MUNISING — There is no longer public road access to Paradise Point, a popular dispersed recreation location on the shores of Lake Superior west of Munising, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Visitors have historically reached this destination via Forest Road 2491, a portion of which crosses private property. To limit potential liability concerns, the private landowner has decided to close the section of FR 2491 on their property. The private landowner has the right to do so, U.S. Forest Service officials said in a press release.

What does this mean to visitors of Paradise Point? This means that the Forest Service and in turn the public do not have legal access to cross this portion of FR 2491 by any means, via car, truck, ORV, hiking, biking, etc. Doing so would be considered trespassing; therefore, there is no way to legally access Paradise Point by land.

“The Forest Service respects the private landowner’s rights and encourages visitors to do the same,” Cid Morgan, forest supervisor for the Hiawatha National Forest stated. “The Forest Service does not promote or support trespassing on private property to access National Forest System lands.”

According to Charles Marsh, Munising and Rapid River/Manistique district ranger for the Hiawatha National Forest: “The Forest Service plans to analyze the Paradise Point area as part of the upcoming Addis Rock project to determine how best to manage the land and resources in the future. The analysis will be completed through a collaborative process that will include a public comment opportunity as provided by the National Environmental Policy Act. In the interim, we urge everyone to respect private property as we are all great stewards of the land.”

Officials ask the public to remember to recreate responsibly by visiting local sites and limiting groups to no more than 10 people. Have a backup plan if a site is crowded. Visit Recreation.gov for campsite reservations or the Hiawatha National Forest website for area information.