Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

I had been thinking about this trip for some time and had booked months in advance an airbnb, and in October 2025 I drove from Cedar Rapids to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and checked into a house in Munising, on the shores of Lake Superior, for a week. It was a long round trip from Iowa up to Munising and back and I put about 900 miles on the car, but the trip was well worth it. I experienced great Fall weather and lovely scenery, as the leaves were turning but not yet at their peak colors. I spent 5 wonderful days hiking the trails, visiting several different waterfalls, and taking the Pictured Rocks Cruise on Lake Superior. The U.S. has 3 National Lakeshores, all of which are located on the Great Lakes. Pictured Rocks is the oldest national lakeshore, designated by the U.S. Congress in 1966. It is governed by the National Park Service and has over one million visitors each year. It extends for 42 miles along the shore of Lake Superior and is 114 square miles in size. There is much to see and explore there, especially for someone interested in hiking like myself. Munising is located very close to PRNL and is a convenient base for exploring all that the area has to offer. The area is named for the unique colorful sandstone cliffs that reach up to 200 feet above lake level. The cliffs extend for a distance of 13 miles. The upper layers of rock are harder than the layers below and so over time the actions of water and wind have naturally sculpted the rocks into lovely shapes, including shallow caves, arches, and pillars. The rocks are "pictured" because they are vibrant with mineral-stained color. Minerals from groundwater seeping through the sandstone cliffs and then dripping down the rock face, have created streaks of different colors. Streaks of red or orange colors are due to minerals of iron. Other colors are caused by other minerals such as copper or manganese. When the water carrying the dissolved minerals evaporates, the minerals are deposited in the sandstone, appearing as colorful streaks or stains. Here are some of sights I witnessed during my visit

National Parks of the Colorado Plateau

In September 2025 I joined a Journeys by Rail tour of the National Parks of the Colorado Plateau. I left Union Station in Chicago and traveled on Amtrak's California Zephyr to Grand Junction, Colorado, where I left the train and boarded a tour bus with a tour guide, a very no-nonsense bus driver, and 34 other people. We were to explore many places on the Colorado Plateau, a vast uplifted high desert area with stunning canyons, mesas, buttes and dramatic rock formations. The area consists of many layers of sedimentary rock sculpted over millenia by the Colorado River and many other natural forces.  The area is arid (10 inches of rain or less annually) and makes up parts of 4 states: CO, AZ, NM, and UT.  It also is the site of some of the best National Parks in the U.S. In order, this is what we witnessed and explored during the next 9 days: Arches NP, a boat trip up the Colorado River, Capitol Reef NP, ancient petroglyphs representative of Fremont Rock Art (450 - 1300 AD), Escalante Grand Staircase National Monument, Bryce National Park, Zion National Park, a visit to Glen Canyon Dam (one of the largest of the 15 dams on the main route of the Colorado River) and a boat ride on Lake Powell, and then lastly two wonderful days at one of the natural wonders of the world -- Grand Canyon National Park.  Here are some photos of what was a wonderful trip.

The Zephyr passing through the Rocky Mts 
alongside the Colorado River

Double Arch at Arches NP

Capitol Reef NP

Castle Rock at Capitol Reef NP

 
Escalante Grand Staircase National Monument

Bryce Canyon (actually an amphitheater) National Park

Uinta chipmunk at Bryce

Bryce

Zion NP

Zion NP

Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River

Tour Boat for the cruise on Lake Powell

Grand Canyon NP

The start of the Bright Angel Trail at Grand Canyou