Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Northern Waters Adventures

    4.6 (31 reviews)

    Northern Waters Adventures Photos

    More like Northern Waters Adventures

    Recommended Reviews - Northern Waters Adventures

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Sara F.

    Wow, such an awesome experience! The Pictured Rocks by kayak is the only way to do it! We were supposed to do the all day kayak on a Monday, but got a call on Saturday that it was forecasted to have bad weather on Monday, so we could do the Sunday evening trip. That worked out perfectly because Monday the waves were huge!! The company was so easy to work with, guides were great, scenery out of this world! Highly recommend!

    Lover's Leap

    We took the all day trip and it was amazing! Northern Waters provided everything we needed and then some. If you really want to see pictured rocks, we highly recommend the full day. We saw the half day kayakers come back and it seemed really short. Can't imagine it being over that quick. Taken note though, if you have choppy waters like we did, it's a workout for sure.

    Northern Waters' shop
    Jim And C.

    Overall we enjoyed this day trip very much. We are experienced kayakers and considered just renting kayaks, but were unsure of Lake Superior and thought it might be better to go with a guide. A lot of effort was required from the group to unload and load the kayaks since the parking area was quite a distance (and upstairs) from the beach. We had a lot of strong men in our group - not sure what they would have done without guest participation. One negative was that there was a miscount on how many kayaks were needed. That was a huge drag because we all had to sit and wait until one of the guides ran back to the shop and returned with another tandem. A simple thing could have kept customer satisfaction high, instead of making us wait 45 minutes to begin our adventure. As it turned out, it was an unusually calm day and we could have gone by ourselves. But the friendly guides were knowledegable of history and the area so that helped make it worthwhile. And seeing Pictured Rocks from that vantage point - up close - was remarkable. Jim & Colette http://www.roamingtogether.com http://www.facebook.com/followrt

    Highly recommend this place! I was scared and Nancy reassured me I would be fine. She was amazing. Our tour guides were Joe and Colleen. They were awesome and very professional. We had an odd number people so Caleb came in my kayak and he was great!! We had amazing weather especially for Early June. We were also the only ones signed up for that amazing day when other tours had several people and it was so much better will our small group!! I can't say enough good things about them! We will be back!

    See all

    Photo of J M.
    1
    13
    1

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Great guides. Fun trip. Would recommend the sunset tour. Rocks LoL different going out and coming back.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Sara F.
    24
    3
    16

    5 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    16 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Ray K.
    0
    78
    2

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    13 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Ask the Community - Northern Waters Adventures

    Review Highlights - Northern Waters Adventures

    Highly recommend Northern Waters Adventures if you're looking for a safe and fun day kayaking Pictured Rocks!

    Mentioned in 6 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Verify this business for free

    Get access to customer & competitor insights.

    Verify this business

    Pictured Rocks Cruises - Rocco and I

    Pictured Rocks Cruises

    4.5(248 reviews)
    1.3 mi

    Recommended! Pictured Rocks is a section of coastline of Lake Superior that is indeed highly…read morescenic. I liked "Battleship Row", which totally does look like something from Pearl Harbor circa 1941, if you just use a little imagination. You also see arches, and a pretty unique tree-on-an-island where the roots extend through the air to the mainland. As scenic tours go, this is a good one.

