Manistee to Arcadia, Frankfort and Point Betsie

M-22 starts just outside Manistee and runs north along the coast, and the Manistee and Benzie county stretch was designated a Pure Michigan Byway in 2016. Networks Northwest, the regional planning agency for the byway, describes this part of the route as passing farmland and the Onekama and Portage Lake area in Manistee County, then the Herring Lakes and the Frankfort and Elberta area in Benzie County.

The first stop is Onekama, on Portage Lake just inland from Lake Michigan. Farther north is the village of Arcadia, with Arcadia Dunes, a large conservancy preserve, just up the road. Its Overlook Trail leads to a high view over the lake. Beyond the Herring Lakes the road reaches Elberta and Frankfort, which face each other across Betsie Lake, with the Frankfort breakwater light at the harbor mouth.

Just north of Frankfort, Point Betsie Lighthouse stands on the beach, with a museum and tours run by its friends group. From there you can head back to Manistee the way you came, or continue north on M-22 toward Sleeping Bear Dunes. Traverse City Tourism suggests a similar route in its Benzie County day trip, with Arcadia Dunes as a bonus stop.