Winter at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

 

Ice curtains are a popular sight to see during the winter months!

NPS photo

Yes, Pictured Rocks is open in the winter!

Winter at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is a unique time of year. The serenity and splendor that ample snowfall brings to the northwoods offers visitors endless opportunites for adventure. What's your favorite winter activity? We have a lot to choose from: snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, ice climbing, viewing ice formations, winter camping, and ice fishing.

The annual snowfall for Munising averages about 140 inches while the average for Grand Marais is slightly higher. Some winters have snowfall totals over 200 inches. Snow usually starts to accumulate on the ground by mid-November and lasts until late April. The park does not plow any park roads except Sand Point Road (See winter road closure page for more info.).

Remember to follow Leave No Trace (LNT) principles while out in the park (Learn more about winter LNT principles). And please no hiking, walking, or snowshoeing on the groomed ski trails!

Visitors in all seasons are required to purchase or display a park entrance pass.

Winter in the Upper Peninsula can be unforgiving, before you leave home, let someone know where you are going and how long you plan to be gone. Check weather before you go and dress appropriately!

 

Ice Climbing & Viewing

Viewing ice "caves" and ice formations has become a popular winter activity at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and the surrounding area. Water seeping out of the porous sandstone cliffs freezes into spectacular curtains and columns of white ice tinged with blue, green, or yellow hues. The ice generally begins to form by mid-December and remains until early April.

The most easily-accessed ice formations for viewing are found along the inland cliff escarpment between Munising Falls and Sand Point, parallel to Sand Point Road. Park at the Sand Point Beach parking lot and walk back on the road 1/4 to 1/2 mile. (Parking is prohibited on Sand Point Road itself.)

Watch for signs just off the road to your left designating various ice climbing and viewing locations. Walk/hike uphill to the base of the escarpment to find and view the ice. There are no designated trails, but cliffs and ice can be seen through the forest as you walk along the road. People walking up to the formations create visible snow-packed trails over time.

Visitors can also hike/snowshoe from the Munising Falls parking lot along the North Country Scenic Trail towards Sand Point to view some of the ice formations from the top rather than the base. Please do not walk or snowshoe on the groomed ski trails in the area!

View and download the Sand Point area ice viewing map (2.57 MB pdf).

Ice curtains on Grand Island can be seen across Munising Bay from the beaches at the end of Sand Point Road. Binoculars are recommended for viewing Grand Island ice formations. Lake ice conditions vary, beware of thin ice and open water.

The park’s waterfalls also freeze into stunning formations in winter. Munising Falls is the easiest to reach via an 800-foot trail from the Munising Falls parking lot. Climbing on Munising Falls is prohibited.

Ice Climbing

Interested in learning to ice climb? Check out guided ice climbing tours.

Ice Climbing Regulations

• Pets are not allowed on or off trails to Sand Point ice climbing locations.

• Munising Falls is closed to ice climbing.
• Camping is prohibited at climbing sites. See the Winter Camping page for backcountry sites where camping is allowed.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is the main location for the annual Michigan Ice Fest, held every February. Contact the organization for more information.

 

Snowshoeing

The park has one marked snowshoe trail. View and download the snowshoe trail map (1.98 MB pdf). This 2.65 mile forested trail loops back on itself and is located at the end of E. City Limits Road off Alger County Road H-58 on the east side of Munising. Park in the ski trail parking lot near the end of the road and walk a few hundred yards down the road to the end. The snowshoe trail begins just past the wooden fence, and is marked with blue posts. Leashed pets are allowed on the snowshoe trail, winter only. PLEASE do not take pets on the adajacent groomed ski trails.

The snowshoe trail also connects users to the G-Loop ungroomed ski trail. Including the G-Loop in your snowshoe excursion will add 1.6 miles to the trek. The G-Loop isn’t tracked, so snowshoers and cross-country skiers share the trail. It also offers snowshoers and skiers great views of Lake Superior. To protect the groomed tracks, all other ski trails are off-limits to snowshoeing and hiking.

You can use snowshoes on the short walking path to Munising Falls and the 1/2 mile Sand Point Marsh Trail. Both trails are easy to access since Sand Point Road is plowed all winter. You can also access the North Country National Scenic Trail from the Sand Point Beach parking lot, the Munising Falls parking lot, or the Grand Sable Visitor Center parking lot.

Within the park boundary the only places you cannot snowshoe are on the park's 20 miles of groomed cross-country ski trails. The remainder of the park is available for you to enjoy via snowshoeing or off-trail skiing.

