A Tour of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
Taking the time to travel in the Upper Peninsula during the fall will be a sight you will want to repeat many times. With nine different suggested tours you will see an array of beauty you won’t soon forget. The first trip has you leaving Hancock and going to Lake Linden, then on to Lac La Velle, Bete Grise and Copper Harbor. From Copper Harbor to to Eagle River and then Calument and Laurium and back to the beginning at Hancock. This trip is 105 miles. The peak season for the tour runs from first week in October through the second week. This is referred to as the Eastern Upper Peninsula tour.
Jumping over to central Upper Peninsula will allow you to take highway 107 to 64 with your tour beginning at Silver City and then to Ontonagon, keep going to highway 45 and Rockland and Victoria. Going back just a bit to highway 26 you will go to Greenland and then take highway 38 to Baraga. Turning onto highway 41 to Chassel and Houghton you will see beautiful colors. Now take highway 26 to Twin Lakes and return to Greenland. Enjoy the 200 miles of this tour with its peak season the first week of October and on for approximately 3 weeks.
The Western Upper Peninsula takes highway 2 from Ironwood and Wakefield to Watersmeet, Iron River, Crystal Falls where you go on highway 141 to Covington then highway 28 to Bruce Crossing and back to Wakefield. This trip is 220 miles. Counties included are Iron with peak color the last week of September and the first week in October, Baraga with peak being the first week in October, Houghton & Keweenaw with the last week in September or first week in October and Gogebic and Ontonagon with peak color expected the last week in September and the first week in October.
Suggested tour 4 begins in Ishpeming on highway 29. Then take highway 510 to Nagaunee and Big Bay. Change to highway 550 to Marquette and then take 29 to Munising. Here you will go to H58 and then H15 for a trip to Singleton and changing to hwy 28 to highway 94 to Chatham, Gwinn and then you will reach hwy 35 to Palmer and back to the beginning at Ishpeming. This trip is 165 miles long.
Tour 5 is a little shorter beginning at Iron Mountain and Norway on Hwy 2 to Spalding, hwy 41 to Menominee and Hwy 35 to Cedar River and Escanaba. This is 125 miles long.
Number 6 is from Esdanaba on highways 2/41 to Rapid River. Now take hwy 2 to Manstique and Saint Ignace. This route is pretty straight and is 183 miles long.
Whitefish Point starts tour 7 where you go to Paradise on hwy 123 and to Newberry and hwy 28. Seney is where you take 77 to Grand Marais and H58 will take you to Deer Park and back to highway 123 and Paradise. Another trip of about 150 miles filled with color and memories.
Tour 8 begins at Saint Ingace on hwy 75 and goes to Kincheloe and Sault St. Marie where you drop down on highway 129 to Pickford, then 48 to Goetzville and De Tour Village where you take 134 to Ceaderville and then back to Saint Ignace. This is a 150 mile trip showcasing the fall foliage.
The ninth tour opportunity is off hwy 28 where you go to highway 123 and enter Eckerman. Following 123 north you will go to Paradise and then back to the intersection where you turn east toward Curley Lewis Scenic Hwy and follow that to Bay Mills and Brimley. This is the shortest route suggested for the fall viewing of just 90 miles.