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Pictured Rocks National LakeshoreA peaceful beach on Grand Sable Lake near Grand Marais, Michigan, in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
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Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Management
Lake Superior waves splash onto the Pictured Rocks cliffs.
Wild Beauty on the Lake Superior Shore
Public Law 89-668
October 15, 1966

That, in order to preserve for the benefit, inspiration, education, recreational use, and enjoyment of the public a significant portion of the diminishing shoreline of the United States and its related geographic and scientific features, the Secretary of the Interior is authorized to take appropriate action, as herein provided, to establish in the State of Michigan the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

 

MISSION - Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is dedicated to:

  • Preserving a nationally significant portion of the Great Lakes shoreline.
  • Allowing public access to its geologic, scientific, scenic and historic features.
  • Offering opportunities for recreation, education, inspiration, and enjoyment.
 

The PURPOSE of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is to:

  • Preserve a portion of the Great Lakes shoreline for its geographic, scientific, scenic, and historic features.
  • Provide opportunities for public benefit in recreation, education, enjoyment, and inspiration.
  • Protect the character and use of the shoreline zone while allowing economic utilization of the inland buffer zone renewable resources.
 

The Lakeshore’s SIGNIFICANCE:

  • Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore affords public access to a spectacular and diverse segment of the Lake Superior shoreline.
  • Unmatched in their scenic value, the 200-foot high Pictured Rocks cliffs rise perpendicular from Lake Superior creating a mosaic of rock form, color and texture, enhanced by cascading waterfalls.
  • Five square miles of pristine sand dunes and their unique plant communities, perched atop 300-foot sand banks, rise abruptly at the shore of Lake Superior.
  • Twelve miles of unspoiled and undeveloped Lake Superior beach contrast the Pictured Rocks cliffs and Grand Sable Dunes.
  • Bedrock geology and glacial landforms create a tapestry of topography marked by streams, inland lakes and a diversity of associated vegetation.
  • The shoreline offers extraordinary and inspirational scenic vistas of Lake Superior, the largest body of fresh water on earth.
  • Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore offers a variety of affordable year round recreational opportunities for appropriate public use.
  • Within a distinct area, the Lakeshore contains a spectrum of cultural resources focused on the human use of Lake Superior and the shoreline.
  • Lying in a transition zone between boreal and eastern hardwood forest, the Lakeshore's scientifically recognized collection of flora and fauna is found nowhere else with the Lake Superior Basin.
  • Pictured Rocks is the only NPS area with a legislated buffer zone.
This solar collector provides power for the water well at the Au Sable Light Station in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.  

Did You Know?
In 1992, the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore began installing photovoltaic powered well pump systems at its drive-in campgrounds. All remote water wells within the lakeshore are now solar-powered.
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Last Updated: November 30, 2007 at 11:24 EST