Charlevoix & Petoskey
Petoskey
A walkable bay town for stone hunting, shopping the Gaslight District and riding the Little Traverse Wheelway, with historic Bay View next door.
Getting here · US-131, I-96, US-31
Getting here from Grand Rapids
From Grand Rapids, US-131 runs north through the middle of the state to Petoskey, and I-96 heads west to US-31 on the Lake Michigan shore.
Two roads cover most trips north from Grand Rapids. The first is US-131, which leaves the city heading north, passes Cadillac on its east side and ends at Petoskey. The Petoskey visitors bureau sums up the Grand Rapids route in a single line: north on US-131. The National Park Service also lists US-131 among the southern approaches to Traverse City.
The second is I-96, which runs west to Muskegon on the lakeshore. From there US-31 follows the coast north toward Ludington and Manistee, the same pairing the Ludington visitors bureau gives for drivers coming from Detroit, or south into Grand Haven.
Choose US-131 for Cadillac, the Traverse City area and Petoskey, and the I-96 and US-31 combination for the southern beach towns. Check MDOT’s road closure map before a long drive.
The route
Before you go
- The Petoskey visitors bureau gives the Grand Rapids route simply as north on US-131.
- The National Park Service lists US-131 among the southern approaches to Traverse City and Sleeping Bear Dunes.
- MDOT publishes current road closures and construction on its Mi Drive map.
Towns along the way
Ludington & Manistee
Ludington
A Lake Michigan harbor town for beach and lighthouse trips, with the S.S. Badger car ferry and a big dune state park just north of town.
Southern Gateway
Grand Haven
A Lake Michigan beach city on the Grand River: a state park beach, a pier walk to two red lights, a riverfront boardwalk and free Musical Fountain shows.
Grand Traverse & Inland Lakes
Traverse City
A bayfront city at the head of Grand Traverse Bay, with a walkable Front Street downtown, bay beaches, cherry orchards and two wine peninsulas close by.
Grand Traverse & Inland Lakes
Cadillac
For lake and trail people in every season: two lakes, a state park beach between them, the end of the White Pine Trail and a big winter trail network.