Pictured Rocks National Seashore is located on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan on Lake Superior between the towns of Munising and Grand Marais with the headquarters in Munising. There is a 42 mile trail (this trail is part of the North Country Trail) along Lake Superior and a shuttle is available to take you from one end to the other. It runs 3 times a week from mid June to September 30 and cost 20$ per person. Arrangements can be made for other travel for a fee, and a handicap shuttle is available to the light house. A 15$ reservation fee is required and it cost 4$ a person per night to stay at one of the back country campsites which are also available for kayakers. The Cliffs group campsite might have water in a small creek nearby but don't count on it. At Potato Patch you can walk down to Miners Beach to get water. Both of these sites are on the southern section with no other sites with water available. Unless you're willing to walk 12 miles between Munising Falls and Mosquito Camp where there is water you'll be staying at one of these two camps. I had supper at Mosquito Camp and then hiked to Potato Patch with extra water. The next morning you can pack up and hike 1/2 a mile to Miners beach and have breakfast.

There are several things to remember at Pictured Rocks. The boardwalks are very slippery when wet. There are a couple boardwalks near the lighthouse but most are along the southern stretch of the trail between Miners Castle and Munising Falls. Sable Flies bite, and the mosquito repellent really didn't do a good job on them. You'll want long pants (and maybe long sleeve shirts) to keep them off. Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on your point of view) they stay mostly in the sandy areas which includes the beach. Gaiters are good to keep sand out of your boots or shoes. If they're long enough and your shorts have longer legs you may not need the long pants to keep the Sable Flies off. Several of the campsites have no water. The biggest problem I had with animals was with the Chipmunks. Leave your pack alone for one second and they'll chew a hole in it! Every campsite I visited had them, and they always showed up when it was time to eat. I'll refrain from saying what I'd like to do to those people that feed them!!!

NOTE: The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is split into 2 time zones.

randomSPACE is a website with some great pictures of Pictured Rocks National Seashore.