Best time to visit Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
August is the best balance at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore: mild and dry for the park (an average high of 74°F), with very busy crowds. July is busiest, with about 222,000 visitors. November is the quietest, with highs near 42°F. December sees few or no visitors, so parts of the park may be closed: check nps.gov.
- Quiet
- Moderate
- Busy
- Very busy
- Few or no visits (may be closed)
- Best months
Month by month
- Station
- Munsing Lakeshore, MI USW00054813
- Lat / lon
- 46.42, -86.65
- Elevation
- 612 ft
- From park center
- 15.8 mi
- Normals
- 1991–2020
- Visits
- 2023–2025
| Field | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Augbest | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High, °F | 26° | 28° | 36° | 46° | 59° | 68° | 75° | 74° | 67° | 55° | 42° | 32° | 51° |
| Low, °F | 13° | 12° | 20° | 29° | 39° | 48° | 55° | 55° | 49° | 39° | 29° | 19° | 34° |
| Precipitation, in | 2.0 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 2.3 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 3.1 | 2.7 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 3.1 | 2.2 | 31.7 |
| Snow, in | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Daylight, h:mm | 8:57 | 10:14 | 11:45 | 13:30 | 14:59 | 15:48 | 15:29 | 14:11 | 12:29 | 10:49 | 9:20 | 8:35 | |
| Visitors, thousands | 10 | 19 | 14 | 16 | 65 | 124 | 222 | 211 | 135 | 105 | 9 | 3 | 933 |
| Crowds | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Busy | Very busy | Very busy | Busy | Moderate | Quiet | Few or no visits | |
| Weather | Cold | Cold | Cold | Cool | Mild, wet | Mild, wet | Mild, wet | Mild | Mild, wet | Cool | Cool | Cold |
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip., in | Snow, in | Daylight | Visitors | Crowds | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26° | 13° | 2.0 | – | 8:57 | 10,000 | Quiet | Cold |
| February | 28° | 12° | 1.4 | – | 10:14 | 19,000 | Quiet | Cold |
| March | 36° | 20° | 1.4 | – | 11:45 | 14,000 | Quiet | Cold |
| April | 46° | 29° | 2.3 | – | 13:30 | 16,000 | Quiet | Cool |
| May | 59° | 39° | 2.8 | – | 14:59 | 65,000 | Quiet | Mild, wet |
| June | 68° | 48° | 2.8 | – | 15:48 | 124,000 | Busy | Mild, wet |
| July | 75° | 55° | 3.1 | – | 15:29 | 222,000 | Very busy | Mild, wet |
| Augustbest | 74° | 55° | 2.7 | – | 14:11 | 211,000 | Very busy | Mild |
| September | 67° | 49° | 3.9 | – | 12:29 | 135,000 | Busy | Mild, wet |
| October | 55° | 39° | 4.1 | – | 10:49 | 105,000 | Moderate | Cool |
| November | 42° | 29° | 3.1 | – | 9:20 | 9,100 | Quiet | Cool |
| December | 32° | 19° | 2.2 | – | 8:35 | 3,300 | Few or no visits | Cold |
| Year | 51° | 34° | 31.7 | – | 933,000 | |||
Year: average high and low, total precipitation and snowfall, total visitors. T = trace (under 0.05 in). – = not measured at this station. Updated .
- Hottest July, average high 75°F
- Coldest nights February, average low 12°F
- Source NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information; National Park Service
- Visitors a year about 933,000 (2023–2025 average)
- State Michigan
Closures, reservations and alerts: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on nps.gov
Nearby
- Sleeping Bear Dunes National LakeshoreBest: Jul and Aug · Michigan
- Isle Royale National ParkBest: May, Jun and Sep · Michigan
- Grand Portage National MonumentBest: May, Jun and Sep · Minnesota
- Apostle Islands National LakeshoreBest: May, Jun and Sep · Wisconsin