Lake Superior Overlook - Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Loving life (and the smell of the wind in my face) overlooking Lake Superior

 On Alger County Road H-58 between Twelvemile Beach Campground and Hurricane River Campground is the beautiful Lake Superior Overlook, a recent addition to the attractions to be found at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Mrs Crippled Coot and I visited the overlook on a blustery Saturday afternoon in early to mid-September while we were camping and vacationing this year in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Set on a flat sandy bench of land (that I believe is an older Lake Superior beach from when the lake was at a higher level sometime after the most recent ice age,) the overlook itself is completely handicap and wheelchair accessible. It's to be found directly off of a small paved parking lot conveniently provided by the cooperative efforts of the Alger County Road Commission and the National Park Service, not to mention being funded by franchise fees paid to the National Park Service by Pictured Rocks Cruises.

Looking North-Northwest from the Lake Superior Overlook at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Looking Northeast from the Lake Superior Overlook at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Yes, as you can see from the pictures, the view from the overlook is very nice.  Of the drive-in Lake Superior overlooks to be found in the park, this one is the closest to the lake, as well as being the best place to get a quick look at, and capture the feel of, Twelvemile Beach.

While the overlook is nice, what makes the site most special for me is its quick and easy access to Twelvemile Beach, which is well worth exploring.  On the northwest side of the site, there is a convenient set of stairs giving quick and easy access to the beach.

Looking west up Twelvemile Beach

Mr Coot only blocks a little of the view east along Twelvemile Beach

When I was young and relatively healthy, I backpacked the length of the park, so I can't help adding that the solitude of the beach here can be really special.  Despite the passage of more than 20 years since that previous visit, I can say with certainty that my prior experience is still available, and it doesn't take hefting a backpack to get that feel either.

Mrs Coot and I visited the beach on a Saturday, just 5 days after the Labor Day holiday, and for most of the day we had the beach entirely to ourselves.  There were fairly strong winds whipping across Lake Superior from the north, and the days temperature's were probably in the lower 60's, a perfect day to my eyes because the winds helped to create dramatic waves along the beach for our visit.  Still, the busiest the beach ever became was when we shared the view with a grand total of 5 other folks, and none of them wandered more than a short way across the beach.

Crowded!?! - For a short while we shared the beach with 5 other people (and a bird.).