Things to do in Michigan
45 places worth stopping for and 14 places to stay on a road trip through Michigan.
See and do
- Scenic drive
Scenic drive · Munising
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Multicoloured sandstone cliffs, waterfalls and long beaches on Lake Superior.
- Waterfall
Waterfall · Paradise
Tahquamenon Falls State Park
Tea-coloured falls, one of the biggest east of the Mississippi.
- Walk
Walk · Ontonagon
Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park
The biggest state park in the Midwest, with old-growth forest and a Lake Superior shore.
Viewpoint · Silver City
Lake of the Clouds overlook
A short boardwalk to a long view over a lake and the forest of the Porkies.
- Town
Town · Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island
A car-free island of horse carriages, fudge shops and old forts.
- Scenic drive
Scenic drive · Empire
Sleeping Bear Dunes Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive
7-mile loop through dunes with overlooks above Lake Michigan.
- Activity
Activity · Houghton
Isle Royale National Park
Remote wilderness island reached by ferry from Houghton or Copper Harbor.
- Scenic drive
Scenic drive · Copper Harbor
Brockway Mountain Drive
9-mile ridge road with long views over Lake Superior.
- History
History · GardenHidden gem
Fayette Historic State Park
A ghost town from the iron smelting days on a pretty harbour.
- Lake
Lake · Manistique
Palms Book State Park (Kitch-iti-kipi)
A giant clear spring you cross on a self-guided raft.
- History
History · Paradise
Whitefish Point Lighthouse and Shipwreck Museum
Lake Superior's shipwreck coast, with a museum about the Edmund Fitzgerald.
History · NewberryHidden gem
Crisp Point Lighthouse
A restored lighthouse at the end of a long dirt road on a wild shore.
- Scenic drive
Scenic drive · St. Ignace
Mackinac Bridge
Five miles of suspension bridge between Michigan's two peninsulas.
- Walk
Walk · Empire
Empire Bluff Trail
Short trail to a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan and the dunes.
- Lake
Lake · Holland
Holland State Park and Big Red
Sunset beach and the bright red Holland Harbor Lighthouse.
- History
History · Ludington
Big Sable Point Lighthouse
Black and white striped lighthouse reached by a 1.8 mile beach walk.
- Museum
Museum · Dearborn
Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation
Huge museum of cars, planes and the chair where Lincoln was shot.
- Scenic drive
Scenic drive · Harbor Springs
Tunnel of Trees
Narrow, tree-lined highway above Lake Michigan from Harbor Springs to Cross Village.
- Viewpoint
Viewpoint · Marquette
Presque Isle Park
Wooded peninsula with Lake Superior cliffs and bear-free picnic spots.
- Wildlife
Wildlife · SeneyHidden gem
Seney National Wildlife Refuge
Loons, trumpeter swans and eagles on a loop road through restored wetlands.
Waterfall · SundellHidden gem
Laughing Whitefish Falls
A 100-foot cascade in a forested gorge down a short trail.
- Waterfall
Waterfall · Grand MaraisHidden gem
Sable Falls
A staircase down a cascading creek to a quiet Lake Superior beach.
- History
History · Grand MaraisHidden gem
Au Sable Light Station
An 1874 lighthouse reached by a 1.5-mile walk along the shore.
- Town
Town · Grand MaraisHidden gem
Grand Marais (Michigan)
A tiny harbour town at the east end of Pictured Rocks.
- History
History · StoningtonHidden gem
Peninsula Point Lighthouse
A forest-edge lighthouse on a remote tip with monarch butterflies in autumn.
History · Hancock
Quincy Mine and Hoist
A giant mine hoist and underground mine tours on the Keweenaw.
- Waterfall
Waterfall · Paulding
Bond Falls
A broad Upper Peninsula cascade you can reach from the car park.
- Walk
Walk · Copper HarborHidden gem
Estivant Pines Nature Sanctuary
A grove of white pines up to 500 years old, a short drive from Copper Harbor.
- Cave
Cave · Eben JunctionHidden gem
Eben Ice Caves
A winter ice cave and frozen waterfall trail among the pines.
