• 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!

Recreation Vehicles

Motorhome on the road to Twelvemile Beach Campground.

NPS photo

Motorhome along the road to Twelvemile Beach Campground.

"Recreation vehicles" come in all shapes and sizes.  With the 2010 completion of the reconstruction and paving of Alger County Road H-58, the interest in touring the park in larger vehicles has increased.

H-58 itself provides for a wonderful scenic drive, suitable for all sizes of motor homes when the road is open in spring, summer and fall. (During the winter, H-58 between the Grand Sable Visitor Center and Kingston Corner is not plowed and serves as a snowmobile trail.) The road is quite curvy in places, so slow down, keep your eyes on the road and enjoy the drive.

However, the national lakeshore's campgrounds and several side roads are not well suited for large RVs and motor homes. Travelers should do their homework and exercise caution before traveling down any of these roads.

The Little Beaver Lake Road (which leads to the Little Beaver Lake Campground) has formal size restrictions. Single units in excess of 36 feet and vehicle/trailer combinations in excess of 42 feet are prohibited on this road.

For information about the parking pad size in the lakeshore's campgrounds (including photos), please visit the Drive-in Camping page.

Users of large RVs should consider camping at one of the commercial/municipal campgrounds in the lakeshore's gateway communities of Grand Marais and Munising.

 

Other sites accessible by large RVs and motor homes
Areas within the Lakeshore that accommodate large recreation vehicles are limited. The best areas for viewing portions of the park by motor coach include:

Sable Falls
- Paved parking
- Flush restroom
- Trail to waterfall 75 yards 100+ steps to lower waterfall platform

Log Slide
- Paved parking (RV parking on backside of loop)
- Pit toilet
- Trail to overlook 150 yards
- Interpretive signage on forests and logging

Lake Superior Overlook
- Paved parking
- Pit toilet
- Viewing platform
- Beach access

Miners Castle
- Paved parking (use back loop beyond automobile parking)
- Flush restroom
- Trail to three overlooks, 75 yards, 150 yards, 250 yards lower overlook
- Information center and bookstore
- Interpretive signage on geology, human history, Grand Island

Munising Falls
- Paved parking (use farthest RV parking)
- Flush restroom
- Trail to waterfall viewing platform - 250 yards
- Interpretive center and bookstore with exhibits on blast furnace history, logging, geology Interpretive signs on blast furnace history, cliff fall

 

Lakeshore facilities not well suited for large RVs or motor homes due to limited parking and facilities.

Interagency Visitor Center (Munising) - limited parking
Miners Beach
Miners Falls
Chapel-Mosquito area 
Little Beaver Lake - size restrictions in effect
Beaver Basin overlook 
Twelvemile Beach Campground
Hurricane River Campground
Grand Sable Visitor Center (Grand Marais) - limited parking



Did You Know?

Chapel Lake is shown with fall colors, a beautifu view of the northwoods in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

Chapel Lake is one of several plunge pool lakes created by post glacial rivers after the Marquette advance of the most recent ice age. Its greatest depth is 140 feet. Other plunge pool lakes include Deer Lake and Ginpole Lake in Alger County, home of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. More...