Roads that are the best of the midwest.
Google “ Michigan Road Trip ” and you ’ll instantly be bombarded with waterfalls , touch towns , microbrews , you name it . But what if deep down all youreallywant is the Kid Rock “ All Summer Long ” version of Michigan : ‘ splashing through sand bars , talking by the campfire , catching walleye from the dock , drinking whisky out of the bottle and smoke curious thing ’ ?
It ’s no secret that winters here are roughshod thanks to the lake outcome , but that just mean that when summer roll up around , those of us from the Mitten State go hard soaking up every morsel of sunniness fun we can . If recharging with the simpleness of uncrowded beaches and eternal water is what you ’re after , gather up your pop can like a veridical Michigander , reprocess them into gas money at the good Meijer , and head out to explore the 3,288 miles of winding road that draw the Great Lakes coastline .
Michigan offers the quintessential summer vibe — think wheel and giggling your way down monolithic dune that spill onto dinero gumption beaches , meandering through quaint coastal towns while licking an oddly fluorescent but somehow yummy Superman ice cream cone , skipping stone over the glassy water of cliff - protected Laurus nobilis , diving to see shipwrecks , kitesurfing epic lake wave that rival any ocean , and falling gone by a balefire under endless stars . Michigan has even been known to give an casual Northern Lights show , though they usually are closer to early fountain or nightfall .
Worth a pit stop, I’d say.|Frederick Millett/Shutterstock
While there are five Great Lakes , your time is most efficiently spent concentrate on Lake Huron , Lake Superior , and Lake Michigan . Michigan has five national parks and a whopping 101 country parks and recreation domain . To narrow it down , here are our top weft for summering it up on the Great Lakes , pop on the east part of the state ( know as the “ quarter round ” section ) , lead up to the waste Upper Peninsula , then leisurely nose your way south down the more touristy coast of Lake Michigan .
Ease into laid-back scenes around Lake Huron
The thumb area of Michigan ’s mitten - shaped Lower Peninsula juts into Lake Huron and is a lay back , often neglect neighborhood of the state . It ’s also known as the Sunrise Coast , and morning hoi polloi will be rewarded with systematically fantastical sunrises over the body of water .
Start out with a bang in the larger coastal townspeople of Bay City with a cruise on a tall ship byBaySail Appledore . If you ’re around in August , head up the Lake Huron shoring to the small Ithiel Town of Caseville , known for a funky10 - daytime Cheeseburger festivalinspired by Jimmy Buffet . Keep go toAlbert E. Sleeper State ParkandPort Crescent State Parkto the east , offeringsandy beacheswith calm piddle and nearby wooded tramp trail .
paddler should stay on to check out Port Austin at the tip of the thumb for its picturesque Turnip Rock that uprise dramatically above the lake ’s aerofoil . Pro tip : Port Austin Kayakoffers renting and guide if you did n’t travel with your own equipment . This cutesy coastal town also find to have one of Michigan ’s largest granger ’s markets ( road trip bite ! ) and annual festivals celebratinglady slippersandpolka , because why not . It also has a rarefied status as a Dark Sky Park .
Don’t crash into the turnip rock.|Craig Sterken/Shutterstock
North of Bay City , you ’ll exceed through the “ Cape Cod of the Midwest,”Tawas Point State Park . This is a chill campground where you may float or angle offshore of a golden stretch of beach .
Everyone thinks of Lake Superior as having all the shipwreck , but if you follow the coast up to Alpena , Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuaryis the rest position of more than 100 shipwrecks on the bottom of Lake Huron . you may take a glass - bottom gravy boat turn or lease a boat paddle board and glide over the smooth pee where the ruination lie , but the truly adventuresome can dive .
Keep hug the coast to Mackinac City where you could ferry out to Mackinac Island , a carless island known for indulgences like horse - drawn carriages and fudge — take advantage of the laid back bliss before you point up to the much more savage Upper Peninsula .
Mackinac Island is a quaintness overload.|Sidhu50/Shutterstock
The State With the Best Beach Towns Isn’t Even on a Coast
3,000 miles of sandy shores.
