Plan your trip
Plan your trip
Start with a town or park guide for where to eat, where to stay and a day-by-day plan. Then pick a trip idea, check the passes you need, and see what each season brings.
Town and park guides
Where to eat, where to stay, our picks, and one-day and two-day plans.
Park guide
Sleeping Bear Dunes National LakeshoreHow to plan Sleeping Bear Dunes: passes, roads, the big sights, beaches and safety, the Manitou Islands, hikes and floats, plans by length and winter.
Town guide
ArcadiaArcadia is a quiet M-22 stop: a town beach, a small marina, the Arcadia Overlook and the Arcadia Dunes trails. Plan a half day, and eat in a bigger town.
Town guide
Bay ViewHow to visit Bay View, the private Victorian summer association beside Petoskey: concerts, lectures, the walking tour and woods, and what is members only.
Town guide
Bear LakeHow to plan a quiet Bear Lake stay: camping and swimming at Hopkins Park, Pierport's Lake Michigan beach, Bear Lake Days and winter on the ice.
Town guide
BeulahHow to plan a Beulah day on Crystal Lake's east end: the village beach, the Betsie Valley Trail, Cherry Hut pie, where to eat and winter fun.
Town guide
Boyne CityHow to plan a Boyne City trip: Lake Charlevoix beaches, Avalanche Preserve, where to eat, festival weekends, one- and two-day plans and winter.
Town guide
CadillacHow to plan a Cadillac trip: getting around the two lakes, where to eat, Mitchell State Park, the trails, kids, July festivals and a big winter season.
Town guide
CharlevoixHow to plan a Charlevoix trip: beating the bridge, where to eat, the stone houses, beaches, Castle Farms, one- and two-day plans and winter.
Town guide
East JordanHow to plan an East Jordan stop: floating the Jordan River, the riverside boardwalk, a swim at Tourist Park, where to eat and what is close by.
Town guide
Elk RapidsHow to plan an Elk Rapids day: paddling the end of the Chain of Lakes, the harbor, bay and Elk Lake beaches, where to eat and Harbor Days.
Town guide
EmpireHow to plan a stop in Empire, the gateway to Sleeping Bear: the visitor center, the village beach, Empire Bluff, where to eat and where to stay.
Town guide
FrankfortHow to plan a Frankfort trip: getting in, where to eat, the town beach and lighthouses, Elberta, Crystal Lake, one- and two-day plans and winter.
Town guide
Glen ArborHow to plan a Glen Arbor trip: getting in, where to eat, town beaches, Glen Lake and the Crystal River, one- and two-day plans and winter.
Town guide
Grand HavenHow to plan a Grand Haven trip: the trolley and beach parking, where to eat, the pier and boardwalk, the Musical Fountain, kids, festivals and winter.
Town guide
Harbor SpringsHow to plan a Harbor Springs trip: parking, where to eat, Zorn Park Beach, the museums, Thorne Swift, kids, festival weeks and a ski winter.
Town guide
HonorHow to plan an Honor stop: floating the Platte to Lake Michigan, fall salmon at the state hatchery, the Cherry Bowl drive-in and the coho festival.
Town guide
InterlochenHow to plan an Interlochen trip: summer concerts at the arts center, a beach day at the state park between two lakes, where to eat and where to stay.
Town guide
KalevaHow to plan a stop in Kaleva: the Bottle House Museum, Finnish street names, Heritage Days in July and snowmobile trails through town in winter.
Town guide
LelandHow to plan a Leland trip: parking near Fishtown, where to eat, beaches on two lakes, short hikes, the island ferry, one- and two-day plans and winter.
Town guide
LudingtonHow to plan a Ludington trip: the beach, the Badger, the state park and Big Sable Point, where to eat, one- and two-day plans and winter.
Town guide
Mackinac IslandHow to plan a Mackinac Island trip, from the ferry and the horses to fudge, burgers, bikes, Grand Hotel and what is open in winter.
Town guide
Mackinaw CityHow to plan a Mackinaw City trip: the fort, the bridge and the lighthouse, where to eat, beaches, the dark sky park, kids, festival weekends and winter.
Town guide
ManisteeOur picks around Manistee: the pier, beaches and riverwalk in town, the bluffs and dunes up M-22, rivers and trails inland, evenings at the Ramsdell, and where to go in winter.
