Agate Beach (located inside Stanton Park) is a remote, ruggedly beautiful stretch of Lake Superior shoreline on the western side of Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula. Situated roughly 25 miles southwest of Houghton and just north of Misery Bay, it is a legendary destination for rockhounds, wilderness campers, and sunset chasers.
Agate Beach is a favorite of ours for camping and hunting for agates when we want to get away from it all.
We were told that the river that goes inland is an excellent place to find agates, but we didn’t have much luck there. We had more luck along the shore.
Below are some images of our camping/rockhounding trip. We cooked popcorn over an open fire, Amy was looking for agates, and I took pictures of things I found while hiking. There is also a pile of ‘Welcome Rocks’ that people started doing, and over the years the pile kept getting bigger and bigger.
Rock Hunting & Beachcombing
True to its name, the shoreline is packed with cobbles and pebbles tumbled smooth by Lake Superior’s harsh surf.
Agates & Unakite: Visitors frequently hunt for Lake Superior Agates, quartz, and unique green-and-pink Unakite stones.
Yooperlites: In recent years, it has become a hot spot for hunting Yooperlites. Syenite rocks rich in fluorescent sodalite that glow a vibrant neon orange under a UV/blacklight at night. My wife and I found one embedded in the boat launch concrete.
Access: Instead of sliding down the steep, sandy embankment from the main parking lot, look for the old concrete boat launch ramp to safely walk down to the rocky shore.
Stanton Park Campground
The beach shares its grounds with a highly scenic, rustic township-run park.
Primitive Camping: Features 25 rustic, beachfront campsites available on a first-come, first-served basis from Memorial Day through Labor Day.Amenities: There are no electrical hookups or water connections for RVs. Amenities are limited to vault/pit toilets, picnic tables, grills, and a small children’s playground.
There are several campsites available and a large community campsite area for people to camp together for family reunions and larger get-togethers.
Solitude & Sunsets: Because it sits 12 miles down a secondary road (A71/Agate Beach Road) west of the small town of Toivola, it stays relatively uncrowded compared to main state parks, offering unobstructed sunset views over the open lake. We had our truck camper facing the sunset and sunrises, which was a beautiful sight upon waking up.
Visiting Conditions: Be aware that Lake Superior stays incredibly cold year-round. While wading and paddling are common on calm summer days, the beach drops off deeply and lacks lifeguards, so heavy swimming is generally secondary to rockpicking.
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