The park encompasses hundreds of acres of sand dunes, lakeshore, and forest. Though very pretty in the spring and summer seasons, the fall season is when you really must take this ride along the Lake Michigan shoreline. Required fields are marked *. The envisioned "Tri-Modal Corridor" would . Dont forget Johans Backereys in Petosky and Harbor Springs! Once there, head to US-93 N in Yavapai County from AZ-71 N, which merges onto US-93 N. End your journey at AZ-97 N. Touristy, sure, but I adore any place where no cars are allowed (heres my travel guide to the island). Box 541; Trenton, MI 48183; 800-513-6424; Upper Peninsula & Itineraries . plenty of places to park your RV for a night or extended stay. If you can, allocate a few days to picturesque Door County, WI. Use our Scenic Drive Finder and Road Trip Planner to easily create custom road trips. Evolution Of A Two-Stroke Beast, Pucker Up: Unexpected Changes In Road Surface, Track Day At COTA, Circuit Of The Americas. Dont forget to make a stop at the famousMackinac Island, where no cars are allowed. You may get e-mails from people and places you did not want or expect. The route leaves US-12 and continues northerly on I-94 from Exit 4 toward St Joseph. At Manitowoc, the circle tour leaves I-43 at Exit 149 and continues into downtown via US-151. Any recommendations for best roads / sights along way? Lake Michigan Circle Tour | Travel Wisconsin It is just before the Shell station up on a hill. Also, since theres a lot to do here, I think it warrants more time and thus a separate visit. lake michigan circle tour - Motorcycle route | RouteYou With its rich. Its proximity to Canada, heavily forested hills, and lack of decent cell service make it feel like youre at the ends of the earth. They recognized each states scenic appeal and the impact of the shoreline and its connection with the many State Parks, breath-taking overlooks and historic Lighthouses along the way. From the get-go I joked that my BMW R 1200 GS made me look like an adventure dad. Make sure to stop at Cherry Republic Gift Shop and Pyramid Point Trailhead along the way. Lake Michigan's 1640 miles of shoreline are often referred to as the Third Coast (as in, not the East or West Coast). There are no cars allowed on the island, due in part to an 1898 ban on horseless carriages that has remained unchanged. Even though weve vacationed in west and northern Michigan our whole lives, we discovered things we had never seen before or hadnt seen in years. Nick felt it was more a dentist on vacation look. I agree with StrangTripper - three nights doesn't leave much time to check things out. We crossed the impressive bridge and ripped down the northwestern corner of the mitten, with brief stops in Petasky and Traverse City. Both Grand Haven and Muskegon are great stops for beach adventures, spectacular views of lakeside dunes, wilderness trails and more. This Lake Michigan circle itinerary can be easily extended by spending a bit more time in each destination. At Exit 47, route signage indicates that the circle tour exits US-31 and loops through downtown Holland following the former route of BUS US-31/BL I-196. Now I know what youre thinkingand the answer is yes, hitting triple digit speeds in a hailstorm is super stupid. Most will budget a 4day long weekend to allow plenty of time to explore and stop at the almost endless stream of small towns and scenic over looks. Mackinac Island is the best place in the Midwest to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life! The Lake Michigan Circle Tour enters Michigan from Indiana on US-12 south of New Buffalo and proceeds northerly through New Buffalo to I-94. 4 Days & 1,000 Miles Touring Lake Michigan on a Motorcycle A Tale of Two Lakes: Riding the Great Lakes Circle Tour Celebrate the father figures in your life with good food, special events, outdoor adventures, fishing trips, golf outings, and more throughout West Michigan. Either way, facing death for hours on end really cheapens the thrill. For more descriptions of our favorite motorcycle rides and destinations, visit the Rides and Destinations section of MotorcycleCruiser.com. In fact, no matter where you are in Wisconsin, this happens every single Friday. Sundays best in Escanaba. When planning a trip to the Mackinaw Bridge/ Soo Locks area of the eastern UP, this is a must. The Jamesport Brewing Company, downtown on James Street, is the perfect spot for a quick bite to eat and relax in an old Victorian style pub. We knew it too. A the US-41/US-141 split in Abrams, the circle tour veers northeasterly to follow US-41 through Oconto and Peshitgo on its way to Marinette. Great tip. Two ramps on U.S. 31 in Berrien County to close | WWMT Kick off your trip in Ludington, Michigan, heading north toward Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, and Traverse City. @Kathy Hello! In downtown Manitowoc, the route continues northerly via US-10 to STH-42. I was lucky to find you while considering my trip around Lake Michigan next Septembfer. For more beaches, historical museums and boating