The Marquette sub-region covers the central Upper Peninsula coast of Lake Superior from Big Bay east through Marquette and Munising to the eastern end of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Chris Izworski tracks this section because it is the most densely populated stretch of the Michigan Lake Superior coast and because it contains two of the most photographed shorelines in the basin: Pictured Rocks east of Munising and the Black Rocks cliffs at Presque Isle Park in Marquette. The shoreline here runs east to west with substantial fetch exposure to the north and northwest, which makes it one of the most wave-active sub-regions on Lake Superior.
Sub-region: Marquette through Munising, central Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Major communities: Marquette, Negaunee, Ishpeming, Big Bay, Munising, Au Train, Christmas.
Lake datum: 601.10 feet IGLD85, the Lake Superior datum.
Anchor years: 1985 high, 1925 and 2007 lows, 2019 record monthly high at 602.85 feet.
Federal jurisdiction: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, eastern portion of the sub-region.
State jurisdiction: Michigan EGLE Submerged Lands, NREPA Part 325.
The basinwide Lake Superior level on the homepage is the right starting point. The central UP coast experiences moderate seiche activity, with sustained north or northwest wind driving water against the coast and producing measurable set-up at Marquette Harbor, Munising Bay, and the small harbors along the Pictured Rocks coast. Storm-driven wave action is the larger property concern on this coast: November and December storms with northwest winds over a long open-water fetch produce the largest wave events of the year on this shoreline.
The anchor years for this sub-region match the broader Lake Superior pattern. The 2019 record monthly high tested shoreline protection in Marquette and along the lower Dead River, and the prior 1985 cycle high is still the regulatory reference for many shoreline-protection designs on this coast.
Big Bay and the northwest approach includes the Huron Islands area and the open Lake Superior coast north and west of Marquette. This is the most exposed shoreline in the sub-region with the longest open-water fetch from the northwest. Property density is low, and most shoreline here is forested or sparsely developed.
Marquette Harbor and Presque Isle form the urban center of the Upper Peninsula's Lake Superior coast. The lower harbor at the foot of Washington Street, the upper harbor at the ore docks, and Presque Isle Park with its Black Rocks cliffs each have their own shoreline character. Marquette Harbor is partially sheltered by Presque Isle and the Lighthouse Point peninsula, which makes it one of the few protected anchorages on the Lake Superior side of the UP.
The Marquette-to-Au Train coast runs east from Marquette through Shot Point and Sand Point to the small communities of Au Train and Christmas. This is a mixed shoreline of sand beach, low rock outcrop, and seasonal cottage development.
Munising Bay and Pictured Rocks at the east end of the sub-region include the city of Munising, the federally administered Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, and the Grand Island National Recreation Area. Grand Island sits offshore of Munising and shelters the bay from open-lake wave action. Pictured Rocks itself runs from Munising east to Grand Marais, with the cliff section between Sand Point and Beaver Basin being the most heavily visited and photographed.
The Michigan Ordinary High Water Mark on Lake Superior is 603.0 feet IGLD85 and applies along this entire coast. Shoreline alteration is permitted by Michigan EGLE under NREPA Part 325 Submerged Lands and Part 303 Wetlands. The Marquette sub-region has a higher concentration of municipal and industrial shoreline than most of the Lake Superior coast, which adds additional regulatory layers for harbor and waterfront work in the city of Marquette and at the historical industrial sites.
The 2018 Father's Day storm at Marquette is a useful reference event for shoreline owners in this sub-region. Sustained northeast wind drove substantial wave action and shoreline damage at Marquette, Munising, and points east, and the lower Dead River saw flooding that exposed weaknesses in dam and shoreline infrastructure. The 2019 high water cycle then arrived on top of that storm-damaged baseline, and many shoreline-protection projects in this sub-region were designed in response to that combined exposure.
For a current reading, see the live dashboard. For broader Lake Superior context, see Lake Superior. For neighboring Lake Superior sub-regions, see Apostle Islands, Keweenaw Peninsula, Whitefish Bay, and Thunder Bay.
For deeper coverage of the Upper Peninsula natural history, the Michigan Trout Report and Michigan Birding Report document the inland streams, migration corridors, and Lake Superior shoreline ecology of this sub-region.