10/07/2020
This 500-mile road trip starts in Traverse City and ends in Copper Harbor, bridging Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas, while visiting three out of five Great Lakes.
The trip: Three days, 500 miles
When to go:
The drive up north is lovely every season but winter. The Upper Peninsula gets up to 200 inches of snow per year—super if you love snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing; not so super in a slip-and-slide rental car.
Day 1: The best fuel for the long drive ahead is a hearty trail sandwich from S2S | Sugar 2 Salt, a breakfast-only eatery in Traverse City. The menu changes seasonally but the stack-ups are always inspired (e.g., an English muffin with fried egg, spinach, mozzarella, and pork shoulder confit). Before heading north, go 40 minutes west to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, where you can watch hang gliders launch off the sandy bluffs towering over Lake Michigan. For a breezy hike with terrific views of the Manitou Islands, follow the grassy dune crest along Sleeping Bear Point. The 2.8-mile roundtrip loop can be done in under an hour. From here, cut east through Traverse City (a cherry pie stop at Grand Traverse Pie Company makes the backtracking worthwhile) and north for 50 miles toward the charming town of Charlevoix (population 2,514), where you’ll find a cluster of thatched-roof mushroom houses. Four of these storybook gnome villas are available to rent, but there’s no time for that today: Instead, take your pictures and swing over to Michigan Beach Park, home to the lipstick-red Charlevoix South Pier Light Station. It’s a lovely little spot for a half hour of sunbathing, beach combing, and general Instagramming.
Back in the car, roll down your windows, turn up the stereo, and book it 50 minutes to the M-119 N, also known as the Tunnel of Trees. The 27.5-mile stretch of heritage highway, which links Harbor Springs to Cross Village, is spectacularly scenic: dense hardwood forest and Hallmark-movie hamlets spliced with views of Lake Michigan. At the end of the road, a hearty dinner of kielbasa, pierogi, and zurek (a sour rye soup with Polish sausage and hard-boiled eggs) waits for you at the historic Legs Inn, which has been family-run since the 1920s. If the weather is good, request a table in the manicured garden out back; the panoramic view of Lake Michigan, particularly at sunset, is second to none. (Just don’t be so mesmerized by the scenery that you overlook the menagerie of vintage taxidermy inside the lodge’s bar.)
You've got another half hour drive north before you check into the quaint Huron Breeze Cottage in Mackinaw City, a well-reviewed Airbnb that accommodates up to six guests and sits within walking distance of Wawatam Park. Before you call it a night, take a leisurely drive to Emmet County’s Headlands International Dark Sky Park, some five miles away. The 550-acre woodland preserve is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. On a clear evening, it’s the best stargazing spot on Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, thanks to its near total lack of light pollution.
Day 2: Head down to Lake Huron to catch the sunrise, and then inhale a greasy spoon breakfast at the 61-year-old Darrow’s Family Restaurant in Mackinaw City. You’ve got a lot of miles to cover today. Cross the 26,372-foot Mackinac Bridge, the third longest suspension bridge in the world, and wave hello and goodbye to famed Mackinac Island (yes, the one with the horse-drawn carriages) as you enter Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. You’re now in U.P. country.
Your first stop is Kitch-iti-kipi (The Big Spring) in Manistique, about two hours in. The natural cold spring, located in the 388-acre Palms Book State Park, is so crystal clear you can see 40 feet to the bottom. The spring is loaded with trout (but no fishing allowed!) and you can steer a slow-moving raft to the middle and back. Up next: Munising, one hour away. Order the straight-from-the-lake whitefish at carnival-casual food stand The Fish Basket. The fish and chips are legendary, but make time for Munising's better-known attraction: its Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. You can join a packed sightseeing boat that runs up and down a waterfront roughly the size of Manhattan, but a less expensive, more intimate way to experience the scenery is by renting a kayak at Miners Castle Beach and paddling out to the same painted caves and color-shifting sandstone cliffs those tourists are photographing from the top deck. Only difference? You’re close enough to touch ‘em. Another alternative is to stroll the sun-dappled nature trail that leads to Miners Falls, a 50-foot tumbler deep in the forest. Don’t stay too long, though; you have one more town to reach before nightfall—and that’s Marquette, 48 minutes west. Here, you can pick up unique souvenirs like salty licorice and tar soap at Touch of Finland, dine on a creative farm-to-table menu under a garden trellis blooming with hops at The Marq, and rest your bones at the sumptuously attired, 60-room Landmark Inn.
Day 3: If you don’t eat a pasty when you’re in the U.P., did you even go? Your first stop after departing Marquette should be Irontown Pasties in Negaunee, just 12 miles west. In addition to the more traditional pockets stuffed with ground beef and rutabaga, this local bakery offers vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free alternatives. (Be sure to call your order in an hour ahead of your arrival if you want it hot and ready to go.) Next, program Eagle River Falls into Google Maps. Two and half hours later, you’ll be snapping photos of a 25-foot waterfall spilling over volcanic basalt right from the roadside parking lot. Stand on the nearby pedestrian bridge for the best views. From here, you’re a two-minute drive to Fitzgerald’s Hotel & Restaurant in Mohawk. Dubbed “the Fitz” by doting locals, there’s a lot to love about this low-key haunt: authentic smokehouse barbecue, big picture windows offering sweeping views of Lake Superior, and one of the best craft beer menus in the country. A flight is the way to go: You can sample brews from Michigan-based Short’s, Upper Hand, B. Nektar, and Founder’s without getting tipsy. (Your drive isn’t over yet!)
The last stop on this journey is Copper Harbor, the northernmost town in Michigan. Pop by Thunderbird Gifts at Minnetonka Resort to browse more than 2,000 collectible books, old copper mining and railroad memorabilia, and silver and turquoise jewelry. (Note to prospective prospectors: You can rent metal detectors here.) If the weather holds, take the 20-minute drive up Brockway Mountain, one of the highest paved road between the Rockies and the Alleghenies. From this vantage point 735 feet above Copper Harbor, you can see Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior more than 50 miles away. If it’s too thick with fog, go for a 1.2-mile hike in the Estivant Pines Nature Sanctuary instead. Fresh air, 500-year-old pine trees, and a mossy floor covering evoke storybook fantasies—and help rejuvenate weary road trippers before the hour-long return to Houghton County Memorial Airport in Hancock.