fun, stop at the next city over, Manitowoc. This will be the first in a series concerning an excellent ride (mostly) around Lake Michigan. Along the way you can visit wineries, experience small-town friendliness and really appreciate the change of seasons. Mackinac Island was founded in 1780 and occasionally, it seems like time has stopped completely. Marie. In St Joseph, the Lake Michigan Circle Tourcontinues northerly on M-63 into northern Berrien Co. At the nothern terminus of M-63, the circle tour proceeds northerly on I-196/US-31 toward South Haven. Nearby youll find the town of Beverly Shores, where you may view the five historic Century of Progress Homes from the 1933 Chicago Worlds Fair. Copyright 2023 Motorcycle Cruiser. Check this list below, I truly love nothing more than a good cup of tea (I even pack my, There are not many places in the world that compare to Ireland. When you purchase through links on my site, I may make a small commission (at no extra cost to you!). October was completely empty. Known as the Cherry Capital of the World, Traverse City is one of Americas Top 10 beach towns and a definite town to put your kickstand down and explore. The Lake Michigan Circle Tour (LMCT) enters Illinois at Winthrop Harbor in northeastern Lake County and continues south through Zion, Waukegan, Lake Forest, Highland Park, Winnetka and Evanston. The Sherwood Point lighthouse is one of 10 beacons in Door County. For those riders living near Chicago, few tours offer the variety and unsurpassed scenic riding opportunities as the Circle Lake Tour around Lake Michigan. In St Ignace, the Lake Michigan Circle Tourcontinues westerly along US-2 for more than 140 miles through Manistique and Gladstone to Escanaba. Catch the sunset at the Grand Haven State Park Lighthouse, then head over to the Musical Fountain in town (it plays nightly at dusk). In Sister Bay, the Lake Michigan Circle Tourturns back southwesterly via STH-42 through Egg Harbor to Sturgeon Bay once again. This is a free poster-sized publication which details all of the lighthouses located on the shores of Lake Michigan, as well as the Circle Tour driving route to guide drivers around the lake. Teri. A few more fun, winding roads too. Therefore, the new de facto route for the circle tour continues northerly past Holland via the US-31 bypass. M-22 is a 116-mile stretch of road that winds through the scenic countryside of Manistee, Benzie and Leelanlau counties. A storm was on the way, and the entire town of Green Bay knew it. Pssh. The other? An Octane Media, LLC Publication. In Michigan, the Lake Superior Circle Tour ( LSCT) runs from the state line at Ironwood to Sault Ste. Well known locally as the home of the historic Ramsdall Theater and beautiful 2-mile river walk stretch. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Looking for some incredible yet underrated parks to visit this summer? If youre lucky enough to drive through on a Friday, hit up one of the citys many fish frys. A favorite Michigan road trip for motorcyclists is the Michigan State Highway M-25. Look to ride my motorcycle around Lake Michigan this week, leaving (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Four or five cups of coffee help too. Drive 2 hours from Traverse City over to Mackinaw City. This itinerary assumes that youre starting in Chicago, but you can start from any part of the circle! Next, its on to the Tip of the Mitt (aka the top of Michiganyoull notice locals regularly use their palm to denote locations within the state). Lake Michigan Circle Itinerary: A 7-Day Road Trip Through 4 States, Planning your Lake Michigan circle road trip, Day 1: Indiana Dunes, Holland, & Grand Haven, Day 3: Traverse City & the Leelanau Peninsula, If you have more time on your Lake Michigan circle tour, The Ultimate 3-Week South Island New Zealand Road Trip Itinerary, USA Bucket List Destinations: 150+ of the Best Places to Visit in All 50 States, 19 Stunning New Zealand Lakes That Will Blow Your Mind. Just a raw bike marketed at people who love to ride. Something to share with the kids someday, ya know. 2023 Edition of Lake Michigan Lighthouse Map & Circle Tour Now Spend some time exploring the town, and make sure to check out the Windmill Island and Tulip Gardens. With its rich blue waters, white sand beaches and nothing but water on the horizon, its easy to see why this town is called the Caribbean of the North. Along with the primary Circle Tour route, several marked Lake Michigan Circle Tour Loops have been posted using white-on-brown signs. At Exit 23, the route exits I-94 and continues northerly into downtown St Joseph via BL I-94. Built by, Lake Michigan Circle Tour (Maps, Photos And More), Lake Michigan Circle Tour: A Simple, Secluded Motorcycle Trip. Its a great trip you wont want to miss. Now he was head to toe in size way-too-big camo. Lake Michigan Circle Route - Ride with GPS And like I said earlier, whats the point of riding a death trap if youre not gonna ride like old Grim himself is on the back riding bitch? There are two ways to tackle this 900-mile, 14.5-hour drive. