Overview
- Park rangers on marine patrol spotted the group on July 25, 2025 carving large letters into sandstone cliffs and collecting more than 100 pounds of rocks.
- The four visitors, all from Illinois, were cited for defacing and collecting park resources.
- In December, a federal judge fined each $500, issued a one-year ban from Pictured Rocks, and added a $250 fine for one person who took rocks.
- U.S. Attorney Timothy VerHey praised the rangers’ intervention and noted that jail time was a possible outcome under federal law.
- Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore covers more than 42 miles of Lake Superior shoreline, where removing or defacing natural features is illegal.