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276 miles - about 8 hoursA drive across the UP (Upper Peninsula) of Michigan offers quite a variety of sights and attractions. Along this route you can see some great views of the largest fresh water lake in the world, some beautiful rock formations along the shore, a museum for wrecked ships, the largest waterway traffic system in the world and an island with lots of people, hotels and shops, horses and bicycles but no cars.
Here are just some of the sites along this memorable 276-mile drive:
Marquette, Michigan (Starting point)
The route begins in Marquette, the largest city in the UP, located on the southern shores of Lake Superior. Nearby is Marquette Mountain Ski Resort, chosen 'best ski resort in the Midwest' by Skiing Magazine. When it comes to Midwest skiing, one need not look any further than Marquette Mountain. With the largest day area in the UP, plenty of snow and 600 feet of vertical, its the place to go!
Munising (Mile 44)
In Munising you can visit Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. There are trails to hike and boat tours that can provide a closer look at the beautiful sandstone cliffs and formations that reach over 200 feet in height along over 15 miles of Lake Superior shoreline. Click here for more suggestions for this area and another UP route written by Harry Kline.
Whitefish Point (Mile 154)
Continue east on Hwy 28 then turn north on Hwy 123 and travel to Paradise. A local road then takes you further north to Whitefish Point for a visit to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum and Lighthouse. The museum displays shipwreck artifacts and tells stories of various shipwrecks in the Great Lakes area. The Edmund Fitzgerald, lost with her entire crew of 29 men on November 10, 1975, 17 miles north-northwest of whitefish point, may be the most famous. Canadian folksinger Gordon Lightfoot inspired popular interest in this vessel with his 1976 ballad, 'The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.' The ship’s 200 lb. brass bell was recovered in 1995 and is now on display in the museum as a memorial to her lost crew.
Sault Ste. Marie (Mile 227)
The Soo Locks have been referred to as one of the great wonders of the world and it is still the largest waterway transportation system in the world. The locks bypass the rapids of the St. Marys River where the water level drops 21 feet from Lake Superior. There are boat tours that can take you through the locks just like the big freighters and a park along the locks for viewing and taking photos.
Mackinac Island (Mile 276)
Take a ferry ride to Mackinac Island. Motorized vehicles are not allowed on the island and all travel is by bicycle or horse-drawn vehicles. Overnight visitor's are met at the dock and transported, along with their luggage, to their hotel via horse-drawn carriages. Commercial delivery services also use horse-drawn carts for their deliveries. Carriage tours of the island are available and the downtown area offers many shops, hotels, restaurants and an abundance of Fudge Shops, most of which will offer free samples!
Sunrise View on Lake Huron
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