There’s a place in Northern Michigan for every kind of adventurer and a vacation package to fit.
Ever since you saw that first photo of Pictured Rocks, a colorful canvas of abstract art towering over the clear blue waters of Lake Superior, you’ve dreamed of taking a long weekend and traveling to the Upper Peninsula to take in all that Munising has to offer.
Maybe you’ve filled a travel folder (or a mental wishlist) with waterfalls and shipwrecks, fishing piers and lighthouses, nature trails and dinner cruises. Now it’s time to set your plan in motion… and you’re stuck. So many questions! So many choices!
You want a thrilling Northern Michigan adventure, but you don’t want to spend your time scrolling through your phone, booking last-minute lodging, finding restaurants, and reserving kayaks!
There are memories to be made and not a minute to waste.
We’ve chosen our favorite things to do on the roads and waters surrounding Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and combined them with travel packages from Paddling Michigan to give you two ways to make the very most of your days.
Whether you’re looking for a quiet respite from the hustle-bustle or you’re bringing your active family for a trip they’ll never forget, we’ve curated itineraries to satisfy your travel bug.
What kind of adventurer are you?
- If you’re a nature-loving meanderer, this is for you.
- If you’ve got an adventurous travel buddy, you’re going to love this.
- And, if you’re someone else entirely, choose your experience.
3-Day Pictured Rock
Itinerary for the Meanderer
This 3-day itinerary is for those eager to pack up their hiking gear, a nature journal, and binoculars to fulfill their longing to connect with the outdoors. This package is for you!
Picture this…
Day One:
Your travels have brought you on the beautiful wooded roads that wind through Hiawatha National Forest and you arrive at your fully furnished yurt at the Paddler’s Inn & Suites, nestled near the waters of Lake Superior.
There’s plenty of time to unpack your bag and make a sketch of the black-capped chickadee near your campsite and when you’re ready head to dinner at The Duck Pond Eatery and Beer Garden.
After Dinner you can make your way back to your yurt or you can pull on your hiking boots and head for the Au Sable Light Station Trail where you find quiet views of shipwrecked vessels on the beach and just below the surface of Lake Superior. The UP days are long and the sun stays up past 10:30 in the peak of summer. Or maybe you’re ready to sit by the campfire, roast marshmallows and enjoy a Michigan craft beer or a glass of red wine.
Day Two:
The next morning, it’s a short drive to Paddling Michigan to catch the guided Paddle & Hike kayak trip. A light breakfast and a picnic lunch are provided, and you set out to take in the sights and sounds of the beautiful Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore the way it is best enjoyed: from the water. Your 8-mile water tour fully explores the gorgeous views, passing waterfalls, sea caves, and well-known landmarks, including Lovers Leap Arch, Indian Head, and Grand Portal Arch. You enjoy a packed sandwich with your fellow kayakers and finish up the paddle at the secluded Chapel Beach. You make a quick sketch of Chapel Cove and relax in the sand.
The final leg of the trip is a 3-mile hike along the beautiful Chapel River before meeting your shuttle back to your vehicle. You’re tired, happy, and hungry, and you’re glad you’ve got another meal token to use back at The Duck Pond Eatery and Beer Garden!
The server recommends the local favorites—poutine or Lake Superior Whitefish bites to start and Whitefish grilled, blackened or fried for the main course and you try not to eat it all too fast. Delicious! You’ve never been more ready to see that cozy bed in the yurt. You go to sleep under a blanket of stars.
Day Three:
Enjoy continental breakfast at the Paddlers Inn and a relaxing morning taking in the sites of Pictured Rocks like Miners Castle, Sand Points Bog Trail or Munising Falls before heading to lunch at The Duck Pond Eatery and Beer Garden. After lunch you join the other guests who are boarding a boat to enjoy a 2 1/2-hour cruise around Grand Island. The boat meanders its way around the island, and your captain and crew points out historic sites and points of interest on the way. You listen to the music and enjoy a beverage on the deck as you dip under waterfalls and into sea caves all from the comfort of a boat.
That afternoon you realize you can’t get enough of the clear water views, for your last scheduled adventure you find the canoe livery and head out for a quiet paddle on Au Train River. Nature journal in hand, you take note of carp and walleye darting beneath the canoe and gaze at eagles soaring high above you.
One more night of sky-watching, and you stay up very late hoping for a glimpse of the elusive Northern Lights above you. You finally climb into bed, renewed and at peace.
You realize you haven’t looked at your phone once.
Pre-Trip Checklist
Book this vacation package which includes everything you need!
Not exactly what you want? Don’t worry… you have lots of packages to choose from!
3-Day Pictured Rock Itinerary
for the Adventurer
This 3-day itinerary is for those with bucket lists to fill and the energy to go along with it! This vacation package is for you.
Feeling like you and your young (or young-at-heart) travel buddy need a break from your screens? We’ve got a fun-filled adventure package to get kids of all ages (and their parents) off their devices and onto the waters and trails of Northern Michigan!
