pictured rocks

Indian Head at Pictured Rocks

Posted on June 12, 2013 by farlane

Indian Head | Pictured Rocks, photo by Beth☮♥♬

Pictured Rocks Day is this Saturday, a day when the Pictured Rocks Boat Tour company offers free tours where you can see sights like Indianhead. Their tour highlights page explains:

This gargantuan rock formation is named after what many say resembles an old ‘Indian Head’ carved into an impressive point of Pictured Rocks. The cliffs of Indian Head are nearly vertical walls from the Lake Superior to its peak.

Much more at the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore website!

View this photo on black and see more in Beth’s Upper Peninsula slideshow.

There’s tons of Pictured Rocks information on Michigan in Pictures!

See Battleship Row on Pictured Rocks Day – June 15, 2013

Posted on June 10, 2013 by farlane

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore – May 2013, photo by gbozik photography

Battleship Row is one of the many unique formations you can see on the Pictured Rocks cruises. ABC 10 reports that this Saturday, June 15 is Yooper Day for Pictured Rocks Cruises:

Around 1,000 U.P. residents cruised Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore free of charge in a single day last June. The free cruises were so popular that the company is bringing them back.

“This year in conjunction with the Chamber (of Commerce) and the National Lakeshore, to promote the area, and that day we give free rides to Upper Peninsula residents with a valid Upper Peninsula I.D.,” John Madigan said, who is a co-owner and manager of Pictured Rock Cruises.

On June 15, the Alger County Chamber of Commerce is hosting Pictured Rocks Day. Bayshore Park in Munising will be filled with family activities and eleven hours of live music. “I think they have 35-40 exhibitors. They’ll be selling different products,” Madigan said.

The free cruises will leave the Munising City Pier every hour, on the hour, from 10 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., weather permitting. Tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

FYI the cruises are just $35 for a 2-3 hour cruise that packs a huge amount of scenic entertainment!

Check it out big as a battleship and see a couple more shots in his Travels in the U.P. slideshow.

Much (much) more about the Pictured Rocks on Michigan in Pictures.

Before the fall at Miner’s Castle

Posted on April 13, 2013 by farlane

Miners Castle, photo by James Marvin Phelps

The Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore feature on the collapse of one of the two turrets at Miner’s Castle explains that 7 years ago today:

On Thursday morning, April 13, 2006, the northeast turret of Miners Castle collapsed. One turret remains on Miners Castle, the best-known feature of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The collapse was reported via cell phone by fisherman in the area, according to chief ranger Larry Hach.

Most of the rock fell north and into Lake Superior, and there were no injuries. The lower overlook platform near Miners Castle appears to be unaffected.

While the rockfall at Miners Castle on April 13 was startling, such events are not rare along the Pictured Rocks escarpment. At least five major falls have occurred over the past dozen years: 1) two different portions of Grand Portal Point, 2) the eastern side of Indian Head just east of Grand Portal Point, 3) Miners Falls just below the (now modified) viewing platform, and 4) beneath the lip of Munising Falls (along the former trail that went behind the cascade).

All the rockfalls involved the same rock unit, the Miners Castle Member of the Munising Formation. Rock units are named for places where they were first technically described. The Miners Castle Member consists of crumbly cross-bedded sandstone that is poorly cemented by secondary quartz, according to U.S. Geological Survey Research Ecologist Walter Loope.

Rockfalls along the cliffs typically occur in the spring and fall due to freezing and thawing action of Mother Nature.

Check this photo out bigger, see Jim’s “after” photo and get a lot more great photos in his Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore slideshow.

There’s more from Jim and more from Pictured Rocks on Michigan in Pictures!

Ice Climbing in Munising

Posted on January 25, 2013 by farlane

HMR Ice in Pictured Rocks, photo by Luke Tikkanen

The abundant waterfalls that make the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore such a treat in summertime turn it into an amazing mecca for ice climbing every winter. Since 1983, Down Wind Sports has organized and promoted the Michigan Ice Festival in Munising. The event brings some of the top ice climbers in the world and features product demos, presentations, intro to climbing and plenty of climbing socials. 2013 dates are January 31 – February 3, so consider a trip north next weekend!

