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Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Winter Activities
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NPS photo by Gregg Bruff |
Winter "surfing" on a Lake Superior ice floe (on shore) |
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Walking in a Winter Wonderland ...
Winter at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore brings solitude and beauty to the northwoods. This is your winter wonderland for cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, ice climbing, winter camping, ice fishing, and snowshoeing.
From late November through mid-April, the Upper Peninsula is blanketed with snow. You will hear all sorts of predictions. “Munising gets 200 inches of snow a winter!” “The annual snowfall in Grand Marais is 300 inches!”
Fact is, the Lakeshore does not receive as much snow as it did a few decades ago. According to the , the current average for Munising is somewhere between 140 and 144 inches while the average for Grand Marais is similar.
Near Melstrand in the middle of the park, their average is probably higher - possibly due to that area not being as protected by Grand Island from northwesterly driven lake effect snowfall.
Speaking of averages, the National Weather Service uses a 30 year average when they use that term. In some locations, snowfall is measured by citizen weather observers and records are incomplete for all of the years.
Residents of Munising often note significant differences between in town and up on the hills outside of town. Snowfall often depends on the track of the storm and local conditions.
So, when people ask how much snow the Lakeshore receives, we usually say “a lot” and leave it at that. But thanks for asking!
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![Clouds over Lake Superior (National Weather Service photo) Clouds over Lake Superior (National Weather Service photo)](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20080924101338im_/http://www.nps.gov/mwr/customcf/apps/CMS_HandF/Pictures/PIRO_thunderstorm-NWS-65x65.jpg) The latest NOAA weather forecast for Grand Marais, Michigan. more... | | ![Whether the weather be hot or whether the weather be cold, contact the National Weather Service. Whether the weather be hot or whether the weather be cold, contact the National Weather Service.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20080924101338im_/http://www.nps.gov/mwr/customcf/apps/CMS_HandF/Pictures/PIRO_Clouds5.jpg) The latest NOAA weather forecast for Munising, Michigan. more... | | ![A calm but cold spring day on a peaceful Lake Superior beach. A calm but cold spring day on a peaceful Lake Superior beach.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20080924101338im_/http://www.nps.gov/mwr/customcf/apps/CMS_HandF/Pictures/PIRO_weather-65x65.jpg) The weather at Pictured Rocks changes with the seasons. more... | | ![Michigan's Upper Peninsula is surrounded by three of the Great Lakes. Michigan's Upper Peninsula is surrounded by three of the Great Lakes.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20080924101338im_/http://www.nps.gov/mwr/customcf/apps/CMS_HandF/Pictures/PIRO_GreatLakes-65x65.jpg) Global Climate Change and the Great Lakes more... | |
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![Lyndon B. Johnson being sworn in as President of the U.S. by Chief Justice Earl Warren as Lady Bird Johnson and Hubert Humphrey look on. Lyndon B. Johnson being sworn in as President of the U.S. by Chief Justice Earl Warren as Lady Bird Johnson and Hubert Humphrey look on.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20080924101338im_/http://www.nps.gov/mwr/customcf/apps/CMS_HandF/Pictures/PIRO_LBJ-inauguration-DYK.jpg) |
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Did You Know?
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is America's first National Lakeshore, authorized on October 15, 1966. On the same day, President Lyndon B. Johnson also signed into law another piece of landmark legislation -- the National Historic Preservation Act.
more...
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Last Updated: April 03, 2007 at 13:06 EST |