Planning a Summer Trip to Michigan

If you live on eastern side of US, you would agree with me that Michigan is one of the most scenic locations that you can visit in US.  The state is surrounded by 3 of the great 5 lakes and so most of these scenic attractions can be found near the lake. 

While this article can be useful for anyone who is interested in planning a vacation to Michigan, this would be more useful for those who are traveling from Cleveland,Ohio.  

So without wasting much time, let me start with the my trip plan. This is a typical 'long-weekend' trip plan where you would start your trip on Friday afternoon and return home Monday night. I prefer scenic locations where I not only enjoy the views but can also exercise my photography skills. Therefore - most of the attractions you see below would be scenic location and not necessarily educational or city trips. 

Friday [Cleveland,OH -> Mackinaw City,MI]
The first destination that I visited was Mackinaw City in Michigan. The drive is about 7 hours from Cleveland which is usually the maximum that I want to drive in a day. 

Things to see:
Mackinac Bridge: Best viewed from Colonial Mackinac Park. If you reach early enough, you can see the sunset right behind the bridge. If you reach late, you can still enjoy the lights on the bridge.

Where to Stay:
Most of the hotels in Mackinaw City have private beaches. I recommend staying in a hotel that has their private beach facing Lake Huron. Next - you wake up early next day and go to that private beach and see sun-rise over Lake Huron. This was an important criteria for me and that's why I chose to stay in "Quality Inn & Suites Beachfront". I booked a room facing the beach that way I could see the sun-rise & the Mackinac bridge from my room. Quite a view !

Here are some of the pictures from my visit to Mackinaw City. 

View from my hotel in Mackinaw City

Mackinac Bridge view from Colonial Park

View of Mackinac Bridge at night

Saturday [Pictured Rocks National Lake Shore]
As I mentioned above, get up early on Saturday morning and see the sun-rise over Lake Huron. Next - pack up your bags and start for Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore latest by 8am.  The journey from Mackinaw City to Pictured Rocks is about 2.5 hours, so you will reach there by 11am. 

Things to see:

1. You will drive over the Mackinac Bridge (which itself is very scenic). 
2. The drive in upper peninsula is very scenic. Enjoy the drive. Keep those windows and sunroofs open. 
3. Once you reach Pictured Rocks, there are many (& I mean many places to visit). Visit this link (http://www.nps.gov/piro/planyourvisit/placestogo.htm) and pick the kind of attractions that you like. I recommend that you at least visit Miners Castle.
4. Book a Sunset Cruise (in advance, if possible). This cruise about 2 hours long and is the most important thing that you wanna do there. 
5. If you can swin, go for Kayaking. 
6. Enjoy the clean water of Lake Superior. 

Where to Stay: 

1. If you are planning to stay for more than a day in Pictured Rocks, then I would recommend you stay near Pictured Rocks. It will be expensive, but worth.
2. In my case, I did not want to stay overnight in Pictured Rocks, so I went back to lower peninsula and booked a hotel in Gaylord, MI. Alternatively, you can also stay in Mackinaw City (depending on how much you want to drive). The reason for coming back in lower peninsula was my next destination, Sleeping Bear Dunes. 

Here are some of the pictures from my visit to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. 

Pictures from the Sunset Cruise

Pictures from Sunset Cruise

Pictures from Sunset Cruise

Pictures from Sunset Cruise

Sunday [Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore]

Drive from Gaylord, MI to Sleeping Bear Dunes, one of the most spectacular places in Michigan. The drive is about 2 hours. Again - compromise on your sleep a bit and start early (about 7.30ish) to reach Sleeping Bear Dunes by 9.30am. Go to the Park Office directly and pay the park fees ($10, I think). 

Things to see:

1. Empire Bluff Trail
2. Platte River Point
3. Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive [MOST IMPORTANT]
4. Dune Climb [its a really really long trail, but you don't have to complete it, you can always come back half way or whenever you feel like]
5. Inspiration Point [If you have time]

You sure don't want to miss the scenic drive. There are about 12-13 points in the drive. Most of those points can be skipped except the main one, Point 9. DO NOT MISS THIS. 

Where to Stay:

1. Again, if you are planning stay for more than a day in Sleeping bear dunes, it is recommended that you stay near the park. It is expensive, but worth. 
2. If you want a slightly cheaper option closer to your next destination then book a hotel in Cadillac,MI or Manistee, MI or Ludington, MI. 

Here are some of the pictures from my visit to Sleeping Bear Dunes.

At Dune Climb

Scenic Drive - Point 9

More pictures from Scenic Drive

From the Scenic Drive

View at the end of Empire Bluff Trail

Scenic Drive - Point 9

Platte Rive Point

Platte River Point

Scenic Drive

Monday [Silver Lake Dunes]

Ok so this destination is going to for those who like adventures, water sports etc. Silver Lake Dunes is not particularly 'super scenic'. It is beautiful, but the main reason to visit this place would be to enjoy the buggy rides and other water sports.  Depending on where you book your hotel, the drive to reach this place is less than 2 hours. Because this is the day where you want to return back home, you would probably not spend a lot of time in this place.

Things to do:

1. Buggy Rides (must do)
2. Jet Ski

Here are some of the pictures from Silver Lake Dunes. 

At the end, you return back home.

Here's the map of all destinations you covered in this trip. 

Additional Places to Visit:

Here are some other places that you can visit in Michigan, that I could not visit during my visit to Michigan. 

1. Mackinac Island
2. Traverse City
3. SooLocks
4. Turnip Rock

I do not have much information on 'interestingness' of these spots as I have not visited them myself. But these are some of the places worth mentioning. 

Do post your Michigan pictures in the comments below ! Have fun !