I went to the best Pictured Rocks beaches ⚓ 7 Lake Superior beaches in Michigan in the UP’s national lakeshore park ⚓ Michigan travel blog

Hi there!

So there are a number of beaches to choose from along America’s most amazing lake shorelines!

The Lake Superior shoreline touches a number of midwest states: Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

And if you’re looking for Lake Superior beaches in Michigan, then there are a number of beaches to visit in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore!

Lake Superior has sandy beaches, and it also has some rocky beaches. Lake Superior is known for a good spot to look for colorful rocks, and there are beaches that are good for this in Pictured Rocks too.

There are a few beaches that you can pretty much drive straight to, and there are also a couple of beaches that you may want to visit that require a hike to get to.

There are also campsites you can get that are just steps from the beach! Some that even come with Lake Superior views right from your campsite! This can make for a great Pictured Rocks camping trip or a great Lake Superior camping trip.

No matter which beach you choose, you’ll get beautiful views of Lake Superior!

First, the quick list of some the noteworthy beaches in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

Then, a bit more about each of the beaches. This will include some camping spots near a beach.

7 of the best beaches in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

1. Sand Point beach

2. Miners Beach

3. Chapel Beach

4. Twelvemile Beach

5. Hurricane River beach

6. Lake Superior overlook beach

7. Sable Beach

Swimming in Lake Superior?!

Lake Superior never really warms up any time of the year, and even in summer it can be cold. 

Still, there are people who get in the water to swim in Lake Superior! 

You might be considered lucky if the water temperature is in the mid-60s when you’re there. That can be considered “warm” for Lake Superior.

According to the National Park Service:

Shoreline water temperatures in summer usually range from the upper 50s to the upper 60s.

Some years it can reach 70 degrees by mid-August in Munising Bay.

There are NO lifeguards anywhere on the beaches in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

Also know that Lake Superior in some ways can act like an ocean. Rip currents exist.

Take care when swimming!

Also, there are also tons of shipwrecks in Lake Superior, and along the Pictured Rocks shoreline it is said that you can explore some of this too. Snorkeling and scuba diving is a thing in Lake Superior, and there is also the Alger Underwater Preserve that is located off the shores of Pictured Rocks. (If you’re interested in Great Lakes shipwrecks, then you may also want to visit Whitefish Point when you’re in the eastern UP. This is located around 2 hours from Pictured Rocks.)

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And now…

More PHOTOS of the Lake Superior beaches of Pictured Rocks!

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore basically has 2 sides. The Munising side and the Grand Marais side. This list generally goes in order from Munising to Grand Marais, west to east.

The quick list of Pictured Rocks beaches

• Sand Point Beach
• Miners Beach
• Chapel Beach
• Twelvemile Beach
• Hurricane River Beach
• Lake Superior Overlook Beach
• Sable Beach

1. Sand Point beach

This is said to be the warmest beach in Pictured Rocks. But again, warm may still be cold! But if you’re looking for a swimming beach, this might be a top one to go to.

2. Miners Beach

This is a pretty wide stretch of sand. There’s a parking lot near this beach for easy access. You’ll take a set of stairs to go down to the beach.

Or, if you’re looking for a hike in Pictured Rocks, you can hike from the Miners Castle overlook to Miners Beach. 

Hiking from Miners Castle would make it about a 3 mile round trip hike.

Waterfalls at the beach

You can also find some small waterfalls that flow into Lake Superior at the far end of Miners Beach! These waterfalls are also called Elliot Falls.

From the stairs down to Miners Beach, you’ll go to the right when you’re facing the lake. You can make it a beach walk, or there’s also a trail that runs parallel to the shoreline that’s on higher ground that you can take to get to the other side of the beach.

Near Miners Beach: On your drive to this Lake Superior beach, you’ll pass by the road to Miners Falls.

3. Chapel Beach

This is a beach that requires a hike to get to. It will be about a 7 mile round trip hike.

But, it’s not just the beach that is noteworthy! Hiking to Chapel Beach means that you will be passing by Chapel Falls and Chapel Rock.