    We saw what we could via trails and via car routes…read more 2 hour boat ride that rides along all of the rocks along the shore. The $46 ride is all of the rocks. Next ride is at 2PM. The $54 ride is all of the rocks + the spray falls. Next ride is at 3PM. Waiting to sit in chairs to start the boarding process at 2:45 PM. There are two rows of seats are already full outside on the dock. We are seated by 2:34pm, in the second group or 4th row. We took the 4th row of seats, even though there are open seats in the 3rd row, but it's facing right into the sun. Need to stay cooler and thus our back to the sun. A staffer checks in guest last names and count, while we are seated. Boarding the cruise boat by 2:47pm. Pushing off from the docks by 3pm. Right on time and we aren't even in Korea or Japan. Fancy that! We are off by 3:03pm. Knots and wind is picking up. Hair is up. The boat is called Spray Falls. Boat was built in 2022. The captain is funny, gregarious, captain Noah. 63 Feet boat. Holds 150 people. Boat can get up to 25 MPH. Run by 2 caterpillar diesel fuel engines. Captain Noah. Cheyenne and Ashley are part of the crew. The rocks will be on the right on our way out and on the left on the way back. Castle Rock by 3:25pm. Chapel Cove by 3:56pm, we were able to ride inside the cove. Passing by Spray Falls by 4:03pm. Not sure it was worth the extra $8 for the rather small falls. The rock formations are worth the visit for sure. Turning around now by 4:06pm. Good thing. I am pretty done with seeing the rocks by now. We are back at the docks by 5:06pm. Disembarking by 5:08pm.

    Photos
    Pictured Rocks Cruises - Grandparents

    Grandparents

    Pictured Rocks Cruises - Long-unused lighthouse

    Long-unused lighthouse

    Pictured Rocks Cruises

    See all

    Seaberg Pontoon Rentals

    Seaberg Pontoon Rentals

    3.9(34 reviews)
    2.3 mi

    I would highly recommend Seaberg Pontoon Rentals! We rented a 25 ft pontoon to tour ourselves…read morearound Pictured Rocks. The boat was clean and well maintained. They gave us very clear instructions of where to go and where not to go. Staff was very friendly and accommodating. They brought a wagon up to our car to load with our stuff and brought the wagon back upon our arrival. They made the process very easy! This was such an amazing experience for us to explore Lake Superior and Pictured Rocks.

    My family rented from this company a few years ago and had a great experience--friendly staff,…read morebeautiful lake, smooth process. That's why we came back. But this time? The owner (Bryan) ruined everything. Right when we got there, our group (we're all Asian) was greeted with: "Can you guys speak English?" Yeah. That was the first thing out of his mouth. It was rude, racist, and unnecessary. We were stunned but tried to brush it off to enjoy the day. Fast forward, while trying to close the boat door using my foot (kicking not even forcefully--I just didn't know how the mechanism worked), he immediately snapped and shouted: "Kick my boat again and I'll kick your ass." Mind you, I'm 16. That's an adult man threatening a minor--over a door. No explanation, no patience. Just straight-up aggression. Like I'm sorry I that I ever kicked the door but there is still no justification in yelling at a MINOR that doesn't go on daily pontoon rides and suddenly know how everything works. After that, he told us to "take a picture of your props." We were all confused--props? Like stage props? Personal belongings? The property? Even my dad, who's a trained seaman (of the Philippines so of course their training had to be different), had no idea what he meant. Turns out he meant the propeller--but instead of explaining, he started yelling "PROPELLER!" like we were supposed to automatically understand his vague boat lingo. We're not boat people. We came to enjoy the lake, not operate a ship. The way he barked at us made everything stressful and awkward. And then--after everything he said and did--he had the nerve to ask if we had any leftover food. Sir... you just threatened me, disrespected my group, and yelled at us like we were idiots... and now you want a snack? Absolutely not. Hell no. Plus, who asks strangers for leftovers? Since you took our money, you definitely have enough for happy meal at Mcdonald's. Absolutely bull-... behavior. At that point, all I could do was laugh. Not because it was funny, but because it felt like a bad comedy sketch. The whole thing was ridiculous. The boat ride was beautiful. The other staff were professional and kind. But the owner's behavior was racist, threatening, condescending, and completely unprofessional. We won't return while he's in charge. If you care about basic human respect--go anywhere else. P.S. we were lucky enough to not get served by Ellen, which judging by the reviews, also has a bad attitude. Beware.

    Photos
    Seaberg Pontoon Rentals - Lake Superior and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore were everything we had dreamt it would be thanks to Seaberg!

    Lake Superior and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore were everything we had dreamt it would be thanks to Seaberg!

    Seaberg Pontoon Rentals - Storefront at the dock. We  drove down a steep hill and parked right next to the storefront.

