This was an incredible boat ride! The owner, who was also the captain, was incredibly friendly,…read moreknowledgeable, and super safe. He gave us an amazing tour, stopping as close as possible to let us enjoy the breathtaking views. The day was fantastic, and the view of the rocks and the lake was simply spectacular. I'll cherish this experience with my family for years to come. I highly recommend this as an amazing experience. My kid loved it! Hands down, the best experience I've ever had. The service was top-notch, and the boat was clean and fast.

This was a great way to end our trip to the Upper Peninsula! If you want to add some fun into your…read moreboat tour this is it. It's a small local run operation and the captain was so friendly and welcoming, and an expert in driving this boat up into the caves and rock formations. This tour goes around Grand Island, not along the national park lakeshore, but I actually am glad we did this one instead because there were both interesting and tall formations. And the captain mentioned he grew up here so he had a lot of information to share during the tour and has clearly been building his knowledge for many years. I was in the front of the boat but I felt he took his time in maneuvering the boat on all our stops to give everyone in the boat a chance to have a front row seat. It's a good idea to dress warmer than you think you should, and you'll be more comfortable. Growing up on the Mississippi River in Iowa/Wisconsin I planned for this and had a great time. I can't speak on the experience as it relates to kids, but if you pay attention to the details when you're booking (where the tour goes, cancellation policies, what to expect) and you aren't a stick in the mud, you're gonna have a great time too.

See previous review. But also add to look at "reviews not recommended." Its interesting that…read moreseveral previous reviewers had issues as well.

We had a great tour with Captain Bill. If you are contemplating using this service, book now…read morebecause it fills up quickly. We booked three weeks in advance. Weather forecast was threatening the days leading up to our visit so I contacted Captain Mark and he called me right back and came up with a plan. But, not to worry, the storms shifted and we were able to take our tour. The boat is in great condition and the pricing is great! It was just my husband and two children and myself on a 30 ft pontoon. We could have stayed all day we enjoyed it so much. Captain Bill knew right where to take us for the best viewing and photos. We even went over to Grand Island and really enjoyed that too. I highly reccomend Lake Superior Boat Tours. Don't hesitate, just book it! You won't regret it.

We did the long tour with Emily, and she took us to so many spots, it was magical and she gave us a…read morebunch of fun stories and jokes. She even took photos of us and air-dropped them to us afterward. It rained in the morning but the water was calm. So cool launching kayaks from the boat.

-- A Bucket-List Experience That Photos Can't Capture Date…read moreof Visit: July 21, 2025 If you're even thinking about visiting Munising, MI or the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore -- stop thinking and book with Pictured Rocks Kayaking (@picturedrockskayaking). Our family (my wife, our 15-year-old daughter, and me) did the boat-assisted morning tour on a calm July day, and it was one of the most unforgettable outdoor experiences we've ever had. We've kayaked before (including at Acadia National Park), but nothing compares to this. From Chapel Rock and Lover's Leap to the hidden sea caves, every bend of shoreline revealed a new natural wonder. Photos don't do this place justice -- it's something you truly have to experience firsthand from the seat of a kayak. And our guide? Julia Illy (@JuliaIlly) was phenomenal. She struck the perfect balance between safety-first leadership and fun, filling the journey with geological insights, local history, and witty humor that made the paddle fly by. You can tell she loves what she does and cares about giving people a meaningful, memorable trip. The whole operation is smooth and professional -- from the boat ride out (big energy saver!) to the gear, support team, and route design. Whether you're new to kayaking or a seasoned paddler, this is a can't-miss Michigan adventure. We'll remember this day forever. Huge thanks to the team -- and to Julia, who truly rocks (in every sense of the word ).

Our tour was cancelled the night before. Which would have been understandable "due to weather" but…read moreconsidering I checked today and they're still booking tours for today, that's quite unnerving. The group text informing me of this cancellation was me and one other kayaker, so I assume they didn't want to waste their time on such a small group. Save your money and go elsewhere. I'll update again if my refund is ever issued. Updated to add refund was issued.

Just got back from the 2 hour tour and it was awesome. Our guide James did a great job making us…read morefeel safe and offered lots of great tips and stories about the area we were padding in. It was a great experience and we can't wait to come back and do a longer trip next time. Thanks guys!

We planned a weekend trip to enjoy the Upper Peninsula and this was one of our stops. The scenery…read moreis worth hiking the trail. This was our longest hike with 6 miles but we did it! Make sure you bring supplies for mosquito and tick repellent. You also need hydration and snacks. Most of us have mosquito nets for our faces. They are needed leading up to the lake. There was plenty of parking available. However, because it is not a state park their restroom facilities are basically out houses. Come prepared!

