Yooperlite and Agate Hunting at Grand Marais, Michigan
ALLOWED
No permit required
Yooperlite and agate hunting is allowed on Grand Marais' township beach, within Michigan's 25-pound-a-year limit. Walk west into Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, though, and collecting any beach stone is prohibited. Rules checked against primary sources in .
Key Conditions
- Agate Beach in Grand Marais is a Burt Township park, and we found no township rule on rock collecting; Michigan's limit applies on the shore: 25 pounds of rocks, minerals and fossils per person per year in total, on state-owned and public-trust land (EGLE)
- Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore begins just west of town, at Sable Falls and the Grand Sable Dunes; the park says "collecting beach stones is not permitted within the national lakeshore"
- The former Coast Guard property on Coast Guard Point in town is national lakeshore land too
- Collecting is for personal, non-commercial use only; selling needs a permit on state land, and vending is banned on township park property
- Private shoreline: Michigan's public-trust doctrine lets you walk below the ordinary high-water mark, but not collect on private land without the owner's permission
Grand Marais (Agate Beach) · 46.6740, -85.9920
The national lakeshore starts at the edge of town
Grand Marais sits at the east end of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, and the two have opposite rules. On the township beach you can keep what you find, within Michigan's 25 pounds a year. A short walk west, at Sable Falls beach below the Grand Sable Dunes, you're in the national lakeshore, where the Park Service says "collecting beach stones is not permitted" and the compendium designates no rocks or minerals for collection. The lakeshore also owns the former Coast Guard station on Coast Guard Point, in town. Rangers enforce it: in March 2026 a visitor caught with more than 100 pounds of lakeshore rocks paid an extra $250 for them.
Yooperlites became a Lake Superior phenomenon after an Upper Peninsula resident discovered in 2017 that some ordinary-looking beach rocks glow under ultraviolet light. EGLE's geologists describe them as sodalite syenite from the Coldwell Alkaline Complex near Marathon, Ontario, carried into Michigan by glaciers. In daylight they look like granite. Under a 365-nanometer UV light they glow, which is why hunters work the beach at night. Grand Marais is also a classic agate beach: an EGLE geologist lists Grand Marais Beach among her favorite agate spots in the Upper Peninsula, and says she found her favorite agate there.
The beach the town calls Agate Beach is a Burt Township park beside the Woodland Park campground. Michigan's rock limit is the rule that applies to the shore: EGLE describes it as 25 pounds per person per year in total, on state-owned and public-trust land, which takes in the Lake Superior bottomlands below the ordinary high-water mark. That's the same limit our Petoskey State Park page covers. It's generous next to Minnesota, where Gooseberry Falls and every other state park ban rock collecting outright.
Lake Superior's Michigan shore: where you can keep Yooperlites
| Place | Manager | Collecting | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agate Beach and township accesses, Grand Marais | Burt Township | Yes, up to 25 lb a year | No township rule found; state limit on public-trust shore (EGLE) |
| Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (Sable Falls, Grand Sable Dunes, Coast Guard Point) | National Park Service | No | NPS beaches page; 36 CFR 2.1 |
| Muskallonge Lake State Park and other DNR land | Michigan DNR | Yes, up to 25 lb a year | R 299.922(hh); park hours apply |
| Whitefish Point Unit, Seney NWR | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | No; daylight only | Refuge rules |
| Private shoreline | Landowner | Only with permission | Glass v. Goeckel allows walking, not collecting |
From NPS Pictured Rocks, EGLE, Mich. Admin. Code R 299.922, Seney NWR rules and Glass v. Goeckel, checked October 2026.
Hunting the Grand Marais Shore
From Burt Township's beach and campground pages, NPS Pictured Rocks and EGLE guidance, October 2026.
Before You Go
- Pack a 365 nm UV flashlight and UV-safe glasses
- Bring a scale and keep a running total toward your 25 pounds for the year
- Know where Pictured Rocks starts and stay east of it with your bag
- Wait for the waves to drop after a storm before walking the waterline
- Skip Whitefish Point refuge land for collecting — it's prohibited there
Who Sets the Rules Here
Burt Township, Alger County
Agate Beach, the Woodland Park campground shore and the Edward Street and Carpenter Creek beach accesses: township-owned public beach; no collecting ordinance found
Michigan DNR and EGLE
State-owned land and public-trust land, including Lake Superior bottomlands below the ordinary high-water mark (601.5 ft)
National Park Service
Sable Falls beach, the Grand Sable Dunes and the rest of the lakeshore west of town, plus the Coast Guard Point parcels: no collecting beach stones
Permits & Licenses
| Permit | Required? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Rock collecting on the Grand Marais township beach | No | No permit. Keep your total across all state-owned and public-trust land to 25 pounds a year, for personal use. |
| Collecting in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore | No | Not possible: the compendium designates only driftwood for campfires and certain fruits, nuts, berries and mushrooms; no rocks or minerals. |
| Pictured Rocks entrance pass | No | Only needed if you go into the national lakeshore. The township beach in Grand Marais needs no pass. |
Time & Seasonal Restrictions
- No collecting beach stones anywhere in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, including Sable Falls beach below the Grand Sable Dunes (NPS; 36 CFR 2.1(a)(1)(iv))
- Michigan limit: no more than 25 pounds per person per year, total, of rocks, minerals and invertebrate fossils from state-owned and public-trust land (R 299.922(hh); EGLE)
- No commercial collecting on state land without a permit (R 299.922(dd)); no selling or vending on Burt Township's Woodland Park property
- Whitefish Point Unit of Seney National Wildlife Refuge: rock and driftwood collection prohibited, daylight use only
- Private shore: walk below the ordinary high-water mark if you like, but don't collect without permission
- Drones are prohibited at Woodland Park; quiet hours there are 11 p.m.–7 a.m.