Imagine three days of laughter and thrill…
Day One:
Bring an atlas (remember those?!) along on your road trip, and see how many of the Great Lakes you pass on your way here. Look for other Northern Michigan landmarks too, like Mackinac Bridge and one of the many lighthouses along the Lake Superior coastline.
You arrive at Au Train Beach Campground, and the tipi is everything you imagined—comfortable and well-stocked with all your essentials. Unpacking is easy—just a few clothes and your cooler—and you’re both ready for hot dogs on the grill, smores over a fire on the beach and constellation-spotting or maybe a glimpse of the northern lights before heading to bed.
Day Two:
Up early for your first Paddling Michigan adventure! You meet up with your guide and group, and everyone enjoys a light breakfast and picks up their sack lunch for later. Onto the shuttle for your kayak launch from Miners Beach. Life jackets on and it’s into the kayaks for a guided paddle around the breathtaking art that is the Pictured Rocks. Your travels take you along the jagged rocks to the backcountry of this National Lakeshore, Paddling through and along sites like the Painted Coves and Lovers Leap Arch, then your group stops for lunch at Mosquito Beach, a secluded spot accessible only by kayak or by foot.
Back to the launch site after a fun afternoon spying eagles, waterfalls and the shadows of submerged shipwrecks, and you’re both glad for some free time before dinner. You head for Sand Point Beach and take a swim. The beach stretches out into the bay, keeping the water warmer and the depth is perfect for children.
Your stomachs are growling. You head to The Duck Pond Eatery and Beer Garden and cash in your meal tokens for blackened Lake Superior Whitefish with a side of wings. Yum!
Back at the tipi, you pull out two camping chairs and sit back to stargaze while you recount the best moments of the day. Lights out!
Day Three:
Bucket lists! After a leisurely breakfast of biscuits and gravy prepared over the fire, you tidy up your campsite and explore the campground a little. Inside Sandhill Lodge, you’re excited to find a deck of cards for a game of Hearts before it’s time to meet for your bucket list item—explore the waters around Grand Island in a catamaran! You meet up with the other cruisers at the Duck Pond Eatery and enjoy a delightful lunch complemented with one or a few of the over 30 Michigan craft beers to choose from. On the boat the Captain and crew point out all the highlights along the way.
Back on dry land, but only for a short time, because the other bucket-listers brought their fishing pole and are excited to use it under the low-hanging trees near the canoe launch at the Au Train River. You load up a canoe with poles and drinks for your final adventure and spend a fun afternoon looking for smallmouth bass and perch as the sun sets.
There’s nothing quite like fresh fish, pan-fried over the fire, followed by perfectly toasted s’mores to fill everyone’s buckets.
Pre-Trip Checklist
Book this vacation package which includes everything you need!
Too thrilling or not thrilling enough? We have your back!
Check out our full list of vacation packages to choose from!
Browse a Full List of Paddling Michigan’s
All-Inclusive Vacation Packages
Our all-inclusive packages are designed to make your visit to upper Michigan a breeze. With just one reservation, your planning is done and we’ll take it from there. This means that when you arrive, you can place all your focus on enjoying Lake Superior’s Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Grand Island, Hiawatha National Forest, Rock River Canyon, Seney National Wildlife Refuge, and the scenic city of Munising, without any of the pre-trip hassle.
Our accommodations are known for their charm, so whether you choose to stay in a yurt, a Native American tipi, a safari tent, or at the Paddler’s Inn, you can get cozy within minutes. In each space, you’ll find amenities that include: bunks with mattresses, refrigerators, a comfortable living area, and convenient access to our camping store and restaurant. It’s the easiest-to-plan Upper Michigan getaway for kayaking, canoeing, hiking, mountain biking, and all things outdoors!
Not sure which package to choose?
Call Paddling Michigan at (906) 387-1695 and we’ll listen to your goals and recommend the package best suited for you.
Included in this Vacation Package:
Paddler’s Choice Kayak Tour 15% Off Sale!
3 night stay at the Au Train Beach Campground
Enjoy a Lunch cruise around Grand Island on the M/V Uncle Ducky. Learn More
Canoeing on the Au Train River
Dinners for 2 days at the Duck Pond Eatery & Beer Garden . Breakfast the morning of your kayak trip plus bag lunch.
Included in this Vacation Package:
Paddler’s Choice Kayak Tour 15% Off Sale!
3 night stay at the Au Train Beach Campground
Enjoy a Lunch cruise around Grand Island on the M/V Uncle Ducky. Learn More
Canoeing on the Au Train River
Dinners for 2 days at the Duck Pond Eatery & Beer Garden . Breakfast the morning of your kayak trip plus bag lunch.
Included in this Vacation Package:
Paddler’s Choice Kayak Tour 15% Off Sale!
