2 days · Best in fall
Fall color around Little Traverse Bay
Two 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.
This is a trip for color chasers who also want a good town at the end of the day. Little Traverse Bay is ringed by hardwoods, and in two days you can drive the shoreline road north of Harbor Springs, ride a stretch of the bay trail and walk Charlevoix’s stone houses.
Day 1: Petoskey and the Tunnel of Trees. Start at Bayfront Park in Petoskey, where the breakwall is the first place to look for Petoskey stones, then wander up into the Gaslight District for shops and somewhere to eat. Drive a few miles to Petoskey State Park for its mile of beach and the short climb up Old Baldy for the view over the bay. In the afternoon, go on to Harbor Springs and take the Tunnel of Trees north on M-119, roughly 20 narrow, winding miles toward Cross Village. There is no fuel along the way and few public restrooms, and much of the land is private, so stop only where parking is marked. The route page has more. Sleep in Petoskey.
Day 2: The Wheelway and Charlevoix. Ride or walk a piece of the Little Traverse Wheelway, the paved trail that links Petoskey, Harbor Springs and Charlevoix, much of it with open views of the bay. Pick one stretch rather than the whole thing, and check the closed section in Petoskey before you set out. Then spend the afternoon in Charlevoix. Walk the Earl Young houses with the self-guided map, watch boats pass under the drawbridge on Round Lake, and end at the South Pier Light for the sunset. Downtown along Round Lake has shops and restaurants close to the water. Sleep in Charlevoix.
Swimming. By color season the bay is cold. If you come in early September and want a swim, Petoskey State Park and Michigan Beach in Charlevoix are your beaches; later in the fall, walk them instead.
The tradeoff. Fall color is the busiest time on M-119, especially on weekends. A weekday drive is calmer. For a slower afternoon, Charlevoix’s fall season brings u-pick apples and pumpkins at area orchards, and the loop around Lake Charlevoix is another color drive.
Book ahead. We’d reserve a room as soon as you pick a peak color weekend, then follow local color reports as the dates get close.
The route
Day 1
Start at Bayfront Park and look for Petoskey stones along the breakwall.
Recreation Passport needed. The half-mile Old Baldy Trail climbs to a bay view.
Fill the tank and find a restroom here before the drive north.
Narrow and busy on color weekends. Check for closures and detours before you go.
Day 2
A section in Petoskey has been closed after erosion. Check current conditions.
Pick up the Earl Young walking map at the visitor center on Mason Street.
Private homes. View from the street only.
At Michigan Beach Park, a short walk from downtown. Come for the sunset.
Route map: Fall color around Little Traverse Bay
8 places on an OpenStreetMap map
Practical notes
- Peak color timing changes every year. Follow local color reports.
- Petoskey State Park's day-use lot typically closes from early November to early spring.
- Drive times on this site are estimates. Use a map app for current routes and road conditions.