The spectacular cliffs at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, near Munising, Michigan
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great lakes escapes
munising, michigan
By Deborah R. Huso I never thought I’d find a place in the United States with water as perfectly aqua blue as the Caribbean. Then I discovered Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, just east of Munising on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Chapel Beach is my family’s pick for water fun, located below the sandstone formation of Chapel Rock and adjacent to the famous whitegold cliffs. Our adventure starts with the easy three-mile hike in from the parking area off Chapel Road. For swimming we can reach by car, we head to Twelvemile Beach or the Log Slide Overlook. No trip here would be complete without some kayaking on Lake Superior, gliding within touching distance of 200-foot sandstone walls painted with mineral stripes of copper, blue, and green. Outfitter Northern Waters (northernwaters. com) provides guided trips (if your children weigh less than 75 pounds, call ahead), which let you peer down at sunken shipwrecks. For full day hike, we like the 10-mile Chapel Falls loop, with a picnic lunch overlooking the archway at Grand Portal Point. The Au Sable Light Station is a favorite, too. Hike along the beach below the lighthouse to see old shipwrecks washed onto the sand. Visitor information: munising.org. Rental cottages: homeaway.com or vrbo.com. National lakeshore campgrounds: nps.gov/piro.
6 • FamilyFun • June/July 2013
traverse city, michigan
By Tammy Bataglia Our boys — Jimmy, 10, and Zach, 13 —always look forward to a trip to Traverse City, “Up North” to the pinky tip of Michigan’s mitt. The reason: nearby Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The boys love running along the wooden walkways to the jaw-dropping 450-foot bluffs overlooking Lake Michigan. At the nearby Dune Climb, we all climb up, then slide, roll, and tumble back down in the soft sand. Along with the shops, wineries, and restaurants, the beaches are the draw around Traverse City. Busy Clinch Park beach is right downtown, while at Leelanau State Park, we wade, swim and hunt the spectacular shoreline for Petoskey Stones, with their star-like fossilized designs. To get out on the water, the boys “crew” on the 47-foot Nauti-Cat catamaran ($15, nauti-cat.com). When the boys were small and we all fit in one canoe, we’d take floats down the Platte River. Now a tube is their transportation of choice. Lodging in Traverse City runs from high-end resorts like the Grand Traverse (grandtraverseresort.com) to mom-and-pop motels and campgrounds, to rental cottages. Visitor information: traversecity.com and michigan. org. National lakeshore: www.nps. gov/slbe.
madeline island, wisconsin
By Laura Billings Coleman Many of Lake Superior’s beaches aren’t just cool—they’re freezing cold. That’s why my family loves Madeline Island, a 25-minute ferry ride from Bayfield, Wisconsin. Here, the 22-island Apostle chain creates more protected conditions for playing in the waves and paddling kayaks. In the evening, we can pedal bikes to the historic village of La Pointe for pizza and ice cream. There’s not much else to do on Madeline Island, but that’s part of its charm. For our three sons—ages 6, 8, and 10—the 35 square miles make a great playground for nature walks through wetlands and boreal forests, treasure hunts along Chequamegon Bay, and star-gazing and s’more-making at the island’s two campgrounds. On rainy days we go back in time at the Madeline Island Museum or visit the old schoolhouse-turned-public library for a good book (like Louise Erdrich’s “The Birchbark House,” the story of a young Ojibwe girl growing up here in the 1800s.) Just beware that you may end up on island time. “I can never remember what day it is here,” my 10-year-old mused during our last visit—a sure sign of a great family getaway. Visitor information and lodging options: madelineisland.com and ontheisland.com. Ferry details: madferry.com