Article Promotion

The colors in the Upper Peninsula in the fall will be well worth the trip to see. There are nine different areas that are suggested. 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 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.

Taking highway 2 from Ironwood and Wakefield to Watersmeet, Iron River, and Crystal Falls on the Western Upper Peninsula will then take you to highway 141 to Covington and then highway 28 to Bruce Crossing and back to Wakefield. Considered tour 3 this route is 220 miles. Here the peak season for seeing the color is 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.

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. Although 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.

The 8th tour begins at Saint Ingace which is on hwy 75 and goes on to Kincheloe and Sault St. Marie. Then drop down to highway 129 and Pickford where you will take hwy 48 to Goetzville and De Tour Village getting on 134 to Cedarville and then back to Saint Ignace. 150 miles of foliage to enjoy.

Number 9 is off highway 28 where you join highway 123 and enter Eckerman. Follow 123 north to Paradise and then back to the intersection to turn east toward Curley Lewis Scenic Highway. You will stay on this to Bay Mills and Brimley. Of all the suggested tours this is the shortest being only 90 miles. A Tour of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

Filed under: Travel & Leisure