Turnip Rock
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Turnip Rock | |
|---|---|
 Turnip Rock in 1906; today the trees are much taller | |
  Turnip Rock Location in Michigan | |
| Coordinates: 44°04′06.04″N 82°57′32.69″W / 44.0683444°N 82.9590806°W | |
| Location | Pointe Aux Barques Township, Michigan |
| Offshore water bodies | Alaska Bay, Lake Huron |
Turnip Rock is a small geological formation in Michigan. It is a stack[1] located in Lake Huron, in shallow water a few yards offshore, near the rock called the Thumbnail which is the extreme tip of Pointe Aux Barques, a small peninsula in Pointe Aux Barques Township[2] which in turn is the extreme tip of The Thumb, a large peninsula comprising several counties in eastern Michigan.[3][4][5]
Turnip Rock has been severely undercut by wave action,[6] so that its top has a significantly larger cross-section than its base. Its consequent unusual form, reminiscent of a turnip,[6][7] has made it a popular tourist attraction,[8] although it is located entirely on private property.[9] The only access to Turnip Rock is by water, and there is no public road access. A concrete collar has been built around the base of Turnip Rock at the waterline[10] to stop further undercutting.
Turnip Rock was one of twenty finalists in the 2013 "Seven Wonders of Michigan" contest sponsored by the Detroit Free Press and the Lansing State Journal,[11][12] but wasn't selected as one of the final seven.[13]