Miners Castel is located about 5 miles east of Munising on Alger County Road H-58, then 6 miles north on Miners Castle Road (H11). It is one of the most famous landmarks along the Pictured Rocks shoreline, and is the only cliff area in the park accessible by vehicle. Leashed pets permitted. From the parking lot, a short paved wheelchair accessible trail leads past interpretive exhibits to breathtaking overlooks of Lake Superior and Grand Island. Stairs and a steeper trail lead to the lower overlook adjacent to Miners Castle. Erosion over long periods of time has created the interesting rock formations that give this place its name. A rockfall in 2006 dramatically changed the look of Miners Castle as one of its two turrets unexpectedly fell into the lake.
The Pictured Rocks cliffs hold great spiritual significance to the Anishnabe or Ojibwa people who have lived in this area for thousands of years. Imagine canoeing into this region and seeing the cliffs for the first time from a 16 foot birch bark canoe. Miners Castle was named by Englishman Alexander Henry’s employees when they were exploring the area for minerals in 1771. Though no minerals were ever found, the name “Miners” has endured. Had you been sailing by back then, what would you have called it? This area was prominently featured in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s 1855 Song of Hiawatha, an epic poem based on the history of the local Anishnabeg people as recounted in Algic Researches, written by Indian Agent Henry Schoolcraft. To the geologist, Miners Castle is an open textbook, revealing the history of the Earth at the northern edge of the Michigan Basin. The Pictured Rocks escarpment is one of the primary landscape features along the entire south shore of Lake Superior. Commercial tours have been providing boat tours past the Castle since the 1940’s. This rocky cliff is one of several highlights of the 2.5 hour cruise that continues east to Chapel Beach.
Негізгі бет Hiking to the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
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