Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Backcountry Sites — Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

I hiked the length of the park over 5 nights on two different trips. The eastern side of the park is definitely quieter and less populated than the western half, but even the western half is pretty quiet except near Chapel. Despite not seeing many other hikers, it was clear that the trails were well-traveled by inexperienced hikers unfamiliar (or apathetic) about Leave No Trace - there was SO MUCH toilet paper along the trails and perimeters of campsites, even at Mosquito River where there is a pit toilet. 

My site at Lowney Creek (#4) was wooded and had way more mosquitoes than the other sites at that campground. There was an abundance of raspberry bushes around camp, which were a nice addition to my morning oatmeal. 

Mosquito River was the busiest of the campgrounds I stayed at, but the ability to go sit on the sandstone in Lake Superior at the end of a long hike was well worth it. 

Cliffs has no water source at camp, but did have some small (possibly seasonal) streams closer to camp than the Miner's Castle visitor center. Had I known that these existed, I probably would not have carried so much water from Miners and instead filtered from these sources.

The views were breathtaking! The sites were very nice with so much space. We stayed at potato patch ( which had so many mosquitoes!) Chapel site with beach access and cliffs site which had a pretty far hike to get to it. Put this on your bucket list for sure!

Trails are great and the views are better. Lake Superior is amazing

Traveling in the winter by snowshoes requires more planning and skill. We brought a sled and embraced the weather. Did see a few large bear prints on the way to the bear canister. Seeing picture rocks in the winter is well worth the adventure and exhaustion to get there. The weather dumped lots of snow constantly and the winds never stopped howling.

Hiking the Pictured Rocks is a once in a lifetime experience. Get away from the crowds and see the beauty of this place! When we were there, we had most of the campgrounds to ourselves! It really is a breathtaking experience and overall, not that hard of a hike!

Incredible & breathtaking. The Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is a camping experience that should not be missed. The North Country Trail runs the shoreline for about 40 miles through the length of the park, adjacent to Lake Superior. Backcountry camping is available at 14 small campgrounds spaces about 2-5 miles apart throughout the trail. Forests, dunes, beaches, and 50-200 foot cliffs are just a few of the great views that can be experienced along the trail. The campsites feature bear boxes or hangers, shared fire pits, and backcountry toilets. You must register for these sites before occupying one and reservations cannot be modified. You must stay at the campground you registered at, so make sure you calculate your mileage correctly. Shuttles are available for pick up and drop off at several different points of the park.

We stayed here one night last summer on our way to Wisconsin. There are a few dispersed sites throughout the forest. They are just clearing or pull offs without any facilities. This is deep forest with sandy roads. The site was just a few miles from pictured rock national seashore. Of note the road from Deer Park and Grand Marais is a rough washboard road. It can be driven in a car without clearance but presents a risk for passenger vehicles with heavy loads. We were awoken by local hunters running their dogs through our site. They had a huge caravan of dog vans and made quite a commotion in the woods. If your looking for a free site near Grand Stable Dunes this does the job.

Was a good spot to stop asking the pictured rocks hike. Also not a bad hike from the parking lot to the west. Had a trash pole and a food locker. The fire ring was a nice little Suprise to cook food. Great view of the lake from the sand dunes but wind was blocked by trees. Tent spots were level. Got spot to Spend the night.

Campground Review

The Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is great for backpackers. We camped at Lowney Creek and parked at the Beaver Lake Basin Overlook. It was a 2 mile hike crossing the beautiful Lowney Creek multiple times. The birds were singing on our hike, we saw toads, and the trail is pretty well maintained and very well marked.

Our campsite was right on the shore of Beaver Lake. This offered ample water for filtering. We were able to watch a blue heron catch a fish and were hearing the loons. The lake is beautiful and definitely suitable for swimming. There are 4 campsites at Lowney Creek with a shared fire ring and a shared bear box for food. There is nice large trees for shade, and a couple of the sites are more secluded than the other two. Nearby about .3 mile is the group site.

The backcountry camping was awesome and I would definitely go back.

Product Review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time, this time I got to test the Renogy Water Filter pump.

It is a functional pump that works, but isn't all the easy to use, especially by yourself. I found that having at least one person to assist by holding the clean water bottle and to make sure the water inlet hose stays in place. It went even better with three people. Unfortunately for me, this isn't great. 

What I like

• The flow rate was good. I haven't used it enough to have to back flush, but it's nice they include a syringe to extend the life via back flushing.
• It is compact. I have some friends with Katadyn filters and those are no better at filtering, but they are much bulkier.
• It comes with a bag for all the hoses and the filter.

What I don't like

• The hoses work, but seem low quality. They aren't smooth, but overly rubbery, so stuff sticks to them.
• To store, you have to remove both hoses
• It is cumbersome to operate
• The carbon filter probably improves taste slightly, but you'd have to buy replacements. My Sawyer filtered water tastes fine to me.

