holiday that is celebrated across the planet was born right here in Michigan! I hope that you are able to take a little time today or this week to think about how you and your family, friends & neighbors can help create a future where humans live in harmony with the world around us because it really is the only one we’ve got. 🌏✌️💙

Paul took these at the Reid Lake Foot Travel Area near Harrison in the Huron-Manistee National Forest in the northeast Lower Peninsula. The US Forest Service says the 3000-acre area includes 13 miles of gently rolling trail around Reid and Little Trout Lakes, the shoreline of Big Marsh, and views of Fanny’s Marsh and Mossy Bog. There are also 9 designated first-come first-serve campsites available. Check out his photos from last Earth Day & many more in his Reid Lake gallery and for sure follow him on Flickr for more!

Many more Earth Day photos on Michigan in Pictures!

Seeing the Soul of Sleeping Bear

Posted on April 10, 2025 by farlane

The sun’s brush paints the day’s end with strokes of flowing orange and opalescent coral. Sleeping Bear Dunes, guardian of the coast, stand silhouetted against the celestial masterpiece. As the sun descends, the waters of North Bar Lake become a mirror, reflecting the heavens in all their fiery glory. A ribbon of liquid cuts through the sand, mirroring the sky’s vibrant hues. The wet sand, kissed by the setting sun, flows with ethereal light, a testament to the sun’s final performance. The air, still and hushed, is filled with the gentle lapping of waves against the shore, a soothing melody that accompanies the visual symphony.
Mark Lindsay from The Soul of Sleeping Bear

Leelanau.com shares that photographer Mark Lindsay (whose work you may have seen on Michigan in Pictures) has released his first book, The Soul of Sleeping Bear. It’s a beautiful, coffee table book that blends Mark’s gorgeous photography of the Sleeping Bear with writings on what these vistas can spark in your heart.

Click for more on the book!

Winter in the shade, winter in da Yoop!

Posted on March 6, 2025 by farlane

winter, upper tahquamenon falls, michigan by twurdemann

“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.“
-Charles Dickens

…and it is also winter in the UP! While rains are expected to wash much of the snow from Michigan today, mLive Chief Meteorologist Mark Torregrossa shares that the National Weather Service is predicting 10-15″ of snow for areas of the Upper Peninsula including as much as TWO FEET of snow for the western UP!

twurdemann shares that this incredible winter wonderland is created by freezing spray/mist from the waterfall at Michigan’s Tahquamenon Falls State Park & the brown tannins in the water. Check out more in their Winter gallery on Flickr that includes some KNOCKOUT ice cave photos from the Canadian shore of Lake Superior!