Last weekend we traveled to the Upper Peninsula (of Michigan) to get away for my birthday. I needed a breather from reality, and kayaking Pictured Rocks has been on my list for years, so Brendan and I decided last minute to make it happen. If you’ve never been, it is ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL up there. In a perfect world, I would’ve wanted to spend about 5 days up there, spending 3 in the Marquette area and 2 in the Munising area, but we packed as much as we could into 2 days total.
We stayed in Munising, MI at the Pictured Rocks Inn & Suites. This was about a 5.5 hour drive from Grand Rapids. The hotel was nice, no complaints from me (we really didn’t spend much time there other than to sleep + shower). They did not have complimentary breakfast, but we walked across the street to Bay Furnace Bagel Works both Saturday and Sunday mornings 🙂
Anyway, we made our way up there Friday afternoon. We had intentions to leave earlier, but if you know us then you know we’re not the most timely duo and we take our sweet time some days haha. By the time we arrived it was dark and rainy, so we ended up checking into the hotel, hanging out and then going to sleep.
Saturday I had booked our kayaking trip for 12pm, because I wanted to be able to have a slow morning. I actually slept until 9am (which is rare these days), then we got ready, walked over for breakfast and headed over to Uncle Ducky’s to check in for kayaking.
Kayaking Pictured Rocks was gorgeous and slightly more intimidating than I expected. Lake Superior is clear and cold, and since you’re kayaking the rocks, there isn’t any shore to stop and take a break if the waves get too big. Luckily we didn’t have any issues with waves, but it did start to rain on our journey and we’re pretty convinced our guide turned us around early because of that. I would definitely go back and kayak again next time I’m there. We booked through Uncle Ducky’s, and they had multiple options for day trips – everything from a 3 hour kayak to an 8 hour kayak and hike.
After kayaking we ended up back at the hotel to warm up and take a quick nap. From there we visited Taco Primo for a super late lunch (5pm) then drove the 45 minutes over to Marquette to visit Dead River Falls.
Dead River Falls was AWESOME. You start at the bottom and continually climb up and it’s about 6 levels of waterfalls. It does require more climbing than walking, but it was completely worth it. We brought our hammock to hang out at the top, but went at night and didn’t have bug spray so we couldn’t hang around long. There were people camping and swimming there and I would love to go back and spend hours there.
After Dead River Falls we stayed in Marquette and visited Target (for aforementioned bug spray and snacks) and then stopped at Presque Isle Park before heading back to Munising. Scroll down to see photos from our first day!
We were a little smarter on our second day, and instead of eating our breakfast at the restaurant, we took it to-go and walked a few blocks to eat on the lakeshore. It was a gorgeous morning, and such a peaceful way to start the day. I had a game plan of hitting 6 waterfalls before heading back to Grand Rapids, but we ended up seeing 3 (well 4 if you count Alger Falls from the road) and stopping by the Miners Castle Rock overlook before heading out of town.
Our first stop was Horseshoe Falls – it is actually on private property so there is an $8 charge per adult to get in. But, they have a parking lot, and have built a little park with a pond and have a small gift shop, so we thought it was worth the small charge. After that we made our way to Munising Falls, which was beautiful – there were a few different viewing spots but, due to falling rock you are no longer able to climb underneath this waterfall. (Still worth going to visit!)
Our last waterfall for the day was Miners Falls, which was the largest waterfall we saw during our trip. As you can see below its possible to climb all the way down, which we did, but it requires some maneuvering and holding onto rocks and tree roots.
We finished up our afternoon visiting Miners Castle Rock along the Pictured Rocks Lakeshore (second photo from bottom), and just taking in the beauty that is Lake Superior. If you have not had the chance to get to the Upper Peninsula I would highly recommend it. I received multiple messages on Instagram asking if that was a lake and if I was still in Michigan haha.
In terms of food, I had researched some restaurants to try, but didn’t end up at any of them haha. We did enjoy our food from Bay Furnace Bagel Works and Taco Primo (both in Munising). Tracey’s at Roam Inn was highly recommended, as well as Foggy’s Steakhouse and Lounge (I can’t personally vouch for either of these restaurants, so if you go and hate it – don’t blame me haha). We’re not big pizza eaters, but did hear good things about Pictured Rocks Pizza (they have a great outdoor area too!) If you’re into pasties, fudge or smoked meats then the Upper Peninsula is the place for you haha. (I’m only into the fudge). Scroll down for photos from day two!
Not surprisingly, I overpacked, and had zero need for the two cute outfits I brought. I’ve linked all the items I wore below – mainly athleisure! Thanks for stopping by today, and if there’s anywhere I should visit next time – let me know in the comments below!
Have a great weekend.
xo, Maddy
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