Overall, a functional filter that works as well as a filter of this design could work. I'd probably recommend a Sawyer Squeeze before this one though.

This hike is stunning. Literally every time it's breathtaking. The trail alternates between young forest, older growth valleys with cascading rivers, beach, and stunning vistas from the cliffs.

Looking up and down the undulating shoreline is unreal, and every time you come out to the cliffside the view is changed and has its own unique features.

I've only done the 12 mile Mosquito Falls to Chapel Rock loop, but this summer I'll be returning to backpack the length of the lakeshore.

The falls are aptly named, so definitely be sure to bring bug spray (though the bugs weren't miserable in May so don't be scared off!)

I'd also suggest a poncho or similar, the weather on the lake can change quickly from bright sun to rumbling clouds.

The sites themselves suffer from abuse by rude hikers, waste isn't always taken care of properly, nor is used TP and trash. (This might not be systematic of everything, just the sites we saw that weekend.)

Awesome and beautiful trails. We did 5 days and a 60 mile trek along the trail and the views were unbelievable. Fresh water you can filter along the trail but plan ahead. Designated camping so plan your hike out in advance. Well established sites with enough room to spread out if you book the group sites. Driving to hurricane river or little beaver lake would be good. You could also park at little beaver lake and hike around the lakes. The beach there is nice. Or go to twelve miles beach and hike to the lighthouse.

Spent days/2 nights during thanksgiving week, it was tremendous!

On a 5 day hiking trip exploring the lakeshore and parts of the north country trail we stayed all along the lakeshore in tents. It rained some but how cool it was made up for it. HIGHLY recommended.

While hiking the backcoutry trails at Pictured Rocks, I spent 3 days at Beaver Creek. It has 5 campsite and 1 communal fire ring. While sitting at the fire ring at dusk, you can see the sun setting on Lake Superior. It's centrally locates, so you can head east or west and visit everywhere. The farthest I went was to Chapel Lake, and that was a half day hike there and back.

Backcountry permit required, not free but I forget the cost. Absolutely amazing park but some of the drop-offs are a little scary...don’t drink alcohol & camp here. There are about a dozen backcountry sites to choose from, I think all of them qualify as backpacking to get to the sites (more than a mile) though the trails aren’t very difficult and are easy to follow. Since it’s backcountry you have to bring water purification methods (or your own water) and don’t expect bathrooms or cell service. Worth getting sand in everything to stay here. Camping on the bluffs is like nothing else, highly recommended!

This site is the epitome of what many imagine Pictured Rocks camping to look like. The site is situated along Lake Superior with beach access and dramatic views. It serves as the perfect base camp for shoreline exploring & can be accessed by a moderately difficult hike. I'd recommend bringing warm clothes, even when visiting in mid-summer, as the wind blowing off shore has a chill to it.

This is another easy-hike site located in the park. The site is situated not along Lake Superior, but Little Beaver Lake--although the name can be misleading. The lake itself is rather expansive and the campsite is situated along the shore, offering beautiful views of the calm water. This site is great for first timers or individuals seeking a mild hike. It is also a refuge from the Lake Superior gusts of wind. The only con of this seemingly perfect site is bugs, so bring a fair amount of repellent!

Some of the major pros that come with the Cliffs site are FIRE & shielding from the wind, which are quite the amenities when visiting the shoreline in early spring or fall (and even summer). It gets cold in pictured rocks and being away from the gusts of wind coming off the lake and being able to warm up via fire is ideal. When parking to hike to the site, don't skip the built in platform/pavilion, as it offers the popular & iconic view of pictured rocks. The actual hike in is fairly easy, although it does become muddy and floods easily so be aware of recent rainfall. The hike is along the shoreline cliffs and offers plenty of breaks in the trees to stop and gaze out at Lake Superior. The site is one of the few in the park that does not offer beach access (as you are situated in the trees on a cliff) but again, this is the price you pay to stay warm. Pro tip: hike back up the trail from the site just before sunset and grab a spot in one of the breaks in the trees to watch the sun slip below the lake's seemingly infinite horizon.

The best. Hike in hike out. Or hike to Chapel falls on an approximate 10 mile hike round trip back to parking lot. Was a private beach until the park started allowing kayak tours. Now there are 109 kayaks during the day on the beach, totally took away from this camp area. The camp itself is still secluded at night.

We backpacked into the Coves site, which was about 2 miles from trail head to the camp site. There are 6 backcountry sites at Coves, each with bear box and pole which helped. Bring everything - it's truly backcountry which is exactly what we were wanting. Small hike down a dune takes you to Lake Superior which was a pristine, empty beach and perfect water source (bring filter).

Hike everywhere - the beauty is breathtaking!! We did about 8 miles along the cliffs, and every turn was something new and amazing. The cliffs are very high, and straight drops off the edge, so be careful if you're taking little kids. (Or teenagers who are invincible).