Equipment Notes
- A 365-nanometer UV flashlight for Yooperlites — EGLE recommends that wavelength — and UV-protective safety glasses
- A garden tine rake for turning beach gravel, which EGLE suggests
- A kitchen scale or luggage scale to keep track of your annual 25 pounds
- Warm, waterproof layers: night hunting on Lake Superior is cold even in summer
What People Find Here
- Yooperlites: sodalite syenite that looks like granite in daylight and glows under UV light; EGLE says they came from the Coldwell Alkaline Complex near Marathon, Ontario, carried south by glaciers, and most are pinky-nail to thumbnail size
- Lake Superior agates — an EGLE geologist names Grand Marais Beach among her favorite Upper Peninsula agate spots
- Other glacially carried pebbles: basalt, granite and jasper, which make up most of the beach
Penalties for Violations
← Scroll to see all columns
| Violation | Statute | Penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Collecting beach stones or other minerals in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore | 36 CFR 2.1(a)(1)(iv); 36 CFR 1.3; 18 U.S.C. 1865 | Up to 6 months in jail and a fine; in a 2026 case, a visitor who took rocks was fined an extra $250 on top of a $500 fine and a one-year ban for carving the cliffs |
| Taking more than 25 pounds a year, or collecting commercially, on state-owned land | Mich. Admin. Code R 299.922(hh), (dd); MCL 324.504(14) | State civil infraction: fine up to $500; eviction from state land for at least 48 hours (R 299.929) |
Etiquette & Leave No Trace
- Weigh what you keep and leave the rest; the 25 pounds covers all Michigan state and public-trust land for the whole year
- At night, keep your UV light pointed at the beach, not at campers, and respect Woodland Park's quiet hours
- Turn around where the national lakeshore begins; NPS rangers do enforce the no-collecting rule
- Don't take a commercial tour group onto refuge or park land
Nearby Alternatives
← Scroll to see all columns
| Site | Distance | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Petoskey State Park | 102 mi | The same Michigan 25-pound rule, applied in a state park |
| Gooseberry Falls State Park (Minnesota) | 260 mi | The Minnesota contrast: no rock collecting at all in state parks |
Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.All 2 rockhounding sites in Michigan
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you take Yooperlites from the beach at Grand Marais?
Yes, from the township beach, within Michigan's limit of 25 pounds per person per year across state-owned and public-trust land. Agate Beach is a Burt Township park, and we found no township rule against collecting. Don't take any from Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, which starts just west of town.
Can you take rocks from Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore?
No. The National Park Service says plainly that "collecting beach stones is not permitted within the national lakeshore", and its compendium designates no rocks or minerals for collection. In March 2026, a visitor caught with rocks from the lakeshore was fined an extra $250 on top of other penalties.
Where exactly does the national lakeshore start?
Just west of town. The Grand Sable Visitor Center is two miles west of Grand Marais, and Sable Falls beach, below the Grand Sable Dunes, is in the park. The town's Agate Beach, next to the Woodland Park campground and the library, is township land. The former Coast Guard station on Coast Guard Point in town is also park property.
How many rocks can you take from Lake Superior in Michigan?
Up to 25 pounds per person per year, in total, of rocks, minerals and invertebrate fossils from state-owned and public-trust land, which includes the Lake Superior bottomlands below the ordinary high-water mark, according to EGLE. It's for personal, non-commercial use, and it's one annual total, not 25 pounds per beach.
Can I hunt Yooperlites at night?
On the township beach, yes — the township even invites visitors to watch the stars and northern lights from Agate Beach. Woodland Park campground's quiet hours are 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. Whitefish Point's refuge land is daylight-only, and the national lakeshore is open 24 hours but doesn't allow collecting at any hour.
Can you collect Yooperlites at Whitefish Point?
Not on the refuge. The Whitefish Point Unit of Seney National Wildlife Refuge lists rock and driftwood collection among its prohibited activities and is open in daylight only.
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Disclaimer
Information is provided for general guidance only. Regulations change frequently. Always verify current rules with the official jurisdiction before relying on this information for legal decisions. Permitted Pursuits is not a substitute for official agency guidance. Report an error.
Sources
- NPS — Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore: Beaches(accessed 2026-10-14)
- NPS — Pictured Rocks Superintendent's Compendium(accessed 2026-10-14)
- NPS — Pictured Rocks: Fees and Passes(accessed 2026-10-14)
- U.S. Attorney's Office, W.D. Mich. — Pictured Rocks cliff carving and rock theft case (March 11, 2026)(accessed 2026-10-14)
- Burt Township — Agate Beach on Lake Superior(accessed 2026-10-14)
- Burt Township — Recreation Plan 2021–2025(accessed 2026-10-14)
- Michigan EGLE — Rock and mineral identification / rockhounding (Yooperlites, 25 lb limit)(accessed 2026-10-14)
- Mich. Admin. Code R 299.922 — State land rules (Cornell LII)(accessed 2026-10-14)
- Glass v. Goeckel, 473 Mich. 667 (2005)(accessed 2026-10-14)
- USFWS — Seney National Wildlife Refuge rules (Whitefish Point Unit)(accessed 2026-10-14)
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