Cadillac

Cadillac is a trail and lake town in the middle of the state, and it works in every season. In summer you swim and paddle at Mitchell State Park between the two lakes and ride the paths around Lake Cadillac. In winter the same country turns into a big network of snowmobile, ski and fat-bike trails. One day covers the state park, the lake path and downtown; a second is for the rivers or the White Pine Trail.

Getting there and getting around

US-131 runs north and south past the east side of town, with Business 131 coming downtown as Mitchell Street, and M-55 and M-115 cross the area east and west. By our routing estimates, the drive takes about 1 hour 40 minutes from Grand Rapids, about 3 hours 55 minutes from Detroit and about 5 hours from Chicago. See getting here for the routes.

The closest airline airport is Cherry Capital Airport in Traverse City, which our estimate puts a little over an hour away. Private pilots can land at Wexford County Airport, a few minutes from downtown.

You will want a car for the forests and rivers, but in town you can do a lot on foot or by bike.

• Downtown. Mitchell Street is the main street, with shops, restaurants and Cadillac Commons, the park and pavilion on Lake Cadillac where the concerts and festivals happen.
• The lake path. A route around Lake Cadillac links downtown, Kenwood Park and Mitchell State Park with the White Pine Trail. It mixes paved trail, sidewalk and road shoulder, so expect some stretches beside traffic. The paved Keith McKellop Walkway along the shore near downtown is the easy part, with playgrounds along the way.
• Parks pass. Mitchell State Park needs a Recreation Passport on your car. You do not need one if you walk or bike in.

Where to eat

Cadillac’s dining is mostly long-running local places, with a couple of newer stops downtown. These are places the local visitors bureau and regional writers point to:

• Lakeside Charlie’s. A Lake Mitchell restaurant open since 1987, with dining rooms and a seasonal patio over the water and a menu of burgers, steak and seafood. It lists weekday specials such as a fish fry.
• Clam Lake Beer Co. The downtown brewpub on South Mitchell Street, with about 40 taps of mostly Michigan beer plus its own, and brick-oven pizza and clam chowder. It draws skiers and snowmobilers in winter and visitors in summer.
• Blue Heron Cafe. A cafe open since 1996, for breakfast, lunch and pastries.
• WildFlour Bakery. A newer bakery on South Mitchell Street, opened in 2024, with boba and fruit teas, croissants and cannoli. Its signature is a half-pistachio, half-chocolate-chip cannoli, and it bakes gluten-free items too. The kitchen also turns out sandwiches, salads and soups.
• Cadillac Java. A coffee stop on North Mitchell Street, with a west-side sister shop, Java Too, on M-115. Besides coffee it lists cones, shakes and a chocolate and espresso drink it calls the Java Mud Slide. Check that it is open before you go.
• The Sweet Shop. The downtown candy shop on South Mitchell Street, open since 1961 and known for its snowbird, white chocolate with pecans. It also scoops Moomers ice cream.
• Cheryl’s Landing. A marina and small restaurant on North Boulevard, right on Lake Cadillac, with hand-dipped cones for boaters who tie up at the dock. Its listed hours are short and lean toward mornings, so check before you go.

Where to stay

Our Cadillac listings are a hotel and a resort. Hampton Inn & Suites Cadillac is a new hotel off US-131 on the north side of town, with an indoor pool. Caberfae Peaks Ski and Golf Resort, west of town, puts you at the base of the slopes in winter and next to its golf course in summer.

For cabins, campgrounds and the full list, see places to stay in Cadillac.

Our picks

William Mitchell State Park The center of a summer visit: a swim beach on Lake Mitchell, the quarter-mile Clam Lake Canal to paddle through to Lake Cadillac, an accessible fishing pier and kayak launch, and a campground. It is open year-round.

Carl T. Johnson Hunting and Fishing Center The DNR’s center inside the state park, with displays on Michigan’s hunting and fishing history, archery and pellet gun ranges, guided hikes and the Heritage Nature Trail through woods and marsh.

