Got a few questions on the U.P.

You can do Copper Country as a couple of day trips from Houghton. Nice municipal CG on the Portage Canal and watch the NPS boat leave for Isle Royal (or take the boat out and back).

See the Quincy Hoist & Mine Museum; The preserved mining towns with some interesting gift shops; and Copper Harbor.

As somebody else mentioned, don't miss the Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point. (Out of the way at the East end, but worth it.)

There are dozens of waterfalls in the area surrounding Munising. There is also a Visitor Center in Munising that has TONS of information on EVERYTHING in the area.mthey have listings and maps of waterfalls. There are some fantastic hiking trails and beautiful trails to many of the waterfalls. The Pictured Rocks boat tour needs to be done at least once by everyone. It offers the best, and mostly the only true views of the beauty and grandeur of the Pictured Rocks. There are indeed pontoon rentals and kayak rentals to enjoy the Grand Island area. There is also a ferry to Grand Island and a vehicle tour of the island.
Mill Creek Campground at Mackinaw City allows for exploring Mackinaw Island and surrounding area. Also a couple nice campgrounds on the St. Ignace side. Brimley Stae Park is a nice on too.
Great campground at Grand Marais, though a little tight in some areas. They don't take reservations however, it is on a first come basis.
Muskellunge State Park is real nice, also Van Riper State Park. Munising City Tourist Park is a great stay for that entire area.
We spend a month in the U.P. Every summer. We love it there.

As someone that has done all of that, I will suggest that you study the areas carefully. Yes, There is Munising and Tahquamenon falls - upper and lower - and about a dozen others. And a lot of scenery, but don't miss the locks at Sault Saint Marie. There are two great campgrounds just down the road.
When you get to town, drop someone at the locks visitor center first and see when traffic will be there. There is a really nice "peanut galley" where you can sit and watch them flush 1000ft long ships to the lower lakes, but you have to be there when they are.
On you way to the locks from the campground is the Valley Camp, a museum ship that is a great stop. Then, there is a series of markers along WaterStreet that the kids will have a good time reading (they go east to west).
The tower is not all that great and the River of History is closed on Sundays.
Matt

Another option if you don't want to do the boat tour. Is to rent a pontoon boat from seaburgs and go out on your own for a half or whole day. With that you can go where you want and stop if you want to investigate something. You will have to reserve in advance as they are popular. I think they have 5 or 6 boats available to rent.
Bob

Don't miss the Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point either. Enjoy!

dodge guy wrote:
OK, so I have tentative plans for a trip to the UP next summer, mid to the end of July. We want to check out Pictured Rocks and Grand Island. We will be staying at Munising Tourist Park Campground on Lake Superior. Where exactly does Pictured Rocks start and end? It looks like it goes from just east of Munising to just south of Grand Marais? are there any hikes to scenic overlooks of Pictured Rocks? we will either do a boat tour and/or kayak/boat rental, not sure what we want to do yet. any advice on this?

Also what are the best hikes for seeing waterfalls?

Is there anything else that I`m missing for things to see and do in the area?

I`ve been looking forward to this trip for a long time!

You have to be in the water to appreciate it, so yes, either the boat tour or kayak is the best option.

I have done the boat tour out of Munising twice now.
The tour is great and I enjoyed it very much both times. I have to admit that none of the boys in our group cared much for viewing Pictured Rocks. They were 13, 11, and 9. Two of them had done the tour before, but one was a first timer and he was polite but bored. There is an excellent ice cream shop just down the road from the Munising boat cruise. It was seriously the best ice cream I've had in my life. The boys had an eating contest. I can't remember the name of the place, but here's a pic. Apparently it's a pink building with a flamingo on the side.
>

Just a heads up that you may want to purchase your tickets in advance. Our first cruise 3 years ago they asked us if we had reservations when we showed up. We did not and it was a non-issue as there was room on the boat. This past July, I remembered them asking about reservations so I purchased tickets in advance and that was fortunate because they were sold out when we arrived. Someone actually got upset with management when they saw us board (they didn't know we had previously purchased tickets and they were denied).
Can't help you with waterfalls. I've learned that my family isn't impressed with anything since we've been to Niagara. :)
The UP is huge, how far do you consider "in the area?"

Have a good time. It's beautiful!!

I highly recommend the boat trip to Pictured Rocks

If you can get ahold of a book of county maps, waterfalls are marked on them. As you drive in the UP you may see signs at the road for a waterfall, pull over, park and follow the path to it. Most are not far off the road, and some even right next to the roads. You could spend weeks in the UP doing day trips to various places. You should be able to find info online or even order a travel guide from the state website. Have a good trip, I'm sure you will love it.
Mackinaw Island - St Ignace - Lake of the Clouds, Tahquamenon Falls - Copper Harbor are other areas of interest.

check out www.michigan.org

Yes, Pictured Rocks runs roughly from Munising to Grand Marais. We did a boat tour from Munising and enjoyed it thoroughly; we did one of the evening cruises since sunset can add lots of wonderful color to the cliffs. Kayaking - I'm jealous as we did not have enough time in the area to do that.

Hikes - we only did two; the short trail to Miner's Falls and a hike along the shoreline in the area of Hurricane River to Au Sable Light and back. Flies can be REAL bad in the Au Sable area.