Login | August 10, 2026
Lakeshore Trail backpacking
PETE GLADDEN
Published: August 10, 2026
I’ve done treks throughout my life that I sworn I’d never do again, and conversely I’ve done treks that I could literally do year after year.
Well, the Lakeshore Trail’s one such trek that I could reprise on an annual basis.
The 42-mile Lakeshore Trail runs the length of Michigan’s Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, a 37-mile stretch of Lake Superior’s southern shoreline extending from Munising to Grand Marais.
PRNL is famous for its dramatic and multicolored sandstone cliffs, its desolate sand beaches and its expansive dune systems.
What first drew me to this area was the photo of one of the trail’s eye-catching cliff-faces.
Not your run-of-the-mill cliff-face mind you, but a stunning sandstone precipice awash in brilliant neon reds, oranges, greens and browns, and it towered a couple hundred feet above the emerald waters of Lake Superior.
It was a picture which ignited in me a years-long yearning to explore that mesmerizing venue.
And when the opportunity finally arrived, the sole motivation for making the 9-hour Akron-to-Munising drive remained the vision of that spectacular cliff-face.
Once I got there though I discovered that said photo - which had etched itself so firmly in my memory - was only a minuscule snapshot of the area, because the Lakeshore Trail actually traverses mile after mile of dazzling cliff-faces.
And if that wasn’t enough, my real aha moment was learning that these brilliant sandstone precipices held a spiritual significance for the Ojibwa Indians, the original caretakers of this rugged, spellbinding region.
That little historical tidbit definitely had me wondering if my fascination with the cliff-face photo was some sort of graphic siren song.
If so I’m darned happy I’d been taken in by its seduction.
Indeed, the Lakeshore Trail presents you with the same magic and the same wonderment that must have entranced the Ojibwa all those hundreds of years ago, and the dramatic transitions between three different varieties of shoreline - dune, cliff, and beach - keeps you wondering what’s around the trail’s every nook and cranny.
Okay, now for the reality check.
I’ve done the trail, all 42 miles of it, on three separate summer backpacking trips, so I’m going to warn you that from mid-May through mid-August, mosquitoes, black flies and stable flies (house flies that bite like horse flies) can be your constant companions.
By late August most of the blood-sucking bugs have dissipated, although the biting stable flies can still be a nuisance.
The good news here is that Lake Superior breezes along the open sections of beach and clifftop offer amazing relief from these buggers.
One more warning here, always do tick checks at the end of each day no matter what time of year you’re hiking.
Now with respect to the trail, the terrain is definitely easy to moderate because much of it’s along flat stretches of beach and clifftop.
There are undulations on some of the cliff sections but those are rarely steep, and never prolonged.
You can do this trek in a myriad of different ways because there’s a host of campsites along its length, several of which have gravel road access.
Now because of all the camping access points I’ve been able to take my time and do a leisurely five/six-day trek, and conversely I’ve also been able to blast across the trail in three days when I was lean on time.
Do know that car campers and backpackers need to reserve camping spots in advance ($15 reservation fee, and a $5 user fee per person per night), and those numbered sites are obtained on a first come first served.
And good sites go fast!
You can obtain your backcountry camping permit via www.recreation.gov. or by phoning: 1-877-444-6777.
If your curious about the area check out this exceptional Lakeshore Trail blog: https://www.rightkindoflost.com/backpacking-pictured-rocks-national-lakeshore/.
It’s filled with great info concerning trip planning and itineraries.
And finally, since the Lakeshore Trail seed was so graphically planted in my mind, I refer you to the following website so you might obtain that same inspiration (https://www.munising.org/pictured-rocks/).
Happy viewing and happy trails.