It is Fall Foliage Time In Michigan
The colors in the Upper Peninsula in the fall will be well worth the trip to see. There are nine different areas that are recommended. The first is a trip of 105 miles from Hancock to Lake Linden, on to Lac La Belle, Bete Grise and then to Copper Harbor. Leave Copper Harbor and go to Eagle River and on to Calument and Laurium and back to Hancock. The route covers Mackinac County with the peak color expected in mid-October, Chippewa County with the peak color expected the first two weeks of October, Luce County with peak color expected the first two weeks of October and Schoolcraft County with the peak color also being the first two weeks in October. This is called the Eastern Upper Peninsula tour.
Jumping over to central Upper Peninsula will grant 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’ll 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.
Now you can take the third tour which takes you on hwy 2 from Ironwood and Wakefield to Watersmeet, Iron River and Crystal Calls on the Western Upper Peninsula. Then take hwy 141 to Covington and then to highway 28 to Bruce Crossing and back to the beginning at Wakefield. Peak season for seeing this colorful route is the last week in September and the first week in October.
The fourth option is to begin in Ishpeming on highway 29, go to highway 510 to Nagaunee and Huge Bay, then 550 to Marquette and 28 to Munising, where you can take highway H 58 to H 15 to Singleton and highway 28 to Highway 94 to Chatham, Gwinn and then 35 to Palmer and back to Ishpeming. This trip is 165 miles.
The fifth option is a shorter one beginning at Iron Mountain and Norway on Hwy 2 to Spalding and then highway 41 to Menominee and hwy 35 to Cedar River and Escanaba. Just 125 miles long but full of beauty.
Now on to tour 6 which is from Esdanaba on highways 2 and 41 to Rapid River. Turn onto highway 2 and go to Manstique and Saint Ignace. Even though this tour is 183 miles it runs quite straight along the bottom area of the peninsula.
Try tour 7 which starts at Whitefish Point and goes on to Paradise on hwy 123. Newberry is next on highway 28. Now go to Seney and take hwy 77 to grand Marais and H58 to Deer Park and back to highway 123 and Paradise. This route is 150 miles in length.
If you thought you had taken all the tours of this area you are wrong, there are two more stunning experiences for you to enjoy. Tour 8 starts at Saint Ingace on hwy 75 and toes to Kincheloe and Sault St. Marie. Now head south to highway 129 and Pickford to highway 48 for a visit to Goetzville and De Tour Village where you’ll get on 134 to Cedarville and then back to Saint Ignace. Another trip of 150 miles.
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 recommended for the fall viewing of just 90 miles.