Picnic Rocks is a Marquette staple. It is the easiest and most effortless place in Marquette to catch the sunrise, meaning you’ll always see cars parks in the parking lot during all conditions, especially people on their way to work in the morning.

To the North, you’ll see Marquette’s operational ore dock, with boats coming and going on a near-daily basis about nine months of the year.

To the South, you’ll see the historic Marquette Harbor Lighthouse.

Straight in front of you, to the East, you’ll see the Picnic Rocks (or is the land the Picnic Rocks? Who knows). This iconic rock is painted by Marquette Senior High School alums every so often with the class year. How they manage all the seagull poop out there, I’m not sure. Those the class year doesn’t appear in many published photos, I have a pretty robust archive of detailing approximately when it was last painted.

There is a caveat or two of tagging sunrises Picnic Rocks, as it’s not entirely clear where Shiras Park ends and Picnic Rocks begins.

Sunrising at Picnic Rocks? Here are a few pointers.

  • Gulls, gulls, everywhere!
  • Check the Marine Traffic app to see what ore boats are coming and going.
  • Wavy forecast? It’s an easy place to get access and check out the waves.
  • Get outta the car! No need to sit in your car for sunrise, get out, stretch the legs, and feel the wind on your face. No sunrise is best enjoyed by sitting in your car.
  • P.S. It’s a dangerous place to swim and not worth the risk, just head further down to McCarty’s Cove to avoid dangerous rip currents.

📍 46° 32' 36" N, -87° 23' 47" W