Hiawatha National Forest/ Pictured Rocks Visitor Center
The helpful staff is happy to answer questions on the phone and fax or mail information sheets on activities and natural features upon request. Its staff knows about a lot, not only about the national lakeshore but about the campgrounds, beaches, and fishing lakes of the less heavily used Munising District of the Hiawatha National Forest. Pick up a schedule of free nature walks and programs, held daily from late June through Labor Day.For summer, there's a permanent exhibit about the national lakeshore and Hiawatha National Forest here.
The Visitor Center is at M-28 and H-58. Forest Service district office just east of downtown Munising. Look for brown signs. (906) 387-3700. Open year-round. From Memorial to Labor Day or later, open daily including Sundays and holidays from 8 to 6. Otherwise open Monday through Saturday from 9 to 4:30, closed holidays. Wheelchair-accessible.
Return to Munising
POINTS OF INTEREST
Munising Front Range Light. Imposing 1908 58-foot white light tower is part of a system of range lights that guide ships into Munising's harbor of refuge. Behind & up the hill is the shorter but higher white round rear range tower. Boat captains lined up the two lights to steer safely into this harbor of refuge. ... more
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. A major Midwest destination with wonderful waterfalls, vistas, and hikes, the sandstone bluffs here rise up to 300 feet high, shaped by wind, waves, and ice into dramatic columns and caves, and stained red, blue and green by seeping minerals to form colored "pictures" ... more
Scenic drive Munising to Marquette. Miles of public beaches, vistas, and elegant river mouths delight travelers who take M-28 along this stretch. ... more
Spray Falls. Enjoyable 3-mile hike takes you to one of the U.P.'s premier falls ... more
Tannery Falls. One of the U.P.'s most delightful waterfalls is reached by a splendid path along Tannery Creek ... more
Hiawatha National Forest/ Pictured Rocks Visitor Center. This is a recommended first stop for every new visitor---for maps, handouts, scheduled talks and walks on nature and history, and customized, impartial advice from a knowledgeable staff of adults who live here and know the area well. Also a nature bookstore ... more
Pictured Rocks Cruises. This cruise is the way to see the Pictured Rocks, preferably in the late-afternoon light, unless you have your own boat or take a kayak tour, ... more
Glass Bottom Boat Shipwreck Tour. This tour combines perspective about shipwrecks with the chance to peer down through a large boat's viewing wells at three shipwrecks south of Grand Island. ... more
Ice Climbing in Pictured Rocks. A top Midwest spot for ice climbing just east of Munising, where tall sandstone bluffs create dramatic blue columns of ice ... more
Lake Superior. Of all the U.P.'s features, none rival the largest freshwater lake in the world. ... more
Central Munising. A wonderful picnic spot, with grills, bandshell, and farmers' market on Munising Bay; a popular coffeehouse-bookstore, some specialty stores; and a kids' castle playground ... more
Alger County Heritage Center. Here you'll see an authentically furnished 1830s fur trader's cabin from Grand Island, and vintage Munising Woodenware products (clothespins, hand-painted bowls, and lots more), once marketed nationally ... more
Northern Waters Sea Kayaking. An adventurous way to see the cliffs, caves, and shipwrecks by Grand Island and the fabled Pictured Rocks ... more
Grand Island Scenic Overlook. A breathtaking vista out beyond Munising Bay of Grand Island ... more
Munising-area Waterfalls. Avoid crowds and visit four delightful, secluded falls in and near Munising: Horseshoe Falls, a quaint private attraction; the Twin Waterfall Plant Preserve; and Wagner Falls off M-94 ... more
Valley Spur Cross-Country Ski and Mountain Bike Trails. Artfully laid out, meticulously groomed, this 38-mile trail system is a favorite destination of dedicated cross-country skiers from far and wide ... more
McQuisten Recreation Area. The views from boardwalks on this beautiful pond are hidden gems for birders and naturalists, within walking distance of the Super 8 and Comfort Inn motels. There's an elaborate playground, too ... more
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