Pictured Rocks National Seashore.

The Pictured Rocks form part of the only National Seashore that's not on the ocean. Instead, you'll find these lovely rock formations on lake Superior near Munising, Michigan. The seashore includes not only rock formations, but hiking trails, camping, and sandy beaches.

The highlights of this area, naturally, are the rock formations themselves. Towering up to three hundred feet above the lake, these cliffs are colored by minerals in the rock formations that comprise them. Iron creates red stains, copper green or black, and calcium makes white stains on the sandstone that rests under a capstone of Precambrian dolomite.

If the weather is calm, you can paddle along the base of the cliffs, which are interspersed with sandy beaches. Look for arches, a formation that looks like an Indians head, and my favorite, Battleship Row. This formation looks uncannily like five or six ships of the line at anchor.

Keep a weather eye out for tour boats that leave Munising Harbor up to four times a day in summer. Turn into their wake as they pass you, and don't be too close to the cliffs when this happens. If the wind and waves are too high for enjoyable paddling, you might want to take the tour yourself. There are also sunken wreck tours in a glass bottomed boat. The clear, cold waters of Lake Superior make wreck viewing possible.

If hiking strikes your fancy, there are lookouts constructed above some of the formations that you can walk to, and plenty of trails in the National Seashore. Sea kayaking is popular in this area for obvious reasons. You'll find plenty to do and lots to see in this area of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.