Illinois visitors caught defacing Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore fined, banished from park

Four visitors to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore have been fined and banned from the park for one year after they were caught vandalizing the site and attempting to remove 100 pounds of rocks, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. 

The incident happened on July 25, 2025, when U.S. park rangers came upon several vessels along the cliffs that comprise Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and spotted four people "carving large letters into the cliff faces," according to federal prosecutors, and gathering more than 100 pounds of rocks to take home. 

Park rangers cited the four visitors, all from Illinois, for collecting and defacing park resources, according to authorities.

In December, a federal judge ordered each of the four defendants to pay a $500 fine and banned them from the national park for one year. In addition, one of the four defendants was given a $250 fine for taking the rocks, prosecutors said. 

"Pictured Rocks is one of Michigan's iconic natural wonders. There is no other place like it, and we will not get another one," said U.S. Attorney Timothy VerHey in a statement. "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. I applaud the Park Rangers for putting a stop to this vandalism.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore spans more than 42 miles of Lake Superior's coastline and includes more than 100 miles of trails, forests, wetlands and sandstone cliffs.