Chapel Beach
Munising, MI
Chapel Beach is a crescent of sand in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, next to Chapel Rock, a sandstone arch with a lone white pine whose roots still reach back across the gap to the mainland. Chapel Falls pours down the cliff to the beach. It's the highlight of the popular 10 mile Chapel Loop.
Chapel Rock and the falls make it the most iconic beach in the Lakeshore, though it's a long day on foot.
How we score beachesHike the loop counterclockwise, past Chapel Falls first, so the long cliff-top stretch toward Mosquito Beach comes with the lake on your right.
A National Lakeshore entrance pass is required; park at the Chapel/Mosquito trailhead, which fills by midmorning in July and August.
Reached only by hiking trail, about three miles one way via Chapel Falls; not suitable for wheelchairs or strollers.
Dogs are not permitted.
Midsummer brings the most hikers, so start early. Late September is quieter, and the maple and birch along the trail are at their peak.
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