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Hunts' Guide to Michigan's UPPER PENINSULA
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JUST OUT!
A new edition of Hunts' Mapguide to Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
Over 300 entries, all conveniently located on maps and chosen because we think they are the coolest things to do in the U.P. (No ad tie-ins!) Great choices for restaurants, hikes, shops, adventures, museums, boat trips, waterfalls, vistas, road trips, and much more!
To learn more click UP MAP GUIDE
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MUNISING
POINTS
OF
INTEREST
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Sandstone bluffs up to 300 feet high have been shaped by wind, waves, and ice into dramatic columns and caves, and stained red, blue and green by seeping minerals to form colored "pictures" ...
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Hiawatha National Forest/ Pictured Rocks Visitor Center. This is a recommended first stop for every new visitor---for maps, handouts, scheduled talks and walks on nature and history, and customized, impartial advice from a knowledgeable staff of adults who live here and know the area well. Also a nature bookstore ...
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Pictured Rocks Cruises. This cruise is the way to see the Pictured Rocks, preferably in the late-afternoon light, unless you have your own boat or take a kayak tour, ...
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Glass Bottom Boat Shipwreck Tour. This tour combines perspective about shipwrecks with the chance to peer down through a large boat's viewing wells at three shipwrecks south of Grand Island. ...
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Lake Superior. Of all the U.P.'s features, none rival the largest freshwater lake in the world. ...
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Central Munising. A wonderful picnic spot, with grills, bandshell, and farmers' market on Munising Bay; a popular coffeehouse-bookstore, some specialty stores; and a kids' castle playground ...
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Alger County Heritage Center. Here you'll see an authentically furnished 1830s fur trader's cabin from Grand Island, and vintage Munising Woodenware products (clothespins, hand-painted bowls, and lots more), once marketed nationally ...
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Northern Waters Sea Kayaking. An adventurous way to see the cliffs, caves, and shipwrecks by Grand Island and the fabled Pictured Rocks ...
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Grand Island Scenic Overlook. A breathtaking vista out beyond Munising Bay of Grand Island ...
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Munising-area Waterfalls. Avoid crowds and visit four delightful, secluded falls in and near Munising: Horseshoe Falls, a quaint private attraction; the Twin Waterfall Plant Preserve; and Wagner Falls off M-94 ...
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Valley Spur Cross-Country Ski and Mountain Bike Trails. Artfully laid out, meticulously groomed, this 38-mile trail system is a favorite destination of dedicated cross-country skiers from far and wide ...
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McQuisten Recreation Area. The views from boardwalks on this beautiful pond are hidden gems for birders and naturalists, within walking distance of the Super 8 and Comfort Inn motels. There's an elaborate playground, too ...
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Northern Waters Sea Kayaking
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Proprietor Carl Hansen has led guided sea kayak trips on Lake Superior since 1987. Northern Waters rents kayaks for Lake Superior and inland lakes and streams. A staff of experienced paddlers offers guided day trips and longer excursions to the Pictured Rocks or Grand Island's sandstone cliffs, sea caves, and shipwrecks, like those on Pictured Rocks but on a smaller scale. Choice of destination depends on conditions. Isle Royale trips are also offered.
Grand Island has become a premiere kayaking destination. Even on a calm day, a kayak allows one to feel exposed to the power of this greatest of all lakes. In a kayak, more stable than a canoe, you're low on the water. You can quietly get right up to the massive cliffs and look up at them.
All guided trips include instruction for people with no previous kayaking experience. A mix of solo and tandem kayaks is used, to accommodate paddlers of different abilities. Some people are screened out. There's a minimum weight of 75 pounds.
The one-day guided trip
($125/adult, $95/youth 16 and under) goes either to Pictured Rocks or Grand Island, depending on lake conditions and the group's abilities and requests.
Paddlers start out at Sand Point and go to either the Miners Castle Beach or the arch and cliffs of Grand Island's Thumb, passing thee East Channel Lighthouse. There are discounts for groups of seven or more.
Reservations are advised. It may be possible to make day-trip reservations the night before, or even the same day in the case of cancellations. For longer trips it's best to reserve a month in advance, especially in August and for holidays.
The three-day Pictured Rocks or Grand Island camping trip ($409 for adults, including tents, gear, and food) involves more training, possible hiking, and a more leisurely exploration of Lake Superior's scenery. Overnights allow for seeing sunsets on the water, possible moonlight paddles, stargazing, and, if you're lucky and up late enough, seeing the Northern Lights.
Notes: safety standards say that on a perfectly calm day with beginning paddlers, there should be no more than six boats per instructor. If some paddlers have passed safety courses, more boats could go out without having another instructor. Northern Waters has had a perfect safety record in its first 20 years.
Sea kayaks can be rented for unguided Lake Superior trips after a safety course.
Instruction includes learning paddle strokes, braces, and rescues (you will get wet!), followed by dry-land instruction on how to enjoy kayak camping. Other kayaks can be rented for use on inland lakes and slow streams after just 15 minutes' instruction. These are stable enough for families, fishing, and dogs. A tandem kayak rents for $49/day, solo kayaks $35. Visitors are welcome to stop by and see a free video on sea kayaking. — May, 2008
712 W. Munising/M-28, between the high school and American Legion. (906) 387-2323. northernwaters.com Open daily from Mem. Day thru September. Call for directions to the dock from which trips depart. Handicap access: call.
Return to Munising
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