Post by daveg on Aug 16, 2020 11:03:13 GMT -8
The Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is located at the mid-point of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on the southern shore of Lake Superior. It spans 42 miles between Munising, on the west, and Grand Marais, on the east. A section of the North Country Trail follows the coast. Dispersed camping is prohibited within the National Lakeshore. Hikers who want to overnight on the trail must obtain a backcountry permit, reserve a spot at each of the established campgrounds they intend to stay at, and pay a reservation fee plus a per person per night user fee. I made my reservations for August in mid-January and, even that early, got the last campsite at the Benchmark campground.
Covid-19 was not a concern when I made my reservations. As the time for my trip approached, I monitored the situation. As of the end of July, the Upper Peninsula was one of the two regions of the state the Governor deemed low risk. Pictured Rocks is located in Alger County which had a total of only six confirmed cases as of July31. I assumed tourism to the area would be down and figured physical distancing would not be difficult while backpacking, and therefore concluded the risk of going as planned was acceptable.
So I was surprised by the large number of people I encountered. Both the frontcountry and backcountry campgrounds were full. Although I didn’t pass that many backpackers on the trail, dayhikers swarmed the points of interest and very few wore masks. Miners Castle is the only attraction that one can drive up to. But the other popular viewpoints are within an easy dayhike of a parking area. When I got home I discovered that the while tourism was indeed down in June, it had increased dramatically in July, so much so that preliminary numbers indicate that Pictured Rocks will have a record number of visitors this year, up from last year’s record. Not surprisingly, coronavirus cases in the U.P. have surged recently. Alger County had nine additional cases between August 3 and August 14; one-and-a-half times the total number in all the months before then.
I hiked the NCT from east to west, starting at the Grand Sable Visitor Center and ending at the Munising Falls Visitor center. It was a four day/three night trip that covered a bit over 42 miles. The geology morphs from sand dunes in the eastern part to sandstone cliffs, up to 200 feet high, in the west. Pictured Rocks gets its name from these sandstone cliffs which are shaped by weather and waves and colored by minerals dissolved in groundwater.
The easternmost eight miles and westernmost 12 miles are not particularly scenic. There are a few viewpoints, but most of the time is spent walking through woods and looking at nothing but trees and sky. In contrast, the middle 22 miles offer some spectacular sights. The trail is mostly flat except for two steep, short (150 vertical feet) climbs in the western part. Trail conditions covered the gamut – road walk, loose sand, packed sand, forest duff, boardwalks, and mud. Some of the time you’re walking quite a distance inland but most of the time the trail is close to the edge of the bluffs and cliffs. But even then, your view is often obscured by foliage. There were a few hours on the first and last days when the mosquitoes and flies were biting, but most of the time was mostly bug free. However, chipmunks were the campground pests and had absolutely no fear of humans. On my last night, hikers came into the campground after I had put my food in the bear box and gone to bed. They did not close the door to the bear box properly when they put their food in. So the next morning I discovered a rodent had chewed a hole through my food bag and got into my bag of cashews.
Now, what you’ve been waiting for – the pics.
Looking back (east) at the Grand Sable dunes.
The AuSable Lighthouse
I got hit with three rounds of thunderstorms the first afternoon. This twisted bridge was slick and the far side angled down towards a steep dropoff. I was very careful crossing it.
The trail follows the edge of the bluff above Twelvemile Beach for about four miles. A real pretty walk.
Then the trail cuts inland and passes this abandoned car.
This is where Beaver Creek enters Lake Superior. The Beaver Creek campground is on a bluff overlooking a beautiful beach.
One of the views west of Beaver Creek.
Chapel Rock.
Chapel Beach.
The cliff on the west end of Chapel Beach.
A view west of Chapel Beach.
Looking toward Grand Portal Point.
On the west side of Grand Portal Point.
Looking back east. I think that's Indian Head.
View west of Grand Portal Point. I think that's Lovers Leap Arch.
Mosquito Beach. The Mosquito River campground is just inland from the beach.
Miners Beach. It's a staging area for kayak tours.
Miners Castle.
Covid-19 was not a concern when I made my reservations. As the time for my trip approached, I monitored the situation. As of the end of July, the Upper Peninsula was one of the two regions of the state the Governor deemed low risk. Pictured Rocks is located in Alger County which had a total of only six confirmed cases as of July31. I assumed tourism to the area would be down and figured physical distancing would not be difficult while backpacking, and therefore concluded the risk of going as planned was acceptable.
So I was surprised by the large number of people I encountered. Both the frontcountry and backcountry campgrounds were full. Although I didn’t pass that many backpackers on the trail, dayhikers swarmed the points of interest and very few wore masks. Miners Castle is the only attraction that one can drive up to. But the other popular viewpoints are within an easy dayhike of a parking area. When I got home I discovered that the while tourism was indeed down in June, it had increased dramatically in July, so much so that preliminary numbers indicate that Pictured Rocks will have a record number of visitors this year, up from last year’s record. Not surprisingly, coronavirus cases in the U.P. have surged recently. Alger County had nine additional cases between August 3 and August 14; one-and-a-half times the total number in all the months before then.
I hiked the NCT from east to west, starting at the Grand Sable Visitor Center and ending at the Munising Falls Visitor center. It was a four day/three night trip that covered a bit over 42 miles. The geology morphs from sand dunes in the eastern part to sandstone cliffs, up to 200 feet high, in the west. Pictured Rocks gets its name from these sandstone cliffs which are shaped by weather and waves and colored by minerals dissolved in groundwater.
The easternmost eight miles and westernmost 12 miles are not particularly scenic. There are a few viewpoints, but most of the time is spent walking through woods and looking at nothing but trees and sky. In contrast, the middle 22 miles offer some spectacular sights. The trail is mostly flat except for two steep, short (150 vertical feet) climbs in the western part. Trail conditions covered the gamut – road walk, loose sand, packed sand, forest duff, boardwalks, and mud. Some of the time you’re walking quite a distance inland but most of the time the trail is close to the edge of the bluffs and cliffs. But even then, your view is often obscured by foliage. There were a few hours on the first and last days when the mosquitoes and flies were biting, but most of the time was mostly bug free. However, chipmunks were the campground pests and had absolutely no fear of humans. On my last night, hikers came into the campground after I had put my food in the bear box and gone to bed. They did not close the door to the bear box properly when they put their food in. So the next morning I discovered a rodent had chewed a hole through my food bag and got into my bag of cashews.
Now, what you’ve been waiting for – the pics.
Looking back (east) at the Grand Sable dunes.
The AuSable Lighthouse
I got hit with three rounds of thunderstorms the first afternoon. This twisted bridge was slick and the far side angled down towards a steep dropoff. I was very careful crossing it.
The trail follows the edge of the bluff above Twelvemile Beach for about four miles. A real pretty walk.
Then the trail cuts inland and passes this abandoned car.
This is where Beaver Creek enters Lake Superior. The Beaver Creek campground is on a bluff overlooking a beautiful beach.
One of the views west of Beaver Creek.
Chapel Rock.
Chapel Beach.
The cliff on the west end of Chapel Beach.
A view west of Chapel Beach.
Looking toward Grand Portal Point.
On the west side of Grand Portal Point.
Looking back east. I think that's Indian Head.
View west of Grand Portal Point. I think that's Lovers Leap Arch.
Mosquito Beach. The Mosquito River campground is just inland from the beach.
Miners Beach. It's a staging area for kayak tours.
Miners Castle.
