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:
Lighthouse
Keepers Museum
Gitche Gumee Agate and History Museum
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:
Lighthouse
Keepers 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) 494-2306. 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
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