Gawk at cliff shorelines in the Upper Peninsula of Lake Superior
You could candidly expend the entiresummer road get off the broken Upper Peninsulaof Michigan . From Mackinac , head north straight toTahquamenon Fallswith its 50 - foot drop and 200 - metrical foot wide falls . Tahquamenon come from an Ojibwe word meaning “ dark Charles Edward Berry , ” and nothing screams summer like being capable to stuff yourself with wild berries ( consider it dessert for the local pasty you also require to eat ) .
From here , ram west toMiner ’s BeachatPictured Rocks National Lakeshore , which has colorful sandstone cliff towering over gorgeously clear piss . The best views are from the water , so definitely engage a kayak or take a glass - bottomed boat circuit . Let ’s be clear-cut , Lake Superior is icy . We ’re talking “ Wim Hof ice bath ” icy . But at Sand Point just east of Munising , the water system is shallow and makes for swimming that ’s a morsel more enjoyable .
America’s Most Surreal Lakefront Is an Ancient Psychedelic Playground
Hidden among the deep forests and wild shores of Lake Superior, you’ll uncover one of the most scenic areas in the States.
fire up in Marquette — the “ big metropolis ” ‘ snipe these part — before maneuver to the Black Rocks Beach withinPresque Isle Park . It ’s tucked between two cliffs and appreciate for its Brobdingnagian collection of smooth Lake Superior stones .
Continue on toPorcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park . If you hybridise paths with a moose or a bear , you may lastly bring in just how boondocks you ’ve traveled . Here you ’ll find the very picturesqueLake of the Clouds , arguably one of the most Instagrammable places in Michigan . If sportfishing is your jam , there is grab - and - release bass fishing here .
If you feel like pull up stakes the automobile behind for a scrap , boat over for a few days toIsle Royale National Park , a carless island in the middle of downright nowhere in Lake Superior , to explore hiking trail that just may have more moose and wolves than citizenry .
You’d Never Guess This Stunning National Park Is Not by the Ocean
There’s East Coast, West Coast, and no coast.
Return to civilization and art around Lake Michigan
head back down south , after you cross the Mackinac Bridge to forget the Upper Peninsula , go rock ‘n’ roll hunting on the beach atPetoskey State Park . Michigan ’s country I. F. Stone is the Petoskey stone for a good , more - than - sports meeting - the - centre cause : While the fossilise , ancient coral come out to be a irksome dull gray when dry , when you get it wet , it bear witness a trippy and intricate hexangular pattern .
If you want to cover yourself , book a Nox or two atHotel Walloonon nearby Walloon Lake — Tommy’scan even rob you up with water ski or sauceboat rental . function off those UP pasties by either kiteboarding along the M-22 withBroneahor climb the massive sand dune atSleeping Bear Dunesthat rise 450 feet above Lake Michigan ’s surface ( confide me , run down is fun but climbing 450 feet in red-hot Baroness Dudevant is no joke ) .
When you decide that you most certainly did not route trip all this manner for unvoiced work , do things the otiose way and dune buggy your direction through the 3,000 estate of dune along more than four mile of lakefront that isSilver Lake State Park .
It’s as if these Pictured Rocks knew they were rocks made for pictures.|Posnov/Moment/Getty Images
Further in the south you could camp down at the dog - friendlyP.J. Hoffmaster State Parkin Muskegon . The land shoreline is a commodious positioning for making a side trip toMichigan ’s Adventure , an entertainment park that , while not as extensive as others across the land , has a body of water park that will be sure to bring out your internal child .
From here , head on down to finish out in Saugatuck , an artsy residential area that ’s sort of like the bedazzle LGBTQ belt crumple of the so - call Bible Belt that runs through West Michigan . If you ’re into spooky haunt wood , abandoned psychiatrical institution , and towns that just oddly disappeared under sand , protrude by await up the local legend of the “ Melon Heads . ” And if you ’re not into that sort of thing , well , definitely do n’t , because it have topnotch creepy . If you did n’t sand dune buggy in Silver Lake , you get another luck here withSaugatuck Dune Rides , through a space that is say to have inspired Oz in the Wizard of Oz .
Marquette is so cute it’s blushing.|Photo by Kristen Smith/Moment/Getty Images
Maybe don’t roll down this hill at Sleeping Bear Dunes.|Nick Li/EyeEm/Getty Images
Little Sable Point Lighthouse: not so little.|Frederick Millett/Shutterstock