Cross-country Skiing

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore offers two groomed and tracked cross-country ski trail areas with multiple loops. One is located near Munising on the park's west end and the other is near Grand Marais on the park's east end.

View and download the Munising Ski Trails map (1.68 MB pdf).
View and download the Grand Marais Ski Trails map (1.98 MB pdf).

These trails wind more than 20 miles through a magical landscape of varied habitats and topography, including beech, maple, hemlock, and conifer forests, old gently rolling farm fields, and rugged hills created in the park's glacial past. Since this region receives about 140+ inches of snow each year, skiing is one of the park's most popular winter sports.

Each trail area offers a variety of loop lengths for a leisurely day ski or quick workout. Trail loops range from easy to difficult. All lakeshore ski trails are designed for diagonal stride only - skating is not permitted. To avoid ruining groomed tracks, pets, winter camping, snowshoeing, bicycling, and walking are not permitted on park ski trails.

Maps are located at trailheads and at trail intersections. Follow the direction of travel. Note that some trails are two-way. Watch and listen for grooming equipment when you ski. Several Munising trail loops feature interpretive wayside exhibits along the route. Be sure to stop at these to learn about the interesting natural and human history of the area.

Munising Ski Trail Information

Munising ski trail loops can be accessed from two parking lots (see map). The interconnecting groomed trail loops total 10.4 miles. An additional ungroomed trail loop (G) that skiers share with snowshoers is 1.9 miles. Be aware that trail loops A and B cross a snowmobile trail at four locations - listen and watch for approaching snowmobiles before crossing.

Ski trail conditions may vary. Heavy weekend use and alternating daytime thawing and nighttime freezing may turn snow-packed slopes into fast, icy runs. Watch for other skiers on downhill runs. Severe storms are common in the area and can occur quickly. Wind may obliterate the trail at times.

There are no toilet facilities at either ski trail parking lot. The closest public restroom open year-round is at the Munising Falls parking lot.

Grand Marais Ski Trail Information

The parking area at Sable Falls is accessible only by snowmobile. The parking area at the Grand Sable Visitor Center is accessible by regular vehicle via Newberg Road (Rt. 772) from M-77, then following H-58 west for about 1/2 mile to the ski trailhead parking lot. This is the only portion of H-58 near Grand Marais that is plowed (see map).

In the Grand Marais area, trail loops C and D cross a county road used by snowmobiles - listen and watch for approaching snowmobiles before crossing. The interconnecting groomed trail loops here also total 10.4 miles.

The Grand Sable Visitor Center is closed in winter - however the vault toilet in the parking lot is open year-round.

 

Snowmobiling

Since almost all the park roads are unplowed in winter, snowmobiling is the main way to travel through the national lakeshore during snow season. A 7-day snowmobile park pass is available, as well as America the Beautiful passes and Pictured Rocks Annual passes. Learn more about passes at Pictured Rocks.

Snowmobiles are permitted on unplowed park roads used by motorists in summer, as well as the frozen waters of Lake Superior and Grand Sable Lake.

View and download the Winter Road Closure Map (pdf).

These unplowed roads (and the shoulders of plowed park roads) are open to snowmobiling in conformance with state law. Snowmobiles are prohibited from cross-country travel, off-road travel, and travelling on almost every park trail.

See the Alger County snowmobile trail map for more information.

 

Winter Camping

Winter camping is only allowed at designated backcountry campsites. Access is via hiking trails. Expect areas of deep snow. You can hike, snowshoe or ski to these sites. Except for Sand Point Road, all other park roads are snow-covered and NOT plowed. These roads become designated snowmobile trails from Dec. 1 to March 31. Alger County Road H-58 from Adams Trail to Grand Marais is also a designated snowmobile trail when snow-covered. Do not drive on these roads during this time to avoid ruining the groomed snowmobile trails. Drive-in campgrounds are closed from mid-October to mid-May.

Backcountry Winter Regulations

• Winter backcountry camping is permitted only in existing backcountry sites. Dispersed winter camping is NOT allowed.

• Snowmobiles can access the main parking lots and trailheads where campers then snowshoe or ski to the backcountry sites.

• Locating backcountry sites in deep snow may require use of GPS coordinates.

• Use of stoves is recommended - campfires are not permitted unless you build them in established metal fire rings, which may be difficult to find in deep snow. Finding dry down and dead wood will also be difficult.

• Overnight camping in parking lots is not permitted.

• Snow is not soil! Since human waste cannot be buried in winter, you will need to pack out all human waste and toilet paper.

 

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