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Viewing platform at Pictured Rocks closed due to erosion

Posted at 4:51 PM, Apr 05, 2017
and last updated 2017-04-05 16:51:22-04

MUNISING, Mich– An overlook at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore has been closed to the public due to safety concerns.

This week, officials announced on Facebook part of the Log Slide Overlook has been damaged by heavy snow and ice, along with sand deposits and erosion, causing part of a viewing platform to break off and slide 100 feet down a sand dune.

Once the snow and ice melts, they say park officials will go in to assess the situation. They hope to eventually rebuild the platform, providing no further erosion happens.

The Log Slide Overlook was named for a wooden chute that early logging companies used to slide logs down the sand dunes to Lake Superior.

The park says other good viewing areas of the Grand Sable Dunes include the end of the Sable Falls Trail or from Grand Marais.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is located off the south shore of Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula and includes more than 73,000 acres of protected land. It is one of seven national parks located in the state of Michigan.