Michigan doesn't have to work hard to be a great road trip destination.
It is bordered by four of the five Great Lakes and has more beaches than the entire Atlantic seaboard.
There are some towering sand dunes, isolated lake islands and scenic byways. There are lighthouses. You have a great plan for a road trip.
There are a lot of road trip ideas for Michigan.
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The distance from Detroit to Detroit is 988 miles.
This road trip is the biggest one. Speaking of gloves, Michigan's Lower Peninsula is nicknamed "the mitten" because of its distinctive shape, and it takes in some of the state's best natural scenery on this epic drive.
The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is one of only three protected lakeshore areas in the country and the perfect place to spend your time.
Road trippers who prefer a cozy B&B don't need to worry. There are many lakeside villages and towns on the route, including St Joseph, Tawas City, Harbor Springs, Petrosky, Traverse City, Elberta, and Douglas. The Warren Dunes State Park is 15 miles northeast of the Indiana border and is known for its sand dunes. Tower Hill is the largest dune in the park.
It is 368 miles from Saugatuck toMackinaw City.
The 300-mile western shoreline of Michigan is called the Gold Coast because of its golden beaches and wind-whipped sand dunes. The M-22 scenic drive and US-31 run the length of it, hugging the Lake Michigan coast from the beautiful resort town of Saugatuck to the end in Mackinaw City.
Along the way, you can see storybook orchards and vineyards, snug harbors, Victorian mansions, Hemingway and slow-paced beach towns.
Look for Michigan's best beaches. Oval Beach in Saugatuck, Fifth Avenue Beach in Manistee, and Good Harbor Bay Beach south of Leland are all great places to take a dip.
The distance from Detroit to St Joseph is 206 miles.
Michigan's shorelines are long, but the state's middle is not shabby, with new and improved Detroit to a bygone era.
The storied metropolis of Detroit, where American brands Ford, Chrysler and Motown built a city that has rebranded itself in the last decade, is a good place to start. Going west on I-94 will take you to Ann arbor, a college town home to the University of Michigan.
The only natural history museum in southwest Michigan is located in Battle Creek. St Joseph is located on the shores of Lake Michigan and is home to the Silver Beach Carousels.
Sawyer is seventeen miles.
For a taste of Michigan's western shoreline without the commitment of a 300-mile trip, there are eight charming beach towns that make up Harbor Country.
Just steps from the Indiana border and an hour from downtown Chicago, Sawyer is the northernmost Harbor Country community. The region's largest public beach in New Buffalo is one of the highlights along the way.
You can drive the route in 22 minutes, but it is not the point.
The distance from Munising to Escanaba is 509 miles.
Michigan has more of the maritime icons on postcards than any other state. The state of Maine has 80 lighthouses. Many of the nautical towers built in the 1800s are open for tours in the Great White North.
The Munising Range Lighthouses at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore are the starting point for this counterclockwise themed adventure, followed by the Peninsula Point Lighthouse and Sand Point Lighthouse, both of which are open for tours and tower climbs.
There are preserved gems along the way, such as the Au Sable Light Station, Crisp Point Lighthouse, and the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum.
It is 26 miles from Oscoda to Hale.
The River Road National Scenic Byway can be used to drive into the natural wonders of Michigan.
You can learn more about the area's logging history at the visitor center.
Mackinaw City is 179 miles away.
Lake Michigan tends to hog most of the headlines, but Lake Huron is perfectly content in its position as the quiet overlooked to the east, offering a long list of wineries, lighthouses, art galleries, marine sanctuaries and, of course, spectacular sunrises.
The road trip begins in Au Gres, the gateway to Michigan's sunrise side, and ends in Mackinaw City, on the shore of US-23.
Charity Island Lighthouse, Tawas Point State Park, and Cheboygan are just a few of the worthwhile stops.
Cross village is 16 miles.
The tunnel of trees is a scenic route that takes you along a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan.
Water views over the lake can be seen through openings in the patchwork. Old-timey general stores, farms offering up provisions, vineyards, brewery, artist boutiques, studios, galleries and a wealth of historic diversions are just some of the things that can be found on the route. You can take this road trip a little further on each end, taking it to the charming town of Petoskey, 10 miles south of Harbor Springs, and Wilderness State Park, 16 miles north of Cross Village.
In the fall, the route is at its most colorful and brilliant, but each season has its highlights.
The article was first published about a year ago.
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