For generations of visitors, a trip to the U.P. has included a stop at one of its most iconic natural wonders: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Towering sandstone cliffs, colorful mineral-stained formations and the vast expanse of Lake Superior draw hundreds of thousands of people to Munising each year.
For John Madigan, manager and owner of Pictured Rocks Cruises and Pictured Rocks Kayaking, sharing that experience with visitors isn't just a business; it's a lifelong connection to the place he calls home.
“I was born in Munising and raised in Munising,” Madigan said. “I grew up fishing, hunting and enjoying everything the area has to offer.”
That local connection has helped shape a business that has become one of the Upper Peninsula's most recognizable tourism attractions.
The roots of Pictured Rocks Cruises stretch back to 1945, when Everett Morrison launched a small passenger boat operation shortly after World War II. What began as a modest tour carrying just a handful of passengers has grown into a third-generation family business capable of taking more than 1,000 visitors onto the water at one time.
Madigan joined the company after pursuing other opportunities following college. A graduate of Northern Michigan University, he taught school and worked in the business community before returning to Munising and eventually taking on a leadership role with the cruise operation.
Since then, he has helped guide the company's growth alongside the rapid rise of tourism throughout the region.
“Munising has grown,” he said. “The city itself hasn't changed that much, but tourism has grown substantially.”
Today, the company's signature attraction remains its classic boat tours of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Departing from downtown Munising, the tours take visitors along miles of dramatic Lake Superior shoreline, offering views that simply aren't possible from land.
The two- to two-and-a-half-hour excursions pass some of the lakeshore's most famous landmarks, including Miner's Castle, Chapel Rock, Grand Portal, Lover's Leap and Spray Falls. Along the way, visitors gain an appreciation for both the scale and beauty of the cliffs that have made Pictured Rocks famous.
“The formations are 200 feet high,” Madigan explained. “To really see the full scale of them, you need to view them from the water.”
The colorful streaks that give Pictured Rocks its name are created by minerals filtering through the sandstone and limestone above the lake. Iron, copper, manganese and other minerals leave behind shades of red, orange, green and white, creating a natural canvas unlike anything else in the Midwest.
For visitors seeking a more immersive experience, Pictured Rocks Kayaking offers a unique alternative. The company is the only outfitter that transports guests by boat directly to the most dramatic formations before launching them in kayaks.
Instead of spending hours paddling to reach the best scenery, participants begin their journey at the heart of the action and paddle one-way along the shoreline before being picked up by the support vessel.
“It allows people to spend more time enjoying the scenery and less time getting there,” Madigan said.
Even after decades on the water, Lake Superior continues to impress him. His favorite time to view the cliffs is late afternoon, when the lowering sun catches the mineral-stained rock faces and the water seeping through them creates a shimmering effect.
“That's my favorite time,” he said. “When the sun is lower and the rocks start to glisten.”
While visitors may come for the scenery, Madigan believes the appeal of Munising extends beyond the cliffs themselves. Located in the heart of the Upper Peninsula, the area offers access to forests, trails, lakes and public lands that define the region's outdoor culture.
“There's a lot of public land and a lot of opportunities to get outdoors,” Madigan said.
That connection to place is part of what has kept him in Munising throughout his life. While the area's winters are famous for heavy snowfall, sometimes reaching 150 to 200 inches a year, Madigan admits he's partial to summer.
And perhaps that's fitting. For someone whose career has been spent introducing visitors to one of the most spectacular shorelines in the country, summer on Lake Superior offers a front-row seat to the landscape he has appreciated his entire life.
As tourism in the Upper Peninsula continues to grow, businesses like Pictured Rocks Cruises play an important role in helping visitors experience the region in a meaningful way. For Madigan, it's a responsibility he takes seriously and one that has been rewarding to watch evolve over the years.
For countless visitors, a boat ride beneath the colorful cliffs of Pictured Rocks is a highlight of their trip to Michigan. For Madigan, it's another day sharing a place he's proud to call home.