- Roadside oddity
Roadside oddity · Frankenmuth
Bronner's Christmas Wonderland
The world's largest Christmas store, open nearly all year, with 50,000 trims.
- History
History · Mackinaw City
Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse
Lighthouse at the foot of the Mackinac Bridge, now a museum.
- History
History · Mackinaw City
Colonial Michilimackinac
Reconstructed 1700s fur trading fort with costumed interpreters.
- Walk
Walk · Grayling
Hartwick Pines State Park
One of the last stands of old-growth white pine in lower Michigan.
Lake · East Tawas
Tawas Point State Park
Hook-shaped sandy spit with a lighthouse and prime birdwatching.
- History
History · Copper Harbor
Fort Wilkins Historic State Park
Restored 1844 fort at the tip of the Keweenaw.
- Activity
Activity · Mears
Silver Lake Sand Dunes
Big dunes where you can drive ORVs or walk to the top.
- Beach
Beach · Sawyer
Warren Dunes State Park
Huge sand dunes next to Lake Michigan, with a long beach and camping.
- Waterfall
Waterfall · MunisingHidden gem
Wagner Falls
A free little waterfall a few minutes from Munising, reached by boardwalk.
- Waterfall
Waterfall · Trout CreekHidden gem
Agate Falls Scenic Site
A roadside waterfall viewed from an old railway bridge.
- Waterfall
Waterfall · Munising
Munising Falls
A 50-foot waterfall at the end of an easy paved path.
- History
History · BrimleyHidden gem
Point Iroquois Light Station
Lighthouse museum with a beach on St Marys River.
- Garden
Garden · Midland
Dow Gardens
110-acre botanical garden with a canopy walk.
- History
History · Marquette
Marquette Harbor Lighthouse
Red-and-white lighthouse on a Lake Superior breakwater.
Viewpoint · SkaneeHidden gem
Mount Arvon
The highest point in Michigan at 1,979 feet, reached by a short walk.
- History
History · HarrisvilleHidden gem
Sturgeon Point Lighthouse
Lake Huron lighthouse with a museum and shipwreck stories.
Places to stay
- Campground
Campground · Ontonagon
Union Bay Campground, Porcupine Mountains
A lakeside state park campground at the doorstep of the Porkies.
- Campground
Campground · Porcupine MountainsHidden gem
Union Bay Campground
Lake Superior camp in the Porkies.
- Campground
Campground · Ludington
Ludington State Park campground
Dune and lakeshore camping between Lake Michigan and Hamlin Lake.
- Campground
Campground · Paradise
Rivermouth Campground, Tahquamenon Falls
A camping area near the Lower Falls and a short drive from Whitefish Point.
- Campground
Campground · St. Ignace
Straits State Park Campground
Camp with a view of the Mackinac Bridge.
- Lodge
Lodge · Big BayHidden gem
Big Bay Point Lighthouse
A remote 1896 lighthouse run as a bed and breakfast on Lake Superior.
- Campground
Campground · Sleeping Bear Dunes
Platte River Campground
Big lakeshore camp near dunes and Lake Michigan.
- Campground
Campground · Paradise
Lower Falls Campground, Tahquamenon Falls State Park
Forest camp at Tahquamenon Falls State Park, near the amber-coloured falls.
- Campground
Campground · Copper Harbor
Fort Wilkins campground
Camp beside Lake Superior and a restored fort.
- Campground
Campground · Grayling
Hartwick Pines campground
Pine-forest camping next to old-growth trail.
- Campground
Campground · East Tawas
Tawas Point campground
Beach camping on a Lake Huron spit.
- Campground
Campground · Holland
Holland State Park campground
Camp near the Big Red lighthouse and beach.
- Campground
Campground · Sawyer
Warren Dunes campground
Camp next to huge dunes and Lake Michigan beach.
- Campground
Campground · Mears
Silver Lake State Park campground
Camp by the Silver Lake dunes.
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Plan the drive, not just the stops
Roadtrip works out what the drive costs in fuel for your car, splits it into days with the best stops and places to sleep, and finds the cheapest fuel on the way.
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