Nature
Attractions: Nature
in Abundance!
Attractions in the Grand Marais area
Whether you like spring, summer, fall, or winter activities
(or perhaps all four!), the natural beauty of the Grand Marais area is unsurpassed.
Below you'll find links to some of our most popular and scenic local sights.
Hiking, camping, birdwatching, fishing, canoeing, museums... whatever your hobby,
we have it here! Bring your camera and plan to stay awhile.
Nature
Attractions:
Woodland Park
North Country
Trail
Donahey Woods
Sable
Falls, Grand Sable Lake,
and The Log Slide
Pictured
Rocks National Lakeshore
Seney
Wildlife Refuge
Lake
Superior State Forest
Whitefish
Point Bird Observatory
Tahquahmenon
Falls State Park
Muskellonge
Lake State Park
Museums
and Other Activities:
Old
Post Office Museum and Memorial Rose Garden
Lightkeeper's
House Museum
Pickle Barrel House Museum and Historic Iris Garden
Gitche
Gumee Agate and History Museum
Promenade Through the Past self-guided walking tour
Great
Lakes Shipwreck Museum
Pictured
Rocks Boat Cruises
Glass
Bottom Shipwreck Tour
Crisp
Point Lighthouse
Woodland
Park
Grand Marais' own jewel of a campground, Woodland Park
is located right on the shore of Lake Superior a short walk from the center
of town. The park offers 140 modern campsites with full hook-ups, a playground,
a tennis court, and a half-mile beach for walking, swimming, sunbathing, and
relaxing. Closed in winter. For information, contact Burt Township
at (906) 494-2381. More information is available on the Woodland
Park page. Top
North
Country Trail
The North Country National Scenic Trail is a premier
footpath that one day will stretch more than 4,000 miles to link communities
and wilderness areas across seven northern states. To the west of Grand
Marais, hikers can enjoy the 43-mile stretch that passes along the shore of
Lake Superior in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. To the east, the trail
stretches 26 miles to the mouth of the Big Two-Heart River. Check out
the North Country
Trail website -- it's excellent. Top
Donahey
Woods
Donahey Woods is a 25-acre wilderness parcel stretching
for 1/4 mile along Lake Superior at the western end of Woodland Park Campground.
This pristine piece of lakeshore originally belonged to William and Mary Donahey
(creator of the Teeny Weenies comics), and was purchased by the Nature Conservancy.
Access is at the western end of the campground. There is a stairway down
to the beach and a nature trail. Top
Pictured
Rocks National Lakeshore
Stretching 50 miles along Lake Superior's south shore,
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is a hiker's and camper's dream. Visit
the Log Slide, Sable Falls, Grand Sable Lake, and see other Waterfalls, lakes,
beaches, and woodlands that make up this pristine park, featuring three modern
campgrounds and numerous backcountry campsites. The North Country Trail
passes along the shoreline and is open year-round for the outdoor enthusiast.
Phone: (906) 387-3700. National
Park Service web page for Pictured Rocks Road
Mileage Chart Top
Seney
Wildlife Refuge
Only 25 miles south of Grand Marais, the Seney Wildlife
Refuge lies along an important flyway for migratory birds. Geese, swans,
eagles, osprey and falcons are regular visitors to the refuge, which offers
hiking, biking, and driving trails. The seven-mile Marshland Wildlife
Drive is a scenic tour through some of the refuge's most active areas.
The Visitor Center is open May - October, and the refuge itself is open year-round.
This is one of the largest wildflife refuges east of the Mississippi.
Don't miss it! Phone (906) 586-9851 for information or check out the Seney
NWR website. Top
Lake
Superior State Forest
To the south and east of Grand Marais lies the vast
Lake Superior State Forest, offering unique camping and hiking opportunities
for those who like to get away from it all (but not too far away!) Included
in the state forest are numerous campgrounds, hugging both the shore of Lake
Superior and the quiet inland lakes. Hunting, fishing, biking, hiking,
and snowmobiling are other popular activities here. Contact (906) 293-5131
for information, or visit the
LSSF Trails Information Page for trail descriptions. Top
Whitefish
Point Bird Observatory
Grand Marais sits very near a phenomenal concentration
sport for migrating birds. The Whitefish Point Bird Observatory is located
approximately two hours east of Grand Marais and offers a spectacular viewing
point for spring and fall migrations. Spring migrations begin about mid-March
and continue through mid-May, featuring Bald Eagles, Northern Goshawks, and
15,000 - 25,000 other raptors, including Golden Eagles, Osprey, Peregrine Falcons,
owls, hawks, and vultures. The waterbird migration begins in April and
features a large variety of loons, grebes, ducks, shorebirds, gulls, and terns,
with many rare species spotted each year. Fall brings a return migration,
with 50,000 - 100,000 waterbirds and fall-plumaged songbirds, mid-August through
October. Whitefish
Point Bird Observatory website Top
Tahquahmenon
Falls State Park
The second-largest waterfall east of the Mississippi
River is located only one hour from Grand Marais. A drive through the
beautiful north woods brings you to Tahquahmenon Falls State Park, where the
falls sparkle in every season. Visitors can enjoy a walk on smooth paths
between the upper and lower falls, or take a rowboat out to the island in the
river to get a closer look. A visit to the large gift shop featuring northwoods
crafts and a stop at the cafe make the day complete. Open all year.
