Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore was established as a National Park in 1966. It preserves one of the most beautiful freshwater coastal landscapes in North America. The rugged Michigan coastline between Munising and Grand Marais on Lake Superior features soaring sandstone cliffs awash with natural pink, green, and brown pigments.
The park’s sandstone comes from quartz sand and gravel deposits that were shed from a regional mountain range in the north. 500-800 million years ago, these sediments were deposited in the shallow seas and near-shore deltas that covered what is now northern Michigan.
With time and pressure, they became the exposed sandstone layers along the shoreline. There is a second layer of sandstone that formed a mere two million years ago.
The only place to see these layers is near Lake Superior. Everywhere else, they are covered by a veneer of glacial drift.
Why “Pictured?”
The name "Pictured Rocks" comes from the streaks of color that decorate the cliffs. When groundwater with dissolved minerals oozes out of cracks and trickles down the rock face, stunning colors are left behind. Iron (red and orange), copper (blue and green), manganese (brown and black), and limonite (white) are among the most common color-producing minerals.
The best way to see the geologic layers and colors of the cliffs is from a boat. Late afternoon or early evening sunlight brings out the richest colors.
The Shot
I’m behind the mask on the right.
Last October, I met two other photographers on a fall colors photo workshop in Pictured Rocks. After spending this particular morning photographing a sea cave, we returned to our boat on a small Zodiac. Since the lake conditions were forecast to deteriorate over the next few days, we decided to cruise along the shore while the weather was good.
We happily spent the next few hours as tourists appreciating the reason the Park was established. We motored up and down the 15 miles of coastline enjoying the shapes and colors of the famous sandstone cliffs.
Thanks for looking,
Chuck