• Little Portal Point at sunset. Photo copyright Craig Blacklock

    Pictured Rocks

    National Lakeshore Michigan

  • Fire Ban in Effect

    A FIRE BAN in all drive-in and hike-in campgrounds, effective at 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 24. Due to very hazardous conditions, the ban is in effect until further notice.

  • Chapel Road - last quarter mile closed

    The last quarter-mile of Chapel Road is closed due to construction. Only very limited parking available along Chapel Road. Please park at Miners Beach. More »

  • Sable Falls re-opens, Friday, May 25, 5 p.m.

    The trail and stairs to Sable Falls are closed due to a collapse of the stream bank. Work is nearly done, and the trail will re-open for Memorial Day weekend!

Miners Beach Parking Expansion

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Date: August 4, 2006
Contact: Chris Case, 906-387-2607

NPS Equipment Operator working on the Miners Beach parking area expansion project.
NPS photo by Chris Case
NPS heavy equipment at work on the Miners Beach parking project
Construction has begun at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore’s west Miners Beach parking area. The area will remain open to the public throughout the project.

The parking area is being enlarged to address increased visitation at this popular area. The expansion will provide additional parking and be more accommodating for recreational vehicles, buses, and vehicles with trailers. The parking area will provide a one-way circular traffic pattern and includes a kayak loading and staging area. In addition to the parking lot improvements, stabilization of the beach trails and shoreline bluff is also included in the project.

The project is being completed with Lakeshore staff as time permits, and is expected to be completed by next summer. The first phase of the project is already complete and has nearly doubled the number of existing parking spaces.

"We realized that insufficient parking in the area has become a problem, particularly on weekends and hot summer days,” said Facility Manager Chris Case. “We wanted to begin the project as soon as possible to provide the increased parking.”

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1970, an environmental assessment for the project was prepared, and it was found that the construction undertaken would have no significant impact on the resources.

If you have any questions on the project, please contact lakeshore headquarters at (906) 387-2607 or the Interagency Visitor Center at (906) 387-3700.

Did You Know?

The former Grand Marais Coast Guard Station now serves as a Ranger Station at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

When the 729-foot freighter S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald went down on November 10, 1975, the last land-based communication to the ship was from the Grand Marais Coast Guard Station. This station and the Munising USCG Station are now managed by Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. More...