Pictured Rocks, the first national lakeshore

Munising’s claim to fame is one of the most beautiful stretches of shoreline in the country. Just east of town, Lake Superior laps against the Pictured Rocks: sandstone cliffs that rise as high as two hundred feet and run for about fifteen miles, streaked in bands of color. The colors are natural — groundwater seeps through the rock and leaves mineral stains behind, red and orange from iron, blue and green from copper, black from manganese, white from limonite — as if someone had painted the cliffs.

People have treasured this coast for centuries, long before it was a park; the Ojibwe knew it well. In 1966 it became the very first national lakeshore in the United States, and it’s been a magnet for visitors ever since. The cliffs are best seen from the water, and Munising is the gateway: boat cruises and guided kayak trips head out from town all summer, passing famous formations like the turreted Miners Castle and gliding under arches and into sea caves. From there the protected shore runs about forty miles northeast to Grand Marais, taking in waterfalls, beaches, and the Grand Sable Dunes along the way.

You can plan a visit at nps.gov/piro.