Michigan’s Great Lakes Icons

Welcome to Detroit, the starting point of your Michigan adventure. On arrival, make your way to your hotel and spend the remainder of your first day settling in and getting your first taste of the Motor City.

Your full day provides the opportunity to discover a city whose influence reaches far beyond Michigan. Explore Detroit's extraordinary automotive heritage at The Henry Ford in nearby Dearborn, step into the story of the music that changed America at the Motown Museum, or visit the Detroit Institute of Arts, home to Diego Rivera's celebrated Detroit Industry murals.

Spend time around the city's revitalised riverfront, browse the stalls and food vendors of Eastern Market or explore neighbourhoods such as Corktown before enjoying Detroit's increasingly diverse restaurant scene.

Collect your hire car and leave Detroit behind as you travel north towards Traverse City, approximately four hours away before stops. As the city gives way to forests, farmland and smaller communities, the journey provides your first taste of northern Michigan.

Set beside the brilliant blue waters of Grand Traverse Bay, Traverse City makes an ideal base for three nights. Spend your first evening exploring its walkable downtown, independent shops and restaurants or simply head towards the waterfront.

Dedicate a full day to the first of Michigan's three Great Lakes icons: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Follow the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive through forest and dunes, stopping at overlooks high above Lake Michigan, tackle the famous Dune Climb or follow one of the park's many walking trails. Allow time for historic Glen Haven and the nearby communities of Glen Arbor and Empire, and finish beside the water as the sun disappears beyond Lake Michigan.

Your second full day reveals another side of northwest Michigan. Follow the Old Mission Peninsula or Leelanau Peninsula, where vineyards and orchards sit between rolling countryside and glimpses of freshwater. Visit local tasting rooms, browse farm markets and explore communities such as Leland, where the historic fishing district of Fishtown provides a fascinating connection to the region's maritime heritage.

Leave Traverse City and travel north towards Mackinaw City, with approximately two hours of driving before stops. Leave your hire car on the mainland and board the ferry across the Straits of Mackinac to the second of your three icons, Mackinac Island.

From the moment you arrive, the pace changes. Cars are absent from the island, replaced by bicycles and horse-drawn carriages, while Victorian buildings, waterfront views and the sound of boats in the harbour create an atmosphere unlike anywhere else on your journey.

Spend your full day exploring at your own pace. Hire bicycles and follow the scenic road around the island, stopping at Arch Rock and quiet stretches of coast, or venture onto the walking and cycling trails of Mackinac Island State Park. Visit Fort Mackinac, admire the Victorian grandeur of the Grand Hotel and allow time to sample the island's famous fudge.

Staying for two nights means you can experience one of Mackinac's greatest pleasures: the island after many of the day visitors have returned to the mainland. Enjoy dinner, wander quieter streets and watch the sun set across the Straits before waking to another traffic-free morning.

Take the ferry back to the mainland, collect your car and cross the mighty Mackinac Bridge into Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Continue west towards Munising, approximately 2½ to 3 hours away before stops, travelling through increasingly wild forest scenery as you approach Lake Superior.

Munising is your base for three nights and the gateway to the third Michigan icon: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

Dedicate one full day to seeing Pictured Rocks from its most impressive perspective: Lake Superior. Join a scenic cruise beneath towering sandstone cliffs streaked with shades of red, orange, green and gold, passing sea caves, natural arches, waterfalls and landmarks such as Miners Castle, Lovers Leap and Chapel Rock. Alternatively, guided kayaking adventures offer an exhilarating way to experience the cliffs from water level.

With another full day available, experience Pictured Rocks from the land. Follow forest trails towards waterfalls and viewpoints, walk sections of the North Country National Scenic Trail, visit Munising Falls or seek out quieter beaches along the Lake Superior shoreline. The additional night also gives you valuable flexibility should weather conditions affect your preferred boat or kayaking experience.

Leave the Upper Peninsula and travel south towards Petoskey. Rather than treating today simply as a transfer, use the journey to experience more of northern Michigan.

Depending on your interests and preferred pace, stop at Tahquamenon Falls State Park to see its distinctive amber-coloured waterfalls, or spend time around St. Ignace before crossing the Mackinac Bridge back into the Lower Peninsula.

Continue towards Petoskey, beautifully positioned on Little Traverse Bay. Spend your full day enjoying the communities and scenery of this part of northern Michigan. Browse Petoskey's independent shops and galleries, walk beside the bay or search the shoreline for the distinctive fossilised coral stones that carry the town's name.

Visit nearby Harbor Springs and follow the famous Tunnel of Trees, where M-119 winds beneath a canopy of woodland with occasional views towards Lake Michigan. You could also continue towards Charlevoix, adding another inviting waterfront community to your day.

Travel south along Michigan's western side towards Grand Rapids. Allow around three hours for the direct journey, although there are plenty of reasons to make a day of it.

Depending on your route, pause in one of the Lake Michigan communities you've encountered throughout the wider Michigan story, enjoy lunch beside the water or simply leave time for an unexpected stop before continuing to Grand Rapids.

Spend your final full day discovering a city known for art, culture, food and independent brewing. Visit the outstanding Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, explore downtown museums and public art or discover some of the breweries that helped establish Grand Rapids' reputation as Beer City USA.

Finish your final evening over dinner and a locally brewed beer, reflecting on a journey that has taken you from Detroit's cultural landmarks to Lake Michigan's enormous dunes, a car-free island in the Straits of Mackinac and the sandstone cliffs of Lake Superior.

Your Michigan road trip comes to an end today.

Depending on your flight arrangements, return your hire car and begin your journey home, or extend your holiday with additional time elsewhere in Michigan or the wider Great Lakes region.

Extend Your Adventure
Not ready for your Michigan adventure to end? Add extra nights beside Lake Michigan, continue into neighbouring Ontario for a two-country holiday or combine your road trip with Chicago for an exciting city finale.