4 Fined, Banned From Pictured Rocks For Vandalism: Feds

MUNISING, MI — Four people from Illinois were fined and banned from Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore after they vandalized the park, according to federal officials.

The incident happened on July 25, 2025, when U.S. Park Rangers noticed several parked boats along the Pictured Rocks cliffs, officials said.

Officials said the four were climbing the rocks and carving large letters into the cliff faces. They also collected more than 100 pounds of rocks with the intent to take them home, officials said.

The four were cited for defacing and collecting park resources. They were each ordered to pay a $500 fine and banned from the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore for one year, officials said.

Additionally, one of the four was ordered to pay an additional $250 fine for taking the rocks, officials said.

"Pictured Rocks is one of Michigan’s iconic natural wonders," U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Timothy VerHey said. "There is no other place like it, and we will not get another one. Everyone is welcome to see and enjoy this beautiful place, but no one is allowed to inflict damage on it. Anyone who does will be punished: these four people were lucky to get off with a fine and banishment because the judge could have given each of them six months in jail."

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore spans over 42 miles of Lake Superior coastline, including towering sandstone cliffs, deep forests, pristine wetlands and over 100 miles of trails.