MUNISING, Mich. (AP) — Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore will soon begin charging visitors entrance fees for the first time in the 55-year history of the tourist destination in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Park officials announced Monday that the park along Lake Superior will start charging visitor fees starting March 1, 2022, and that camping fees and lighthouse tour fees will increase as of Jan. 1.
Superintendent David Horne said the new and increased fees will help finance infrastructure improvements at the 70,000-acre park, which has seen its visitors surge in recent years, with more than 1.2 million visitors — a record — last year.
Congress designated Pictured Rocks as America’s first national lakeshore in 1966. It is known for its colorful sandstone cliffs, rock formations, waterfalls and acres of sand dunes.
Park officials said the new entrance fee will be phased in over a three-year period beginning March 1, 2022, with a $5 per person fee for walk, bicycle, or boat-in that will be good for seven continuous days. Seven-day passes for vehicles and motorcycles will be $10.
Effective Jan. 1, campground fees will increase from $20 to $25 per night per site at the park’s Little Beaver Lake, Twelvemile Beach, and Hurricane River Campgrounds. Au Sable Lighthouse tours will be $5 per person.
For updates and more information about the park, visit www.nps.gov/piro or visit the park on Facebook at @PicturedRocksNL and Instagram at @picturedrocksnps.
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Featured image: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore beach campground site (Photo Credit: National Park Service)
