Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore officials say this is a good example of what fee increases are used for at the lakeshore. Here is the Miner’s Beach stairway after a pounding Lake Superior surf wrecked it. The repaired stairway is also seen. (Photos courtesy of PRNLS)

MUNISING — As of Jan. 1, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore has increased park entrance fees. These increases are the third and final stage of the park’s fee implementation plan that began in 2022.

The updated Pictured Rocks entrance fees are as follows:

Pictured Rocks annual pass (valid for 12 months from purchase): $45. 

Seven-day walk, bicycle, or boat-in (per person): $15. 

Seven-day motorcycle pass: $20.

Seven-day vehicle pass: $25.

All passes except the walk, bicycle and boat-in pass admit the driver and all passengers of a vehicle. Annual entrance passes are valid for 12 months from purchase date. Other recreational fees, such as those for camping and Au Sable Light Station tours, will not be affected by this entrance fee increase.

Passes can be purchased online at https://www.recreation.gov/sitepass/74999 or in person at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore headquarters (Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.); South Bay Outfitters and Downwind Sports in Munising; and Grand Marais Outfitters in Grand Marais.

Fees collected allow the park to keep up with the impacts of increasing visitation, which has more than doubled over the past decade. Collected fees go directly toward enhancing visitor recreation opportunities, the park’s maintenance projects, and the upkeep of trails and facilities.

Since the implementation of the park’s entrance fee, funds have been used to renovate the Munising Falls Visitor Contact Station, improve trail conditions along the North Country Trail, and repair the Miners Beach staircase following major storm damage.

Visitors can also gain entry to the park with America the Beautiful passes. These passes include senior passes, military passes, access passes, volunteer passes and Every Kid Outdoors passes.

For more information on these passes and their benefits, visit: https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/passes.htm. America the Beautiful passes can also be purchased at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore headquarters.

There are six fee-free days in 2024, on which no entrance pass is required to gain entry to national parks, including Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore: this Monday; Saturday, April 20; Wednesday, June 19; Sunday, Aug. 4; Saturday, Sept. 28; and Monday, Nov. 11.

Additional information regarding Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore can be found at www.nps.gov/piro or on Facebook @PicturedRocksNL and Instagram @picturedrocksnps.