KAYAKING PICTURED ROCKS NATIONAL LAKESHORE

TIME VISITED: Summer 2016                                                       BUSY ? Mildly

WEATHER: Mid 70s ⛅️                                                                    REASON FOR VISIT: To Explore

WHERE TO STAY: Munising Tourist Park Campground          EXPENSIVE?: $

I can’t believe that I have lived in Michigan my entire life and just went to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore for the first time last year. For most Michiganders we use the long drive up to the UP as an excuse not to go. From Grand Rapids, it is about 6 hours. So yes it is a bit of a drive, but once you arrive in Munising you’ll completely forget about it-to say it is worth it is a complete understatement! If you are coming from the Grand Rapids area, or really anywhere south of the UP, there are some beautiful stops along the way. The one I would recommend the most is Kitch-iti-kipi, located in Palms Book State Park.

I can remember my Grandma Joanie always butchering that name, but explaining it as one of her favorite places in Michigan. Stopping at Kitch-iti-kipi only adds 30 minutes to your drive and you get to experience Michigan’s largest spring. The Native American’s named this Kitchi-iti-ipi , which means “Mirror of Heaven”and it is also known as Big Spring. So you may be thinking? Ok a spring? Michigan has tons of bodies of water! What’s so special about this one?

This is unlike any other body of water in this beautiful state! First of all the spring never freezes so you can enjoy the spring any season of the year. And this is because, “More than 10,000 gallons a minute gush from fissures in the underlying limestone at a constant 45 degrees!” I took that from the DNR’s website. There is a self-operated observation raft that will take you around to all the parts of the spring!

And the best part ,the water is a beautiful emerald green and blue color. You will be able to see the trout and fallen tree trunks right below you!

I recommend bringing a packed lunch and enjoying it here. This area is so peaceful, you will never want to leave! They do have a souvenir shop that offers ice cream and beverages, but it is only open mid-May through mid-October. We arrived early morning so it wasn’t busy but keep in mind, like most places in Michigan on the summer, weekends will be busy. Learn more about Kitch-iti-kipi HERE.

Now continue your road trip to Munising- you have about one more hour of your drive.

WHERE TO STAY

When I think the UP, I think camping, so we stayed at the Munising Tourist Park Campground. The spots are huge and the campground is located right on the shores of Lake Superior. The campground does fill up, so definitely book in advance. The sunset here was beautiful and with a clear night you may get lucky and see the Milky Way right above you! Their prices range from $25-$39 depending on how big of camping spot you need.

You can check out more about this campground on their website HERE.

If you aren’t into camping check sites such as Airbnb and VRBO, I have seen some really cool cabins and houses for rent up there!

THE KAYAKING TOUR

I recommend at least two days up here. Drive up early afternoon, see the spring, enjoy the sunset at the campground and then wake up and do a kayak tour with Uncle Duck’s Paddling Michigan. We did their Taste of the Rocks Tour starting at 9 am. You can see on their website they offer many different tours and all different times during the day. The sunset tour is also beautiful, but we wanted the best chance of calm water on Lake Superior. We waited for a special they were running and ended up getting a 2 for 1, so keep your eyes open for those! Even without the special I think the tour would be worth it.

You’ll meet at Uncle Ducky’s just outside of town and after checking you in, they will inform you on where to park your car about 10 minutes down the road. From there they will shuttle you down to the lake shore, equip you with a dry bag and life jacket for the day and off you will go! We had pretty thick fog to start our day, but it started to clear up about an hour in! You are out on the water for a total of 2 ½ hours !

Some pictures from the day !

You can kayak the lakeshore with your own kayaks on your own, but you will want to be knowledgeable about Lake Superior’s waters and they also recommend having a sea kayak. Some people don’t know this, but Lake Superior can be quite the brat sometimes. Her conditions change quickly and have put many people in danger. I am not writing this to scare you, but this is why we decided to go with a guide and not on our own. PLUS once you get in the water you are pretty much on your own anyway, they just guide you to the cool places!

Here is an article posted by the National Park Service on the safety of kayaking Lake Superior!

I suggest doing the tour and then exploring on your own after!  We came across some beautiful views just hiking around the lakeshore before and after the tour!

WHERE TO EAT

This may be the easiest choice ever. There isn’t a ton to choose from up in Munising, but either way there is nothing better than meal from Johnny Dogs after a kayak trip !

I went for their BLT hotdog and their Loaded Piggy fries and they did not disappoint! Everyone’s dogs looked incredible, so I think it is safe to say anything you order here will be amazing! Here is a terrible picture of the fries. Check their Instagram tags for more yum pictures and next time I am up there I am going to get a better one!