Most people don’t know about the UP, but it is A GEM.
It is a combination of Canada mixed with Alaska, mixed with Maine and New Hampshire.
Think cozy lodges, old pine, crystal lakes, fishing villages, pristine forests and long stretches of roads with nobody else around.
We drove all through the UP for our NINE YEAR anniversary, and we only scratched the surface. There is so much more to go back for!
I usually like to include a fair amount of detail in my posts, as a way of recording information and to help people do the same trip later, but I am just going to include my favorite stops we made.
Information changes so much, so I will not be including ferry times, entrance prices, tour dates, etc.
If you choose to make these same stops, simply verify the current information before you go, as things are always changing!
1) Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
This amazing park is actually one of the national parks in the US. It looks over Lake Michigan and is a combination of blue water, soft sandy dunes, miles of green biking trails and amazing views.
TIP: Empire Village Inn in Glenn Arbor is argued to have some of the best pizza in Michigan. Glenn Arbor is where Sleeping Bear Dunes park is.
We ended up not getting the pizza because it was a 90 minute wait, but we got Cubano sandwiches, which were to die for, so I can’t imagine the pizza!!!
I would recommend having at LEAST 24 hours at the dunes. And bring bikes! There are miles of amazing paved trails, through incredible old growth forests.
You are not supposed to camp on the dunes. There is a campsite nearby that is free.
We ended up hiking our stuff up and sleeping on the dunes, though. We saw the most amazing sunset and I did not want to leave!
Make sure you hike all of the way from the parking lot to Lake Michigan. It only takes like 45 minutes and it is incredible. Especially at sunset!
2) Manitou Islands
TALK ABOUT HIDDEN GEM! TALK ABOUT PRISTINE AND UNTOUCHED NATURE! TALK ABOUT HAVING AN ISLAND ALL TO YOURSELF!
The two Manitou Islands are actually part of the Sleeping Dune park, but most people don’t make it to them!
The islands are broken up into North and South. North is a lot bigger and more rugged. There is nothing there except wilderness.
South is also pretty pristine- No one lives there and there are no wheels allowed (even coolers), but there is a water source, as well as tourist attractions, such as a lighthouse, a shipwreck, campgrounds, etc.
Access to both islands is from Leeland, which is about 30 minutes north of Glenn Arbor.
You can take a 1.5 hour ferry to either of the islands and go back the same day on the afternoon ferry, or stay for up to 30 nights overnight.
We were torn between which island to stay on, but we went with south island because we wanted to be able to explore the entire island.
I can’t speak for north manitou, but south was A DREAM!
We hiked 31 miles in the first 24 hours. The entire island is probably about 45 mile circumference, but when we went, the high tide had collapsed a side of the island so if we wanted to go all the way around, we would have to swim. We didn’t have time for that.
It was actually an inhabited island in the 1830s. It was used to collect timber. There are few places on the island that have trees that grew from before the 1830s, but there still are some.
The island still has the structures of the schoolhouse, a few homes, a general store, etc.
But no one lives there.
This island literally has everything! Amazing sand dunes, a cozy lighthouse, a crazy giant shipwreck, just off the coast, remains of old cabins, and even a lake (which is crazy, because this is an island already ON a lake!)
Because this island is so untouched, we only passed THREE people during our 31 mile hike.
We saw frogs, snakes, birds, squirrels, and even a cayote!
3) Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
This is actually another national park, but the majority of people explore it by water.
It is in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (the UP), and sits on Lake Superior, which is the cleanest lake I have ever seen in my life!
We decided to book a 6- hour kayak tour with Duckie Tours, and had a PHENOMENAL time!!!
There are 3 main companies in the area. One uses a boat to bring people farther along the shoreline, and then people kayak the whole way back.
The other two do not use a boat, so it is an out and back thing.
You can take 1 hour, 2 hour, 3 hour, 6 hour or 8 hour tours. We did 6 and I wish we would have done 8!
I wanted to go with the company with a boat so we could see more, but they were booked.
We spent the morning kayaking along the amazing pictured rocks.
Lake Superior has about 10% of the world’s freshwater. You can actually drink from it! And you can see 60-90 feet because of its clarity.
The rocks are sedimentary and have so many different colors from the minerals that seep out of the sides.
I loved our lunch break, when we got to jump in the water and explore the shoreline on foot. We even got to go in a cool cave!
My favorite part may have been the arch we got to kayak under. It is called Lover’s Leap. The current/waves under the arch are pretty crazy!!
4) Copper Harbor
I think Copper Harbor is the northernmost part of the UP. It is famous for its amazing mountain biking trails, and for access to Isle Royal, one of the least visited National Parks in the US (it is an island!!).
I would absolutely recommend renting nice mountain bikes here if you visit and don’t have them. Our mountain bikes were not worth trying to use on these incredible trails.
We went with Keewenaw Adventures and had a phenomenal experiences.
Copper Harbor has over 40 miles of free-access trails. Anyone can get on them! They range from beginner to advanced (with jumps and crazy stunt possibilities).
You could spend several days, just in Copper Harbor. There is so much to do any SO many cool miles of biking!
I really wish we could have had time to go to Isle Royal.
Other things are close, including Devils Wash, which is a crazy water hole you can cliff jump into!
Watch a local do it first to make sure it is safe. The waves can be pretty brutal. Never go if there are not other people around!
5) Porcupine Mountains
I feel like the entire UP is just one cozyand mind-blowing surprise after another.
This is a state park and is an area of almost 100 square miles up against Lake Superior. You could spend weeks here and not see it all!
It is almost in Wisconsin and literally has everything! The northern end of the park has a trail that goes right along Lake Superior.
Lake in the Clouds is my favorite part of the entire park, and is a .2 mile walk.
There are waterfalls, old growth pine, and really every time of scenery you can imagine!
This is a giant park, and once you pass the main lookout points, you are guarenteed to get to parts of the forest where you hike for hours withoout seeing anyone.
We passed a family that had been backpacking for over a week. So awesome! If only time was unlimited!
I’m really grateful to see that there are still places on this earth that are not overrun by tourists.
I hope we can continue to respect this beautiful world we live in, so we can continue to have places like this!
If you end up making your way to UP, leave it the exact way you found it! Respect all park rules and leave nothing behind!