Town guide
MuskegonHow to plan a Muskegon trip: the free beach shuttle, where to eat, the dune state parks, Pere Marquette and the pier lights, kids, festivals and winter.
Town guide
NorthportHow to plan a Northport day at the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula: in-town beaches, the lighthouse, Cathead Bay trails, where to eat and what is on.
Town guide
OnekamaHow to plan an Onekama stop: swimming on Portage Lake and at the Lake Michigan beach by the channel, where to eat on Main Street, Monday concerts and Onekama Days.
Town guide
PentwaterHow to plan a Pentwater trip: walking to Mears State Park, where to eat on Hancock Street, the piers, Thursday concerts, kids, festival weeks and winter.
Town guide
PetoskeyHow to plan a Petoskey trip, with Bay View and Harbor Springs next door: parking, where to eat, stone hunting, the Wheelway, day plans and winter.
Town guide
Spring LakeHow to plan a Spring Lake stop: kayaks and the lake loop trail, Lakeside Beach, where to eat on Savidge Street, Thursday concerts and Heritage Festival week.
Town guide
Suttons BayHow to plan a Suttons Bay trip: the Leelanau Trail, where to eat, the beach and marina, tasting rooms, one- and two-day plans and winter.
Town guide
Traverse CityHow to plan a Traverse City trip: parking and the free bus, where to eat, beaches and the TART, Old Mission, one- and two-day plans and winter.
Town guide
Walloon LakeHow to plan a Walloon Lake day: the village marina, boat rentals, small swimming beaches, Hemingway's lake, where to eat and stay, and nearby Petoskey.
Town guide
Whitehall and MontagueHow to plan a White Lake trip: the lighthouse museum, Duck Lake and Medbery beaches, the Hart-Montague Trail, where to eat, Tuesday concerts and festivals.
Trip ideas
Weekend plans and routes built from the places in this guide.
2 days
Fall color around Little Traverse BayTwo autumn days around Little Traverse Bay, with the M-119 Tunnel of Trees, Petoskey's bay shore and the Wheelway, and Charlevoix's stone houses.
2 days
The Straits and Mackinac Island in two daysA day in Mackinaw City for the bridge and Colonial Michilimackinac, then a day on car-free Mackinac Island by bike and on foot.
3 days
A Ludington and Manistee beach weekendThree summer days on the Lake Michigan shore, from Ludington State Park and Big Sable Point to Manistee's pier and riverwalk and the Arcadia Overlook.
3 days
A Sleeping Bear long weekendThree days from Frankfort to Glen Arbor, with two lighthouses, a Crystal Lake swim, the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive and the Dune Climb.
3 days
A Traverse City long weekendThree days based in Traverse City, with Front Street, Clinch Park and the TART, Old Mission Peninsula to Mission Point Lighthouse, and a Sleeping Bear day.
3 days
An Arcadia Bluffs golf tripThree days of golf on the Manistee County shore, built around Arcadia Bluffs, with Manistee courses, a Lake Michigan beach and a sunset overlook.
3 days
Harbor towns of the lakeshore: Grand Haven to ManisteeThree days up the Lake Michigan shore through Grand Haven, Ludington and Manistee, with a state park beach, a pier walk and a lighthouse every day.
Planning guides
- Active Trips Up North
Where to ski, ride, run, hike and paddle from Grand Haven to the Straits, with groomed trails, ski hills, rail trails, rivers and the races built around them.
- Licenses and Passes for Visitors
What out-of-state visitors need to fish, park, boat, ride and dock in West and Northwest Michigan, from fishing licenses to Sleeping Bear Dunes entrance passes.
More ways to plan
- Getting here
Drive times from Chicago, Detroit and Grand Rapids, ferries, airports and scenic drives.
- Seasons
What summer, fall, winter and spring are like up north, and what to do in each.
- Lakes and rivers
All-sports lakes, swim beaches, launches, marinas and rentals.
- Golf
Every course from Grand Haven to Mackinac, with fly-in airports nearby.
- Boating
Cruising the coast: harbors, transient slips and what to know before you go.
- Places to stay
Picks in each town by price tier, plus local rental managers.