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. West Michigan provides a paper map of the circle tour. These loop routes are detailed below the mainline route below: Thanks to Chris Bessert and the Michigan Highways site for the route. Our Lake Michigan Circle Tour ride took five days instead of four. Lake Michigan is the largest freshwater lake in the U.S., and the sixth largest in the world. will appreciate if you can share it. So, I called up an old pal in Chicago and asked if he was up for a little motorcycle ride. I loved the info. We are planning on using your itinerary this summer for a road trip with our 3 boys (ages 10,8,4). A 45-minute drive from Inspiration Point will bring you the main attraction of the day, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The farther north you drive, the more scenic and less populated the landscape. Follow the tour thru Green Bay and the route curves up into the scenic and interesting DOOR PENINSULA, a popular tourist destination often referred to as The Cape Cod of the Midwest and home to numerous lighthouses. The town could be mistaken for one in the Netherlands, with plenty of tulips, windmills, and European-style architecture. Required fields are marked *. A Late Season Lake Michigan Circle Tour | Motorcycle Cruiser Look to ride my motorcycle around Lake Michigan this week, leaving Chicago Tuesday, staying away three nights. Continue the tour by heading north out of LUDINGTON along US-31 and into the Victorian Port of Manistee. Route: Buckle up for your nearly five-hour ride to what many call The North Coast (tacking on an hour for Eastern Standard Time), following I-90 E all the way. They say the UP is no place for weenies. After exploring Holland, drive thirty minutes to Grand Haven. If you search via Google there are many sites that list great motorcycle roads in every state. And rainy. Good enough for me, I thought. Rain gear is funny. Motorcycle Touring Around Lake Michigan | Motorcycle Cruiser Head north on US-31, between Muskegon and Whitehall, and youll find Michigans Adventure Amusement Park and water park. The West Michigan Tourist Association (WMTA) is excited to announce the release of the 2023 Lake Michigan Lighthouse Map & Circle Tour. Fresh pavement and empty roads were the perfect excuse to do so. Sorta. Simply leave your camper or RV on the mainland and head over for the day or even overnight. I did this trip late last Sept in my T@b camper for 2-1/2 weeks. A couple hundred yards in and the gravel turned to sand, my glasses fogged and so did my helmet's face shield. Follow US 2 west through Manistique, Gladstone, and Escanaba, South of Escanaba, you will follow M-35 to Menominee where US-41 carries you into Wisconsin. Many, many more old, wealthy white folks in this corner of the state. Lake Michigan Circle Tour - Travel the Lake Michigan Circle Tour When you get to the tip of the peninsula, take the car ferry over to Washington Island and explore popular attractions, like the Farm Museum andRock Island State Park. We had no choice. The Upper Peninsula is beautiful. For more information check out www.WindyCityMotorcycleTours.com. You may find the best memories are the ones you never expected. Plan now at www.WindyCityMotorcycleTours.com or call Tim Farrell at (630)834-6571 for full details. Next we arrive in Door County, the Cape Cod of the Midwest, for a classic Wisconsin fish . Explore the Riviera of the Midwests charming towns, like the wine lovers haven of New Buffalo; St. Joseph and its delightful lighthouse and beach; and Holland, known for its Dutch heritage, quaint shops and restaurants, and its annual springtime Tulip Festival. An hastily conceived and ill-advised motorcycle trip pits two old friends against frigid fall weather to see just what the Midwest is really made of. All rights reserved. https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS15267 JavaScript is required for this feature, but it is either disabled or not supported by your browser. Nothing is off-limits on the circle tour. The Indiana Dunes National Park takes up 15 miles of shoreline around Lake Michigan and features a unique ecosystem with lots of native birds and plants. If/when you do come to Chicago, my advice is to also get out of downtown and into the real neighborhoods, as they all offer cool restaurants, shops, pubs, festivals, etc. Motorcycle Type : Cruiser. where you can tour a restored 1844 military outpost and one of the first lighthouses on Lake Superior. Next up is Milwaukee. Experience the beauty of Lake Michigan and scenic locales in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Illinois including two nights on Mackinac Island. Thirty minutes or so later, with more camo than either of us had ever owned before in tow, we were ready for the north. Our original post about the Lake Michigan Circle Tour is one of the first long distance motorcycle trips we covered back in 2014. From soaking up the summer sun to hitting the trails after a fresh snowfall, Wisconsin has no shortage of activities