East Channel Lighthouse
      Located along Lake Superior, 43 miles from Marquette, Munising is a small town of about 2,800. Surrounded by hills on three sides, and Grand Island to the north, the town sits in a harbor, which is protected from the violence of Lake Superior's gales. If you are an outdoor type of person you will love the area. Home to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, as well as of Grand Island National Recreation Area, and the gateway to the Hiawatha National Forest West, there are a number of outdoor opportunities to take advantage of. You will find miles of crystal clear water, sandy beaches, back-country hiking trails, as well as bicycle, skin diving, and boating opportunities

The "Painted Rocks" of Pictured Rocks Lake Shore

Leaving our anchorage near Grand Island we plowed threw the waves around Grand Island and past the old abandoned East Channel Lighthouse and across the open water to the real treasure in the area-- Pictured Rocks National Lake Shore.

Here we were on the lee shore, so the water was much calmer. Pictured Rocks may be the most beautiful stretch of lakeshore I have ever seen. Here the sandstone cliffs rise steeply out of the water to high, forested bluffs.   Seeping water has caused remarkable stripes of many colors sliding down the face of the cliffs.   Some of the cliffs all wet and glistening in the late afternoon sun like highly polished stones have water that drips into the lake like sprinkles of rain.   Timing is important when seeing Pictured Rocks. When the sun is overhead these beautiful, mineral stained stripes become washed out, and even the shiny wetness becomes dull and unnoticeable. We made our way along these splendid cliffs around 3:00 in the afternoon, and we hit the sun exactly right. The rocks couldn’t have shown their gaudy paintings to us with anymore splendor. We were lucky to have caught the sun at just the correct angle. It was truly magnificent!

Water seeps out of the sandstone and Superior’s wave action have caused sculptured shapes, holes, cave like openings, and arches in the lower part of the cliffs.   Iron washing from the rocks shows red stripes, copper blue and green, lime white, and all the colors in between can be seen—a multitude of oranges and rusts, grays, and black “paint” these rocks.   In other areas, pockmarked with holes and under cuttings you can hear splashing, rumbling, and drum beats of many rhythms and tones