Great Lakes Road Trip: Munising, Michigan (Days 5-6)

View of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore from Miner’s Castle overlook

UPDATED: 2/5/2023

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road trip from Sturgeon Bay, WI to Munising, MI

After breakfast at our B&B in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, we got on the road for the 3.5 hour trek to Munising, Michigan. First we headed south in Door County, cleared the end of the peninsula right at Green Bay, before heading north, hugging the western coast of Lake Michigan. The lake is so large that we drove along that western shore 2 hours and 45 minutes before leaving the lapping waves behind and entering a pine-infused forest.

The road was pretty desolate with other vehicles few and far between. We discussed what a horrible place it would be to run out of gas after seeing another motorist stranded.

The route dropped us right into the middle of quaint Munising, a small town nestled on Lake Superior, home to under 2,000 people. While there, we quickly became acquainted with the fact that this part of Michigan, sitting atop Wisconsin, is known as the Upper Peninsula. Munising sits in a natural harbor within Lake Superior. Directly north of it, Grand Island sits out a few miles from shore and is accessible via a ferry, though we didn’t make it there during our 2-day stay.

The lights of Munising at night, reflected on Lake Superior from Sand Point Beach

View of Lake Superior from Miner’s Castle

An interesting rocky outcrop at Miner’s Castle

where to eat in munising

We arrived in Munising midday, starving and ready to stretch our legs after the drive. We checked in to our accommodation, the Holiday Inn Munising-Lakeview.

We headed back towards town and happened upon Falling Rock Cafe and Bookstore. This spot is basically the type of place I half-fantasize about opening. The shop is a bookstore and has board games for visitors to sit and play, has a cafe that serves full meals plus an ice cream and coffee counter, and hosts live music some nights. We ended up eating most or all of our meals here while in town.

what to do in and near munising, michigan

We spent two nights in Munising, giving us two days to explore the surrounding area. One of the most popular sites near Munising is Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, one of three designated national lakeshores in the United States. (There are also ten national seashores.) All three national lakeshores are in the Great Lakes vicinity with Pictured Rocks joining Sleeping Bear Dunes as the two located in Michigan. Neighboring Wisconsin is home to Apostle Islands.

The water in Lake Superior was incredibly clear!

The sky and water were almost indistinguishable

There were many groups that operate boat tours of Pictured Rocks, as some of their best scenery is visible from the water. While we did not take any boat tours, we were able to see beautiful portions of the area from land - both by hiking to some overlooks with sweeping views of the green water or by visiting some of the quiet beaches with views of the rocky shoreline. There are also water routes to Grand Island, an island about half a mile from the shore and home to ice caves. Had we spent more time in the area, we would have definitely checked this out.

Some of our activities in Munising:

Hiked to Miner’s Falls - A 1.2 mile roundtrip out-and-back hike was a great way to explore the forest of the Upper Peninsula, get some exercise, and be rewarded by a pretty waterfall.

Viewed Pictured Rocks National Seashore from above at Miners Castle - This scenic overlook is only a short walk (1 mile roundtrip) from the parking lot and provides an aerial vista of the bright green lake below.

Visited Miner’s Beach - Even though we visited in the middle of the summer, there was no one else at this beach during our visit. The sandy shore is in a cove with pretty views of the extended shoreline but what mesmerized us was the gentle waves of the ridiculously clear water. It was like being at the beach on a very calm day with crystal clear waters. This spot was very peaceful and was spotted with driftwood and other items tossed out of the lake.

Visited Sand Point Beach during the day and at night for stargazing - Sand Point Beach curves around a cove, meaning that it faces two very different directions. For our first night, we visited the portion of the beach that looks back towards Munising. With no one else around, it was very quiet and a wonderful spot to view the stars and the town lights in the distance to the sound of gently lapping waves.

Hiked to Chapel Falls - The 3 mile round trip out-and-back hike took us to Chapel Falls, about 60 feet high. Hikers have the option to take a loop trail to also visit Mosquito Falls, though that makes the trek significantly longer at over 10 miles.

Beautiful green to blue hues of Lake Superior from Miner’s Castle

Unique rock formations are a common view in Munising

A sweeping staircase to a sweeping view of Lake Superior

A sunny afternoon at Lake Superior from Miner’s Castle

Sunset over Lake Superior at Sand Point Beach

The next leg of our trip took us to the car-less, Victorian island of Mackinac, filled with history and nature, before an overnight in Toldeo to break up the drive home and with a visit to the Toldeo Botanical Garden.

Map Our Route:

Below is our route from Sturgeon Bay, where we spent the first few days of the trip, to Munising. The second map below shows a more detailed map of the areas we visited near Munising.

This second map, which is meant to show key spots we visited in the Munising area, were visited over the course of a couple of days, not as one drive.

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