5 things to do in Grand Marais Michigan (views!) along Lake Superior ⚓ Upper Peninsula Michigan travel blog

Hi there!

 

Grand Marais MI can be considered a gateway town of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

From the town of Grand Marais to the Pictured Rocks entrance is less than a 5 minute drive.

Grand Marais is the smaller gateway town which is near the Pictured Rocks sand dunes.

The other slightly bigger, but still small, gateway town is Munising near the Pictured Rocks cliffs.

So depending on where you’re coming from, google maps may route you through Grand Marais. And if it doesn’t, you may want to route yourself through Grand Marais if you’re looking for some quieter stops on your drive through the Upper Peninsula!

You can make Grand Marais a quick stop on your way to Pictured Rocks, or you can stay for 1-2 hours.

In short, your time in Grand Marais can be about Lake Superior, sand dunes, and lighthouses!

 

 

Things to do in Grand Marais MI

 

These are a bunch of quick things you can do in Grand Marais if you stop by for 1 or 2 hours!

 

 

1. Bayshore Park

 

Bayshore Park is a small beach park in Grand Marais. You can stop by for the views on top of the bluff, and you can also take the stairs down to the Lake Superior shoreline.

 

 

If the Lake Superior water isn’t too cold for you, this can be a swimming beach too. Since it’s in a more sheltered bay, you can expect that the water will be calmer compared to a more exposed Lake Superior beach. Still, this is Lake Superior and rip currents are a thing, so take care when swimming!

And then you can also make this a picnic stop! You can eat with lake views!

 

 

You can also make this a bathroom stop, as there are bathrooms at the beach park too.

See more about Bayshore Park.

 

 

2. Fired U.P. food truck

 

You may also find a food truck while at Bayshore Park.

 

 

3. Grand Marais inner harbor lighthouse

 

The Grand Marais of Michigan has 2 light stations that you can see. Both of these are located in what’s called the Harbor of Refuge. One of the light stations is located in the more inner area of the harbor, and so it’s the Grand Marais Harbor of Refuge inner lighthouse. There is also a Grand Marais lighthouse museum located right near the inner light. (Although this was closed when I went in July 2020.)

 

See more about the Grand Marais inner lighthouse.

 

 

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4. Grand Sable Dunes

 

Then from the inner lighthouse you can have your first experience of seeing the Grand Sable Dunes if you haven’t yet been to Pictured Rocks.

Grand Marais is where to go if you want to see the best sand dunes in the Upper Peninsula!

For the best views of the Grand Sable Dunes, you’ll want to go to the Pictured Rocks sand dunes overlook. This is located around 15 minutes from Grand Marais town.

But the outskirts of the Grand Sable Dunes extends to near the town of Grand Marais around the lighthouse.

You can have the experience of walking across these small sand dunes to get to the Lake Superior shoreline.

 

 

More for your UP trip: For smaller sand dunes similar to the type you’ll walk across at the Grand Marais lighthouse beach, you can also have a look at visiting Vermilion Point. This also tends to be a quieter area of the UP.

 

 

5. Grand Marais lighthouse beach

 

Walking across the small sand dunes, will take you to a Lake Superior shoreline where there’s a beach. Because it’s a more exposed shoreline, the waves here might be stronger. There’s a bit of sandy beach here, but it’s also a bit rocky too. You can also look for the colorful rocks that Lake Superior is known for.

 

 

Hiking sandals or water shoes may be helpful if you want to go for a walk on the beach or look for those rocks!

 

 

6. Grand Marais outer harbor lighthouse pier

 

And then, you will also see the pier at this Grand Marais beach!

It’s possible to walk all the way out to the end of the pier to the Grand Marais Harbor of Refuge outer lighthouse. (More for your UP trip: You can make it a Lake Superior lighthouse road trip!)

Walking out onto the pier, which has both a big boulder path and regular paved path, you will see vast views of Lake Superior. You will also be able to Pictured Rock National Lakeshore out in the distance.

 

 

Also near the pier is a picnic table if you want to make a stop here for a picnic lunch with lake views!

 

 

See more about the Grand Marais outer lighthouse pier.

 

Driving to Grand Marais MI from the eastern Upper Peninsula

If you are coming from (or going to!) any of these points of interest in the eastern part of the Upper Peninsula, it can make perfect sense to add a stop in Grand Marais:

• Whitefish Point
• Crisp Point
• Tahquamenon Falls State Park
• Muskallonge Lake State Park
• More things to do in the eastern UP

And if you are coming from any of these places, then be sure to map it out so you will be driving along the Grand Marais Truck Trail to get to Grand Marais… if you’re looking for the slow scenic route! This will give you another spot that you can stop off at. The Grand Marais Truck Trail runs along Lake Superior in part, and you’ll find some spots to park your car for shoreline access as you’re driving!

 

 

Note that in addition to Grand Marais MI, there is also a Grand Marais MN that may come up if you’re typing it into google maps. These towns are both along the shore of Lake Superior!

Speaking of google maps, it’s a good idea to download offline google maps before you go (it’s free), since there’s a good chance that you won’t get data as you’re driving through remote Michigan.

 

 

Next you can see the things to do in Pictured Rocks when entering from the Grand Marais side!

 

 

Also see the big list of things to do in Pictured Rocks, including the famous cliffs that Pictured Rocks is known for!

 

If you’re interested in Grand Marais, you may also be interested in these Upper Peninsula places to visit:

• Tahquamenon Falls State Park
• Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
• Log Slide overlook
• Sable Falls
• Copper Harbor
• Kitch-iti-kipi

 

HAPPY VISIT TO GRAND MARAIS!