Michigan’s Chapel Falls & Chapel Beach Trail

Chapel Falls, Chapel Rock and Chapel Beach are “hidden Michigan travel gems” that I discovered this past summer thanks to a friend. Here is why I’m so excited to share this destination with you all.

Chapel Falls

Located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, along Picture Rocks Lakeshore, is the Chapel Beach Loop. This trail spits you out at Chapel Beach and allows you to see the Chapel Falls and Chapel Rock. It’s a hike that makes you feel adventurous while remaining pretty easy to walk (takes about 1.5 hrs there and 1.5 hrs back). You’re surrounded by beautiful forested areas and the trail takes you up and down in elevation, across brides, and gives you a perfect view the Chapel Falls. Now, the falls were pretty but I could not believe the sights that came after.

Chapel Rock & Beach

The first half of the Chapel loop is mostly trail and forest. Toward the end, you end up at the top of Chapel Rock (a prime photo opportunity). This rock blew my mind with how it looked. It made me feel like I was in some kind of Michigan version of Hogwarts from the Harry Potter series. A natural occurrence that I was baffled could exist. After getting a plethora of photos, we made our way down to Chapel Beach which had so much beauty itself.

After all that hiking, I felt blessed that a friend of ours carried sandwiches for us to the beach. If can do the same, I would highly recommend doing so as you will be hungry and thirsty. We all sat down on a large rock, ate our sandwiches and soaked in all the Pure Michigan vibes as we gazed out on Lake.

You can hangout at the beach for a good amount of time. We skipped stones, swam in lake Superior, and sat along the rocks where the water rushed by (feeling a little similar to the Lower Tahquamenon Falls). We then continued our hike back through the loop. The trail back felt like it took a little longer since we had just done a hike and spent the afternoon at the beach (and we were tired). The back half of the trail was more muddy and had more mosquitos. Be sure to bring your spray and some good boots you don’t mind getting dirty. Check out TikTok video covering the entire experience here:

@ryanredoute

Who is gonna visit soon? 😁 The hike was on the longer side, but worth it, as a heads up. #michigantravel #puremichigan #michiganders #michigan

♬ original sound – That Michigan Guy