The trail if you are up for it, is good. It's lengthy and windy and many ups and down…read more Definitely good for sneakers or hiking boots, maybe even a hiking stick for some leverage on the inclines. Make sure as with any walks or hikes, bring water to keep yourself hydrated. As the walk will leave you parched as you go up and down small hills. It's good either way to get some fresh air, not the urban air either. Happy hiking and see cool stuff! You can drive close to by the Sand Point, Miners Castle other stops along the shore.

We really enjoyed our visit. Had fun hunting for gnomes and the waterfall was beautiful. Shop also…read morereally cute. Only complaint was the mosquitos. Bring your bug spray!

The first falls we found where there was an admission cost, but don't let that deter you. With all…read moreof the fun, whimsical stuff on the grounds and the beautiful, private falls... it's well worth it. The gift shop is cute and the was is friendly. Make sure you get quarters to feed the ducks!

Grand Island offers a bus tour! For those of us long past strenuous hiking or mountain biking but…read morestill wanting to explore Grand Island, there's a bus tour for day trippers! Experience and explore the highlights of Grand Island without worrying about mobility. The bus has a lift for mobility aides. Most walkways are plank board or firm gravel. Viewing area have plenty of room. The driver adjusts to the needs of the group. You get all the best of " pure Michigan " and then some. Yes, I'm talking about flies, mosquitoes, and no-see-in's. Dress accordingly and bring bug spray. Learn a bit of the fascinating history of Grand Island without over exerting yourself. Some of the nicest people you'll ever meet are in the main office. Surprise! They're also your ferry captain and 1st mate. Rich, the bus guide, is a lifelong local who loves the area and especially Grand Island. Ask him anything. He tells great stories. You'll see some fauna and a lot of flora. Overall, a most enjoyable excursion in Munising.

Based on other reviews we got lucky when it came to bugs...I do't recall even using our bug spray…read moreand we didn't have any issues. We visited the first week of September, so maybe we just got lucky. My husband talked me into biking the west rim, then cutting down the middle of the island back to the ferry. Around 20 miles. Our rental bikes were a bit tough to use with not much padding on the seat and gears that were difficult to use. My husband's chain came off at one point. The good news is that we made it in just over four hours - I was so worried about missing the last ferry at 6pm, but we actually caught the 5pm ferry. I would love to visit the island again and stay over night so we don't have to race a clock. The bike trails are tough! I'm a decent bike rider, but trail riding is tough for me. I actually was okay for the first 12 miles, but my legs and rear became sore, making the last eight miles tough. I'm super glad that I was able to complete the ride, and once again had we gotten an earlier start and didn't have to worry about catching the ferry back I think I could have relaxed and not been as worried about having to push my bike up and down some tough and washed out trails. The views on the west rim were amazing! I actually wish we would have just turned around and retraced our steps instead of going down the middle of the island to get back, which is mainly a dirt road for atvs. We will be back to explore some more and work on our bike skills!

The Munising Falls are about 800 feet from the visitor center. The main path is paved with some…read morewooden bridge areas, but overall it's a smooth trail, definitely family friendly. It follows the stream so you can hear and admire the pretty tannin-stained water. There's a trail to the lower falls which takes you to the level of the plunge pool (and then stairs from that point to a middle vantage point), but also branches to stairs to the upper falls if you want to get another viewpoint. The upper falls trail also winds close to the sandstone cliffs, some of which have been unfortunately defaced by graffiti. Overall this can be a quick stop if you're in a hurry, or you can spend longer if you take some time to absorb your surroundings. Make sure to bring bug repellent since there's plenty of mosquitoes around!

Munising Falls used to be an amazing place you could take the kids and family, now it is pay to…read moreenter, they over charge familys, and is now closed from a storm, honestly you need to make it donation and allow people to enter free of charge again, making locals pay the same as others is neglecting the locals and you take advantage of the people, also the money is not being used to fix it or they would of had it reopen already, Munising falls used to be a dream come true for me as a kid, now it is nothing more then a cash grab slowly sinking into ruins. Do not get your hopes high for this ! used to be so amazing thou...