The Lake Cadillac loop Ride or walk the route around the lake from downtown, past Kenwood Park’s beach and playground, to the state park. In fall it is the visitors bureau’s in-town color route.

The White Pine Trail Cadillac is the northern end of this 92-mile paved rail-trail. Ride south as far as you like and turn around.

The Pine River A winding river in the national forest for canoe, kayak and raft trips from the liveries, with high banks that turn bright in fall. The Big Manistee River is the other paddling river nearby.

Monday night at the pavilion In summer, the town band plays free shows at the Rotary Performing Arts Pavilion on Monday evenings, and the UpBeat Cadillac Music Series plays on Thursdays. Check the schedule each year.

Caberfae Peaks The winter day: downhill skiing and snowboarding west of town.

One day, and two days

One day. Start with breakfast at Blue Heron Cafe or a pastry at WildFlour. Drive or bike the lake path to Mitchell State Park for a swim at the Lake Mitchell beach and a paddle through the canal, with a stop at the Carl T. Johnson center. Have dinner on the patio at Lakeside Charlie’s, then walk downtown for something from The Sweet Shop. On a Monday, end at the pavilion for the concert.

Two days. Add a river or a long ride. Spend the morning paddling the Pine River, or ride the White Pine Trail south from town. Finish with pizza and a beer at Clam Lake Beer Co. and a cone at Cheryl’s Landing.

To pair Cadillac with the bay, Traverse City is the next stop north.

With kids, and on a rainy day

With kids. Cadillac Commons has a splash pad and a fountain for tossing pennies, and the McKellop Walkway and Kenwood Park have playgrounds and a beach. The Carl T. Johnson center’s archery and pellet ranges and guided hikes suit older kids. In the area, Adventure Island has go-karts and mini golf.

On a rainy day. Start at the Carl T. Johnson center’s indoor exhibits. In town, The Wex has indoor ice skating (check its schedule), there is a movie theater and two bowling alleys, and the Wexford County Historical Society Museum is in a Carnegie building. Toy Town and The Sweet Shop round out a wet afternoon downtown; the Sweet Shop lists a free chocolate snowbird for kids who ask.

Best time to go

Summer is lake season, and July is the busy month, with two festivals:

• Around the Fourth. The Cadillac Freedom Festival runs about three days with a downtown parade, a car show, a 5K along the lake and fireworks over Lake Cadillac.
• Mid-July. The Cadillac Festival of the Arts fills downtown Thursday through Saturday with an art fair in the park, an artisan market, a food fair on Lake Street and free music.
• September. A craft beer festival takes over Cadillac Commons on a Saturday, with a 5K that starts behind Clam Lake Beer Co.

Fall is the quieter choice. The visitors bureau maps an in-town color route around the lake and two longer loops, about 200 miles in all, past overlooks and farm markets and across both rivers, and it posts color updates through October. We’d pick October for a first fall visit: the color is on, and the high banks of the rivers make a paddle the way to see it.

Winter

Winter is a full season here, and much of it is free.

• Snowmobiling. A regional network of about 600 miles of trails crosses five counties.
• Cross-country and fat bikes. Four trail systems add up to more than 60 miles of groomed trail, kept up largely by volunteers and free to use (donations welcome). The national forest has nearly 100 more miles of backcountry trail.
• Downhill. Caberfae Peaks has skiing and snowboarding west of town.
• Ice fishing. The inland lakes are fished through the ice, and the Carl T. Johnson center holds a free ice fishing seminar on safety and rules each winter.
• Lantern-lit hikes. On winter Friday nights, the Carl T. Johnson center runs lantern-lit walks on the Heritage Nature Trail, with a campfire and hot chocolate after. Snowshoes can be borrowed, first come, first served.

Grooming and ice depend on the weather, so check trail reports and local ice conditions before you head out.

Hours, menus and schedules change, so check with each place before you go.