For our annual Labor Day Weekend trip, Nisheet and I ventured to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to see the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and Tahquamenon Falls. I drove to Grand Rapids, and as soon as Nisheet got off work we hit the road. Our first stop was Mackinaw City. Unfortunately we were running a little late, so most of the restaurants were already closed. We ended up at a neat little pizza joint called Pizza Palace by the bridge, and it did an excellent job of filling our bellies.

Tahquamenon Falls

The next morning we got up bright (or rather dark and rainy) and early and started towards Tahquamenon Falls. It was still raining when we reached the lower falls parking lot, but we didn’t let that stop us. We just put on our rain jackets and headed down the trail. We had barely walked any distance at all when we reached a viewpoint of waterfalls. That was cool, I guess. Is that really it? Oh wait, there is more! The trail actually continues the river, and it is definitely worthwhile to walk down it for at least a little ways. There are more and better views, and you can wade in the river if you so dare.

We then headed over to the upper falls, and by that point the rain had turned into a drizzle. The upper falls is more impressive, so I’m glad we checked it out after the lower falls. Oddly enough, near the parking lot, they also sold fire wood here that was semi protected from the elements, so we picked some up.

Pictured Rocks

Then it was time to head towards Pictured Rocks, our real reason for the trip! Well, we actually wouldn’t see Pictured Rocks until the next day. Our camp site was technically in the Hiawatha National Forest. It was STILL raining when we got to our camp site, so the first thing we did was break out the trusty tarps. When we got everything set up, it finally stopped raining! yippe! Unfortunately, neither of us are good at starting a fire, and all of our fire wood was damp. It took about half a bottle of lighter fluid and a lot of patience, but it started! We had our traditional camp dinner consisting of taters, hot dogs, s’mores, and cider. Yum yum!

The next morning we left our camp site early because we had a full day ahead of us. Our first activity was hiking Chapel Loop. Just so you know, you will be driving on dirt roads for several miles, and if has rained recently, it can be very muddy. The very first part of the trail wasn’t very impressive, but then we came to Chapel Falls. It is such a gentle and serene falls. The trail then winds its way to the other side of the river and gives you a different vantage point of the falls.

We hiked another mile or two through the forest and then, suddenly in front of us was the most gorgeous view of the lake. The blues of the lake and sky and the vibrant greens of foliage were absolutely stunning.

Next we came to a waterfall crossing a beach. There aren’t even words to describe the beauty. We decided to stop here and eat a quick lunch while trying to soak up the sunshine and the views.

After the beach, the path continues along the shoreline for countless breathtaking vistas. It is best to give yourself way more time than you think you need for this hike because you will want to stop and stare at every bend in the path. Unfortunately for us, we had to skedaddle back to the car because we had an evening activity already planned; a boat cruise!

We made it to Munising just in time to catch our sunset boat tour, and wow was it amazing. The boat left the little dock in the city and headed towards the pictured rocks. At first there wasn’t a whole lot to see, but it was fun just being on the boat and having the wind in our hair. Then we rounded the bend and our jaws dropped. The cliffs were beautiful. They were art. They were picture perfect. There were so many colors and the setting sun made the vibrant colors stand out even more.

The next day, we tore down our campsite and headed back to Pictured Rocks for one last look. We drove up to the Miners Castle Information Center where you can take a short walk to the Upper and Lower Miners Castle overlook. It is a really good option to see the beautiful rock structure if you are short on time or just don’t want to go hiking.

We also took a quick hike to Munising waterfall. It was a fun way to stretch our legs one last time before the long car ride back to Chicago.