Tahquahmenon
Falls State Park website Top
Muskallonge
Lake State Park
Visitors who are fishing enthusiasts will enjoy a visit
to Muskellonge Lake State Park, a thirty-minute drive east of Grand Marais on
county road H-58 (closed in winter). A narrow strip of land divides Muskellonge
Lake from Lake Superior, and the fishing is great all year round, though winter
visitors will want to approach the park from the south and Newberry. A
modern campground is open spring through fall. Phone: (906) 658-3338.
Muskallonge
Lake State Park website Top
Museums and Other Activities:
The Old Post Office Museum, located on Lake Avenue, showcases the rich history of the Grand Marais area. Exhibits on early settlement, lumbering, fishing, the boom days of the town, and tourism are just a few of the interesting things you'l find inside. At the rear of the building is a memorial rose garden, established in 2010. The museum is open daily in the summer. Donations accepted. For more information, contact the Grand MArais Historical Society at (906) 494-2402.
Lightkeeper's
House Museum
The Grand Marais Historical Society maintains the Lighthouse
Keepers Museum on Coast Guard Point in Grand Marais. The museum, featuring
a restored lighthouse keeper's dwelling, is open daily (except Monday) in July
and August from 1:00 - 4:00, and on weekends in June and September. Private
tours are available by appointment. Admission is free, though donations
are gladly accepted! For more information, contact the Grand Marais Historical
Society at (906) 494-2404. Top
Pickle
Barrel House Museum
The
Pickle Barrel House Museum, located at the corner of Lake Avenue and Randolph
Street, is one of the most unique buildings in Michigan. This two-story barrel
was built in the 1920s as a summer cottage for author/illustrator William Donahey,
creator of the famous "Teenie Weenie" cartoons. The building, originally
located on the shore of Sable Lake, was moved to Grand Marais in the 1930s.
The Grand Marais Historical Society has restored the building to its cottage
condition and it is open to the public. At the rear is the Pickle Barrel Historic
Iris Garden, established in 2009. The museum is open
daily in July and August from 1:00 - 4:00, and on weekends in June and September.
Private tours are available by appointment. Admission is free, though
donations are gladly accepted! For more information, contact the Grand
Marais Historical Society at (906) 494-2404. Top
Gitchee
Gumee Agate and History Museum
Grand Marais' newest museum opened in the summer of
1999, and features exhibits on Grand Marais history as well as an incredible
rock and mineral collection amassed by local collector Axel Niemi over a period
of 71 years. Rockhounds and history buffs alike will find plenty of interest
here. You'll find beautiful agate-themed gift items at the gift shop,
too. The museum is open daily in July and August, weekends in June and
October. For more information, visit the Gitche
Gumee Museum website, contact the museum at (906) 494-2590 or use this e-mail
link. Top
Promenade
Through the Past self-guided walking tour
This 25-stop, self-guided tour takes visitors into the past as they explore
the rich history of the village of Grand Marais. Many of the town's buildings
date back to the boom years of 1890-1910. Tour stops are designated by the numbered
planters around town. The entire tour covers 2.7 miles, but thel ast mile to
Coast Guard Point can be driven by car. This is also an excellent biking tour.
Tour booklets are available the the local museums and stores for $1.00.
Great
Lakes Shipwreck Museum
The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, located at Whitefish
Point, is about two hours east of Grand Marais. The museum features a
large exhibit hall with artifacts from Great Lakes shipwrecks, including a memorial
to the Edmind Fitzgerald, which sank in Lake Superior with all hands in November,
1975. The bell from the Fitzgerald is on display here. The newly-restored
light station shows visitors what it was like to live in a remote lightkeepers
cottage at the turn of the century. A video theater and gift shop round
out the visitor's experience. Shipwreck
Museum website Top
Pictured
Rocks Boat Cruises
Here's your chance to see the Pictured Rocks cliffs
up close. Pictured Rocks Boat Cruises Run from Memorial Day through mid-October,
and offer up to 7 trips daily. The two-hour cruise takes you from the
broad shelter of Munising Bay out onto Lake Superior and up close to the
Pictured Rocks cliffs. For information, contact (906) 387-2379 or visit
their website. Top
Glass
Bottom Shipwreck Tour
One thing Lake Superior has plenty of is shipwrecks,
and the Glass Bottom Shipwreck Tour takes you right to them. This is a
narrated cruise of shipwrecks in the Munising area, one hour west of Grand Marais.
The Miss Munising, a 60-foot vessel with specialy designed hull glass viewing
areas, will take you to the site of several turn-of-the-century shipwrecks.
For information, contact (906) 387-4477 or visit
their website. Top
Crisp
Point Lighthouse
Crisp Point Light is a historic lighthouse approximately
ninety minutes east of Grand Marais. The drive alone is worth the trip,
and visiting this abandoned, beautiful lighthouse is a one-of-a-kind experience.
The Crisp Point Light Historical Society is racing against time to save this
light before is it swept into Lake Superior. Visit the Crisp
Point Light website to find out directions and more. Top