Vandalism at Pictured Rocks leads to fines, year-long bans for 4 visitors from Illinois

MUNISING, Mich. – Four visitors from Illinois were fined and banned for one year from Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore after being caught vandalizing the park.

According to authorities, United States Park Rangers contacted multiple vessels along the cliffs making up the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on July 25, 2025. The boats reportedly had people carving large letters into the cliff faces and had collected over 100 pounds of rocks with the intent to take them home.

Each person was ordered to pay a $500 fine and received a one-year ban from Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. One person had to pay an additional $250 fine for taking the rocks.