    Storefront at the dock. We drove down a steep hill and parked right next to the storefront.

    Seaberg Pontoon Rentals

    See all

    Paddling Michigan

    Paddling Michigan

    3.2(140 reviews)
    2.3 mi

    AMAZING EXPERIENCE!! I am going to list a couple of pros and cons for this place but no matter what…read morecompany you choose, go kayak pictured rocks. Incredible formations of land that you can't see anywhere else. I lived in Michigan for 20 years and had no idea the Upper Peninsula held the treasures we got to see! Pros: -The guides had a ton of energy and were very patient with the people in our group. We had a great group of good listeners and that helped but our guide was also very flexible and let us veer off into the waters without having to stick super close to us. -The time of day that we went really made a difference. We chose the "sunset" tour so we were able to see the pictures rocks around 4-6pm . Though this is not sunset, it was still pretty to see the sun reflecting off the different colors of the rocks and formations. -the ability to just hop on a bus and hop in a kayak without carrying them helped as well. It just made everything really easy and seamless. Cons: -the bus to the launch off site didn't have A/C which was fine, but we just sat there waiting for other buses to unload and I think that could have been done a little differently. It was too hot to have thirty people sweating in a bus. -tour time said 6 hours but we only kayaked for 3.5 which was fine but maybe make it clear on the site that the bus time would take a hour round trip -I also would have suggested just an hour for lunch, being able to get out and eat our lunch on the beach was great but I didn't need to be there for 1.5 hours, I would have rather done a shorter lunch and gotten back sooner Overall, amazing and an outstanding time we had!

    Overall, this was a great experience. Our guide, Tanner, was knowledgeable and fun. He was able to…read moretalk to us about the rock formations and made sure to talk to everyone in the group and even learned our names. One of the bases we rode had no AC, which was tough on a hot day, but the ride to the beach was short, so this didn't taint the experience. The kayaking was fun and Pictured Rocks is beautiful. The company is well organized and timely. I recommend this experience.

    Photos
    Paddling Michigan
    Paddling Michigan
    Paddling Michigan

    See all

    Pictured Rocks Kayaking

    Pictured Rocks Kayaking

    4.6(103 reviews)
    2.4 mi

    We did the long tour with Emily, and she took us to so many spots, it was magical and she gave us a…read morebunch of fun stories and jokes. She even took photos of us and air-dropped them to us afterward. It rained in the morning but the water was calm. So cool launching kayaks from the boat.

    -- A Bucket-List Experience That Photos Can't Capture Date…read moreof Visit: July 21, 2025 If you're even thinking about visiting Munising, MI or the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore -- stop thinking and book with Pictured Rocks Kayaking (@picturedrockskayaking). Our family (my wife, our 15-year-old daughter, and me) did the boat-assisted morning tour on a calm July day, and it was one of the most unforgettable outdoor experiences we've ever had. We've kayaked before (including at Acadia National Park), but nothing compares to this. From Chapel Rock and Lover's Leap to the hidden sea caves, every bend of shoreline revealed a new natural wonder. Photos don't do this place justice -- it's something you truly have to experience firsthand from the seat of a kayak. And our guide? Julia Illy (@JuliaIlly) was phenomenal. She struck the perfect balance between safety-first leadership and fun, filling the journey with geological insights, local history, and witty humor that made the paddle fly by. You can tell she loves what she does and cares about giving people a meaningful, memorable trip. The whole operation is smooth and professional -- from the boat ride out (big energy saver!) to the gear, support team, and route design. Whether you're new to kayaking or a seasoned paddler, this is a can't-miss Michigan adventure. We'll remember this day forever. Huge thanks to the team -- and to Julia, who truly rocks (in every sense of the word ).

    Photos
    Pictured Rocks Kayaking
    Pictured Rocks Kayaking - Thanks to Emily for our family photo

    Thanks to Emily for our family photo

    Pictured Rocks Kayaking

    See all

    Northern Waters Adventures - boating - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...