Today’s photo is the cover of the forthcoming edition of An Ice Climbers Guide To Munising Michigan by Jon Jugenheimer and Bill Thompson. There will be a release party for the book next Thursday (Jan 31) at Sydney’s in Munising. They explain:

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore has been called one of the premier ice climbing areas in the country. Nestled on the southern shore of Lake Superior, it is renowned for its beautiful setting and phenomenal ice routes. This edition An Ice Climbers Guide To Munising Michigan offers the most thorough and up-to-date information, maps, and descriptions of the major ice climbing formations.

Click through for more about the book including some more great photos. This climb is known as HMR, out by Grand Portal Point in the Pictured Rocks. Here’s a panoramic photo of the climb in relation to the Portal.

Chapel Beach – Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Posted on July 12, 2012August 18, 2016 by farlane

Chapel Beach – Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, photo by Michigan Nut

Chapel Rock deservedly gets a lot of attention, but the beach that it’s on is one of Michigan’s coolest, with the rushing chapel river, a lot of great rock formations along a secluded, sandy beach and even a great backcountry camping area. As a bonus, the trail in passes Chapel Falls.

Check it out bigger and see more in John’s stunning Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore slideshow!

Camping at Pictured Rocks, Hiking to Chapel Rock

Posted on May 21, 2011August 18, 2016 by farlane

Hiking to Chapel Rock, photo by fatalysis

That’s more or less what I’m doing today. More about Pictured Rocks and Chapel Rock on Michigan in Pictures and camping & more at the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore!

Check this photo out on black and in Erwin’s stunning Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore slideshow.

Happy weekend folks. ;)

Michigan’s Toughest Subject? Chapel Rock And Roots

Posted on November 19, 2010August 18, 2016 by Michigan in Pictures

Chapel Rock And Roots, photo by James Marvin Phelps (mandj98).

Today I’m hoping to visit Chapel Rock in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. You can read more about it right here on Michigan in Pictures.

One thing I have to say is that this is one of the toughest subjects I’ve ever shot and that James has done a great job of capturing the awesomeness of this natural wonder of Michigan. Check it out bigger and in his Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore slideshow.

Chapel Rock in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Posted on December 3, 2009August 18, 2016 by Michigan in Pictures

Chapel Rock (8-15-09), photo by Brevort.

Yesterday we featured a very interesting article about Smart Archaeology in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on Absolute Michigan. It explains a very innovative 3-year archaeology project by Northern Michigan University geography department researchers, and you should definitely give it a read. Today I came across this view of Chapel Rock and was surprised to see that I didn’t have a feature of Chapel Rock on Michigan in Pictures. The Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Scenic Sites page says that Chapel Rock and Chapel Beach are:

Located about 15 miles east of Munising off Alger County Road H-58, then about 5 miles north to the end of Chapel Road (drive), then 2.5 miles (hike) to Lake Superior.

Trails to the beach overlook Chapel Lake with views of the beautiful Chapel Falls on the west side.

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. The archway between the rock and the mainland collapsed in the 1940’s. It and the remaining arch were carved by Lake Nipissing high waters some 3800 years ago.

You can read the Geology field notes from the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore for detailed information about the different layers of sandstone in the park that form these incredible structures. Chapel Rock is representative of the 40 to 60 foot thick Chapel Rock Member.

See it bigger and view more in Doug’s Brevort Lake (2009) set (slideshow).

As a person who spent some time trying to capture to totality of this unique formation, I have to say that hiking to it is the only way to fully appreciate Chapel Rock. I can offer the next best thing: the Chapel Rock slideshow from the Absolute Michigan pool.

Explore many more Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore features on Michigan in Pictures.