Munising, Michigan
Chapel Loop
The greatest hits of Pictured Rocks — Chapel Beach, sea arches, and waterfalls.
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Length
- 10.4 mi
- Elevation Gain
- 750 ft
- Duration
- 5–6
- Best Season
- Jun–Oct
- Permit
- Not required
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Features
- Lake Superior cliffs, Waterfalls
About the trail
Chapel Loop is the signature day hike of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. It links Chapel Falls, Chapel Beach, Chapel Rock (a sandstone formation with a 250-year-old pine bridging it to the mainland by a single root), Grand Portal Point, Mosquito Falls, and 200-foot sandstone cliffs above Lake Superior's turquoise water.
Trailhead map & directions
Trailhead: 46.5683, -86.4117Get directions →
Turn-by-turn route
- Drive Chapel Road 6 miles north of H-58 to the Chapel Trailhead.
- Hike clockwise to Chapel Falls (1.4 mi).
- Continue to Chapel Beach and Chapel Rock.
- Follow the North Country Trail along the cliffs past Grand Portal Point.
- Return via Mosquito Falls and Mosquito Beach.
Parking
Chapel Trailhead lot — fills by 10 AM in July.
Tips from the trail
- Stay back from the cliff edges — sandstone calves without warning.
- Bring a swimsuit for Chapel Beach in August.
- Black flies and mosquitoes are brutal in June.