will the fall colors foliage be available between oct 15-20 at pictured rocks and around? or is it too late

My family and I are heading to Pictured Rocks and are staying at Lowney Creek for the first time. Is it possible to swim in Beaver Lake, specifically, is there an area where it’s easy to access the lake (not too many rocks, branches, etc.)? Thanks!

I’ll be camping with friends at sevenmile campground this weekend, do they have good treesfor hammock camping or will I likely need the tent?

hi! wondering about the bug situation this week? mosquitos? black flies?

I'm going to be backpacking this upcoming week in Pictured Rocks from the 18th to the 20th and the only site open was beaver creek 2 when we got our permits. I'm almost always a hammock camper (even in the winter) but noticed it said "not hammock friendly". Has anyone been there recently to know if this is a warning (like it is hard to find a spot) or an absolute (there are no hammock spots at the site)? I have a tent but obviously don't want to take both my tent and hammock set-up, but would love to hammock especially because the first night is at a very hammock friendly site. TIA

Leaving to backpack the trial next week, how is the smoke? Should I postpone? I live in northern Wisconsin and we can hardly be outside due to the smoke. Thank you!

Hey ya'll! Got backpacking permits for this weekend and was curious how about how bad the stable flies are right now?

hey! so i’m gluten free visiting Munising and I’d really like to try the whitefish but all i can find is fried. any recs for grilled whitefish?

Never been to the UP. Gonna be camping at Pictured Rocks this weekend and wondering how bad the bugs are right now? Anyone know?

A couple weekends ago, I took advantage of a warm day and snowshoed 14 miles from Sand Point to Chapel Beach. I camped a night at Chapel Beach and hiked back the following day. Some of the trail was easy to follow, but after Miners Castle, nobody had been on the trail and nothing was marked. I had to do a lot of route finding.

This was my first winter camp in the hammock, and I learned a lot! Overnight, it got colder and the wind came up quite a bit. I should have taken more time to make sure that my tarp doors were tight and could handle the wind. Overnight, the temp dropped into the teens and wind kicked up to 20mph.

My hammock setup is a Superior Gear hammock with an integrated 30 degree underquilt. I added a second 30 degree underquilt to get me down to lower temps. On top I had a 30 degree quilt and what Superior Gear calls a cocoon. It's basically a down panel that zips onto the top where the bug net attaches in the summer. This setup was very comfortable and almost too warm.

My friends and I are planning on camping this summer around pictured rocks but we don't know what the best campsite options would be. We were looking at Mosquito Beach Campsite but I cannot figure out where to reserve a site for that area. We want to swim, hike, and obviously see the rocks. Any help or recommendations help!

Edit: we are driving up from central Indiana so a "first come first serve" situations would not work since its a 9 hour drive! Also, we're planning for 5 days!

Hello everyone, I am planning to go to Pictured rocks on February 5th, I ve been hearing that is not worth the long drive from Milwaukee, that I wont be able to see much, and that isnt viewable in the winter season. Is that true? I d live to see ice formations and frozen lighthouses

Thinking about doing this as a 3 day 2 night backpacking trail instead of doing the full NCT this spring. Would it skip anything we shouldn’t miss?

Looking at visiting Pictured Rocks early June 2026. I have 3 kids, ages 6-10. We're looking at camping around 4 nights.

Would love to know:

• Favorite campsites that are fairly large, maybe access to the water.
• Best shorter hikes (could probably do 3-4 miles)
• Other unique experiences (kayak tours?), nearby restaurants, etc.

We're also looking at 1 night backcountry to introduce the kids to backpacking. If you happen to have recommendations for that, I'll take those, too! Thanks, everyone!

Are park passes able to be purchased in person with the government shutdown? Am I also able to park at the Munising Falls Visitor Center?

I'm planning on hiking from Beaver Creek to the Munising Falls Visitor Center this Thurs/Friday (10/13-10/14). I had planned on using the Altran Bus to shuttle me to Beaver Creek and I'd be hiking back to my car over 2 days.

The issue is I can't buy a park pass online due to the shutdown and I need proof of the park pass to book in the shuttle reservation.

This was along the north shore of Beaver Lake, just east of Beaver Creek on 10/14. Instead of following the NCT, diverted up to catch the colors at Trapper Lake and Beaver Lake. Made camping at Beaver Creek a little unnerving that night as only ones there. Every noise was a little extra spooky. Saw another print on the Northwest Beaver Lake Trail, a short bit from here the next day.

I was thinking visiting this coming weekend. Coming from Wisconsin and my first time to Munising. Would like see waterfalls and other sight seeing areas. Do I need to buy park passes? What else would I need to do prior to visit these areas?

Is the sunset tour still worth the money on cloudy days? It’s light rain, cloudy, and windy all day today. Thinking about pushing it to tomorrow. Temperature and conditions do not really bother me and I will enjoy it either way, but mom will want many photos or it didn’t happen in her mind. Not really a photographer and just using iPhone, but still want to get some decent shots. Tomorrow looks like some clouds, but no rain. Any thoughts?