3 night stay at the Paddlers Village
Enjoy a Lunch cruise around Grand Island on the M/V Uncle Ducky. Learn More
Canoeing on the Au Train River
Dinners for 2 days at the Duck Pond Eatery & Beer Garden . Breakfast the morning of your kayak trip plus bag lunch.
Included in this Vacation Package:
Taste of the Rocks Kayak Tour 15% Off Sale!
3 night stay at the Paddlers Village
Enjoy a Lunch cruise around Grand Island on the M/V Uncle Ducky. Learn More
Canoeing on the Au Train River
Dinners for 2 days at the Duck Pond Eatery & Beer Garden . Breakfast the morning of your kayak trip plus bag lunch.
Included in this Vacation Package:
Paddler’s Choice Kayak Tour 15% Off Sale!
3 night stay at the Paddlers Inn
Enjoy a Lunch cruise around Grand Island on the M/V Uncle Ducky. Learn More
Canoeing on the Au Train River
Dinners for 3 days at the Duck Pond Eatery & Beer Garden . Breakfast the morning of your kayak trip plus bag lunch.
Included in this Vacation Package:
Paddle and Hike Kayak Tour 15% Off Sale
3 night stay at the Paddlers Village
Enjoy a Lunch cruise around Grand Island on the M/V Uncle Ducky. Learn More
Canoeing on the Au Train River
Dinners for 3 days at the Duck Pond Eatery & Beer Garden . Breakfast the morning of your kayak trip plus bag lunch.
Included in this Vacation Package:
Paddle and Hike Kayak Tour 15% Off Sale
3 night stay at the Paddlers Inn
Enjoy a Lunch cruise around Grand Island on the M/V Uncle Ducky. Learn More
Canoeing on the Au Train River
Dinners for 3 days at the Duck Pond Eatery & Beer Garden . Breakfast the morning of your kayak trip plus bag lunch.
3 Nights
Au Train Beach
Grand Yurt
Paddling Michigan Vacation Package
Starting at: $1424 (2 persons)
Included in this Vacation Package:
Paddler’s Choice Kayak Tour 15% Off Sale!
3 night stay at the Au Train Beach Campground
Enjoy a Lunch cruise around Grand Island on the M/V Uncle Ducky. Learn More
Canoeing on the Au Train River
Dinners for 3 days at the Duck Pond Eatery & Beer Garden . Breakfast the morning of your kayak trip plus bag lunch.
Included in this Vacation Package:
Paddler’s Choice Kayak Tour 15% Off Sale!
3 night stay at the Au Train Beach Campground
Enjoy a Lunch cruise around Grand Island on the M/V Uncle Ducky. Learn More
Canoeing on the Au Train River
Dinners for 2 days at the Duck Pond Eatery & Beer Garden . Breakfast the morning of your kayak trip plus bag lunch.
Included in this Vacation Package:
Paddler’s Choice Kayak Tour 15% Off Sale!
2 night stay at the Paddlers Village
Enjoy a Dinner cruise around Grand Island on the M/V Uncle Ducky. Learn More
Dinners for 1 day at the Duck Pond Eatery & Beer Garden . Breakfast the morning of your kayak trip plus bag lunch.
2 Nights
Au Train Beach
Yurt
Au Train Beach Travelers Vacation Package
Starting at: $792 (2 persons)
Included in this Vacation Package:
Taste of the Rocks Kayak Tour 15% Off Sale!
2 night stay at the Au Train Beach Campground
Enjoy a Dinner cruise around Grand Island on the M/V Uncle Ducky. Learn More
Dinners for 1 day at the Duck Pond Eatery & Beer Garden . Breakfast the morning of your kayak trip plus bag lunch.
2 Nights
Au Train Beach
Safari Tent
The Miners Castle Vacation Package
Starting at: $672 (2 persons)
Included in this Vacation Package:
Taste of the Rocks Kayak Tour 15% Off Sale!
2 night stay at the Au Train Beach Campground
Enjoy a Dinner cruise around Grand Island on the M/V Uncle Ducky. Learn More
Dinners for 1 day at the Duck Pond Eatery & Beer Garden . Breakfast the morning of your kayak trip plus bag lunch.
Included in this Vacation Package:
Taste of the Rocks Kayak Tour 15% Off Sale!
3 night stay at the Au Train Beach Campground
Enjoy a Lunch cruise around Grand Island on the M/V Uncle Ducky. Learn More
Need help narrowing down your search? Call us! When you do, we’ll ask you to:
- Choose your lodging.
Will it be a roomy yurt, a charming tipi, or a more traditional hotel room? - Rank your skill and activity level.
We’ve got something for everyone, from two-hour kayaking tours that are great for children and beginners to an all-day kayak-and-hike combination for the active adventurer. - Book your trip, and stow that phone away!
There’s no need for screens when you know your days—and hearts—are full.
Call us today at (906) 387-1695. We can’t wait to adventure with you!