Miners Falls is another great, relatively easy hike that can be done by all skill levels and I…read morewould highly recommend it as well during your Pictured Rocks trip, either before or after you make a stop at Miners Castle as well. Clocking it at 1.2 miles, it takes about half an hour to complete out and back. Miners Falls is way bigger and grander than Munising Falls, so it's definitely impressive and worth the hike out. You aren't able to get as close to it as you do to Munising Falls, you view it from 2 different viewing platforms across a wide river, but it's still impressive just the same. The hike is more intensive. It's mostly shallow, sometimes steeper in areas decline through forest on the way there, but that just means that you know the way back is going to be a constant uphill, which is a bit killer. Total elevation gain here is about 150 feet. Great part about this hike is that the trail is so WIDE, tons of space to walk and be distant from other people, not that this trail was even all that heavily trafficked by any means. When you get to the falls, the first viewpoint you get to really doesn't give you a good view. For both viewpoints, you are already looking down at the falls, and the first viewpoint, which is much higher up, is blocked by trees and at too high of an angle for you to appreciate much of anything. So it's imperative that you head to viewpoint #2, which is down one final series of steep stairs. From this viewing platform, you get a great, impressive view of the falls, get a moment to take pictures, catch your breath, before you embark on the not-so-long-but-sort-of-feels-long-because-it's-all-uphill journey back up to the parking lot. I was definitely breathing hard by the time I got to the parking lot, but it was a great, short hike to do! It really didn't hurt either that there was gorgeous fall foliage all along the road leading into the Miners Falls parking lot and spots of color along the entire hike as well. Can't be anything but happy when looking at fall rolling in! :)

Okay so here is another decent/worthwhile waterfall to visit within Pictured Rocks National…read moreLakeshore. This is Miners Falls. And...it's really easy to find and hike to. From the trailhead it's a 0.6 mile walk along a gravel path. And the 0.6-mile stroll to Miners Falls takes you throughout an incredibly pleasant and tranquil forest setting. Even before I arrived at the falls, I was grabbing pictures on the walk being immersed in lush green trees and vegetations of the woodsy outdoors. Miners Falls is about a 50-foot waterfall that's one of the more majestic flowing falls you'll find in the small town of Munising, Michigan...and Munising is sort of the host town of Pictured Rocks NL. In Munising, you'll discover a bunch of other scenic waterfalls like Alger Falls, Chapel Falls, Munising Falls, Mosquito Falls and Horseshoe Falls to name a few. You can plug all these waterfalls into Google Maps on your phone to specifically locate them. Cell phone reception in Munising works just fine. Now, one of my issues with this Miners Falls and I know I'm nitpicking...is that once walk the 0.6 mile...you can only view the falls from an observation deck. And...this overlook platform had guardrails installed as high up as your waste. So...when trying to take optimal photos of Miners Falls for yourself and or family...you're sort of held hostage to these guardrails. It's sort of like you're being photobombed by a stranger but instead it's really the tiny platform and guardrails that taint the experience. Most visitors here at the overlook were taking selfie pics, which for myself...isn't worth the time. So, I gladly took a picture or two of Miners Falls before returning back towards the trailhead. I guess just in the end I'm a narcissistic person and I want myself in every picture to officially claim that I've "been there, done that", lol. Oh well, this miniscule platform vista point and the guardrails were out of my control. Here was another frustrating aspect... I was visiting back at the end of May 2021 and the parking lot and hike to the falls were pretty busy. In fact, it was congested enough to the point that there was a crowded line of people just waiting to step onto the observation area. And because the platform barely allowed tourists to step foot on it together at one time, the wait was about 10 minutes to get that photographic memory. Wow I thought to myself...this is a popular part to the Pictured Rocks NL area. And just a side note...when I was here this past summer, it was free to explore and hike to all the waterfalls. But for the 2022 travel season, starting on March 1, there'll be a $10 fee for visitors which will eventually over time get raised to $25. So, yes...people are coming. National parks, monuments, lakeshores, state parks, hikes and trails are all getting busier each year. Be prepared for maybe eventually losing that true essence for being outside in the heart of nature. Tourists are coming in droves and it's not stopping anytime soon. Anyways...finally, I got my time at the overlook deck for a quick couple of photos before yielding to the people behind me. Miners Falls was pretty impressive when looking down upon it. I just wished that the hiking path continued down towards the base of the falls because in my opinion...there's nothing like looking up at a scenic waterfall as the prime attraction within a scenic backdrop. Welp...lol, sorry for all my venting. From here at Miners Falls, I continued onto Munising Falls, about a 9-mile drive away. And yeah...once again, Munising Falls was simply a 0.5 mile walk each way to and from an observation deck, but at least the platform there allowed more space to accommodate tourists. Lastly, although I never found true fulfillment from the viewing platform looking down at Miners Falls, I still enjoyed the hike through the forest and simply getting a chance to witness another waterfall here at Pictured Rocks Lakeshore in the UP - Upper Peninsula of Michigan.