And, this is also the direction you can go if you want to hike to see the famous Pictured Rocks cliffs! That would make it into a 10+ mile hike.

Waterfalls at the beach

And… there are small waterfalls right at Chapel Beach! This is another river (creek) that flows right into Lake Superior!

Backcountry camping near Chapel Beach

The Chapel Beach campground is perched a bit above the beach. You’ll take the path to get down to the beach!

The campground is around 3 miles from the nearest parking lot.

Chapel Beach: See more about hiking to this Lake Superior beach.

4. Twelvemile Beach

This is a beach that goes on for miles and gives some more great Lake Superior views! There’s a parking lot at one section of Twelvemile Beach.

Twelvemile Beach campground

There is a drive-in campground at Twelvemile Beach. It’s possible to get a campsite that overlooks Lake Superior!

Twelvemile Beach: See more about camping at this Lake Superior beach.

Getting to the beach from Little Beaver Lake campground

And then what is the far west end of Twelvemile Beach is another beach access point… by foot! (This is possibly around 12 miles down on the shoreline from the main parking lot?! See map of this beach access point.)

You can hike to the Lake Superior shoreline from Little Beaver Lake campground, and it will give you sandy beach access to the west end of Twelvemile Beach. This is about a 1.5 mile hike from Little Beaver Lake, and the closest beach you will get to this drive-in campground.

The Little Beaver Lake campground is very small and far away from the main tourist spots of Pictured Rocks. This can make for a quiet camping experience in Pictured Rocks. See more about camping at the west end of Twelvemile Beach.

Backcountry camping near Twelvemile Beach

Basically it seems like if you are hiking the North Country Trail anywhere along Twelvemile Beach, the backcountry campsites along the way will have beach access that’s very nearby! (Benchmark campground, Sevenmile campground, Pine Bluff campground, Beaver Creek campground, Coves campground.) Official backcountry camping info.

Beach access near Benchmark campground.

5. Lake Superior overlook beach

You can make a stop here as you’re driving through Pictured Rocks for the Lake Superior overlook. There’s also beach access here.

6. Hurricane River beach

There is a parking lot at Hurricane River. 

This is another river that flows into Lake Superior. There’s sandy beach on both sides of the river. 

From Hurricane River, you can hike to Au Sable Point Lighthouse (3 miles round trip) or to the Log Slide dunes overlook (7 miles round trip).

Hurricane River campground

There is a drive-in campground at Hurricane River. There are 2 sections of camping around here, upper and lower. The lower campsites are closer to the beach. The upper campsites are about a quarter mile away from Hurricane River and the beach at the river. 

Campground near Hurricane River Beach: See more about camping near this Lake Superior beach.

7. Sable Beach

This is a beach that you need to hike to get to.

Sable Beach is a rocky beach, and it’s full of colorful rocks! This is a spot where you can look for agate stones. 

Although, you can only look, as you are not supposed to take rocks (or anything else) from the national lakeshore home with you. Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is a protected area by the National Park Service.

To get to this beach, you’ll pass by waterfalls!

And also nearby, you can go for a hike on some sand dunes too.

Sable Beach: See more about hiking to this Lake Superior beach.

And if visiting a beach with colorful rocks sounds good to you, you just might love visiting the Keweenaw Peninsula (also in the UP) where you can find beaches with a bunch of red rocks!

And that’s a bit about some beaches you can find in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore!

More Lake Superior beaches in Michigan, from east to west:

• Brimley State Park
• Point Iroquois
• Whitefish Point
• Vermilion Point
• Crisp Point
• Muskallonge Lake State Park
• Pictured Rocks
• Keweenaw Peninsula (find red rocks!)
• Porcupine Mountains State Park

You can also make it a Lake Superior lighthouse road trip or a Lake Superior camping trip.

See the best of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

See ideas for more beautiful places to visit as you drive around the UP!

See the list of Lake Michigan beaches in Michigan’s other national lakeshore!

See the best of national lakeshores in Michigan.

HAPPY SEEING LAKE SUPERIOR BEACHES IN THE UPPER PENINSULA OF MICHIGAN!