for every season. At STH-57, the Lake Michigan Circle Tourturns northeasterly via STH-42/STH-57 past Sturgeon Bay. Lake Michigan Circle Tour | Holiday Vacations Its a trip you will appreciate for a long time, especially if you are lucky enough to ride during the Fall and catch the change of seasons and the Fall colors. Northern Lake Michigan Circle Tour - Motorcycle Rides This viewpoint off of the main highway is one of the best places to get a birds eye view of the Lake Michigan shoreline. & Tm Off, Get the best new gear, dreamy cabins, and epic adventure photography delivered to your inbox each week with Field Mag newsletters. Today the lights are automated and guide fishing boats and other pleasure craft to safety. The comforting beams of light guided thousands of ships with their precious cargoes into port. South of downtown is the excellent Hearthstone restaurant, from which you can easily get back to US-31. Unlimited stops, edit, share, find recommended places of interest and campgrounds, manage budgets, print or export directions and more. The current Apache Trail links Apache Junction at the edge of the Greater Phoenix . At Escanaba, the circle tour continues southwesterly via M-35 along the Green Bay shoreline to Menominee. South of Mackinaw City, where US-31 ends, the route continues northerly on I-75 crossing the Mackinac Bridge and entering the Upper Peninsula at St Ignace. The Upper Peninsula let us out alive only because I asked nicely. There are two ways to tackle this 900-mile, 14.5-hour drive. Lake Michigan Circle Tour Itinerary Plan | WMTA Youll find beaches, forests, dunes, and plenty of local breweries and wineries during your 24-hour drive. You can print off your own map by downloading it or send a request and they will mail one to you. I currently live in Chicago, where Ive been for several years. Lake Superior Circle Tour; Algoma. How to make the most of the Lake Michigan Circle Tour But I say the middle coast is incredibly underrated. While the Lake Michigan Circle Tourremains on I-196/US-31 at Saugatuck/Douglas, a locally-designated Lake Michigan Circle TourHarbor Tour loop route is signed concurrently with A-2/Blue Star Hwy between Exits 36 and 41. 2) Northern Latitudes Distillery in Leland The trip spans 4 different Midwestern states and dozens of different cities. Continue throughPetoskey, one of the most beautiful regions in the state. Id say that the majority of this itinerary is actually super kid-friendly, especially if you go at your own pace and leave some extra room to stop between cities. Upgrade now. Marie/Tahquemanon Falls/Whitefish. Afterwards, stop by the nearby town of Michigan City, IN for lunch at Shoreline Brewery. The city is well known for itscraft breweries. It follows M-26 to Houghton and then follows US 41 north to Copper Harbor. The S.S. Badger docks on the Michigan side in the town of Ludington. Take theLittle Traverse Wheelway, which connects Petoskey to Charlevoix andHarbor Springs. We went up to Sault Ste. You wont be disappointed. This pair welcomes charter fishing and leisure boats, guiding them into the busy harbor. Their historical significance, as well as their various shapes and colors, makes a lighthouse run a fascinating destination. Fun fact: the Indiana Dunes just became a National Park in February of 2019, making it the third-newest park after White Sands (December 2019) and New River Gorge (December 2020)! Motorcycle Cruiser may receive financial compensation for products purchased through this site. Certainly one of times that the motorcyclists saying .If I have to explain you wouldnt understand comes to mind. Im just trying to research easy places to stay for a night or two on the trip. Many are dog and kid-friendly and also serve food. Mackinaw is a cool little town, home to the largest suspension bridge in the Western Hemisphere, and really the only thing keeping Michigans Upper Peninsula connected to the real worldor from being annexed by Canada for that matter. My personal favorites are the twin piers and lights found in South Haven. Like, really bad. From Sleeping Bear Dunes, drive 45 minutes to Traverse City. Seeing the rawness of the UP and mainland Michigans Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park instilled a new admiration for the state known to many outside (and probably many inside) the midwest as the Murder Mitten. I saw your comment and was wondering if you had any additional suggestions/tips for camping. Plus, you'll get the Trendy Girl's Guide to Chicago PDF, completely free! Additionally, you can add stops to your trip in the following locations: Thanks for reading this Lake Michigan circle itinerary! One day, roast marshmallows at a remote campsite and the next, toast to new and old friends at an iconic big-city brewery. Hi Niki! Lake Michigan Circle Tour - Michigan Highways You're pretty close to downtown Phoenix from here, so if you're staying close to the city center you're better off getting back onto 51 south than retracing your steps.

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