Taking the Pictured Rocks Boat Cruise out of Munising, Michigan to cruise along the Lake Superior shoreline is one of the best ways to see the famous rock formations, but it can be fun to see another view of some the famous formations.
The Miner's Castle is the first major formation you see as you set out aboard the cruise boat, but the view from atop the cliff is the one I've seen more often in photographs.
Getting to the top of the cliff to see the Miner's Castle overlook and to get close to the top of the formation is easy.
Head east of Munising on H-58 and travel about 6.5 miles before heading north on Miners Castle Road.
There is a parking lot, a picnic area, and an interpretive center at the site, although budget cuts had the building closed when we arrived there in early June.
A paved foot trail leads past the interpretive center and out to an easily accessible platform overlooking Lake Superior from which you get a great view of Miner's Castle.
You can also spot eroding caverns at the base of Miner's Castle.
You can stroll a short distance along the path (although there are a few short flights of stairs along the way) and get to the top of the formation with its stunted turrets.
The sandstone formation formerly had a more stately appearance, but part of the castle's top fell (literally) victim to time and erosion.
On April 13, 2006, a fisher in the area grabbed his cell phone and called authorities to report seeing a major rock fall at Miner's Castle. Part of the castle's crowning turrets fell 90 feet into the lake. There were fortunately no injuries save for the stately formation's appearance as most of its northeast turret fell off.
Rock falls are not uncommon in the area, happening most often during the spring or the fall when the ground thaws or freezes and weakens the formations of sandstone poorly cemented by a bit of quartz.
Other major rock falls in the Pictured Rocks over the past couple of decades include portions of the Grand Portal and Indian Head formations, as well as a rock fall at Miners Falls that required modifying a viewing platform and closing a trail leading behind the cascade there.
Be sure to check out my stories Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore boat cruise excites the imagination in northern Michigan and Easy Hike to Miner's Falls near Munising, Michigan to find out more about our recent trip to the area.
Want to learn more? Check out these reads: Pictured Rocks: From Land and Sea by Craig Blacklock or Geology and Landscape of Michigan's Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and Vicinity by William L. Blewett.
© Dominique King 2013 All rights reserved
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