Lake Michigan Tour

Overview

This is a very nice one week tour. You have a couple of options: you can do the full circle around the lake or do half a circle then take the ferry between Manitowoc WI and Ludington MI. If you do the full circle you can do it clockwise or counter-clockwise. If you like biking this is a great trip to take your bike along. The trails along the lake are level and cool from the breezes blowing off the lake – even over in mid summer.

J.W. Wells State Park (pg 87)

- Very nice state park campground, on lake

Hog Island Point (pg 105)

- Interesting looking small campground, on a point into Lake Michigan

- Web site for Hog Island

Lake Michigan Beach (pg 94)

- Nice, huge swimming beach

Mackinaw Island (pg 94)

- Must see! Sight seeing. Fudge!

- Biking, around island, 8 miles, about 45 minutes

- Horses. Ride or buggy. Jake’s Livery Stable for self driven horse buggy

- No cars allowed. Only bikes and horses. Take Ferry to island (doesn’t matter which ferry, same price, both good)

- Grand Hotel – must see!

o Guiness book of records – longest porch in the world.

o Movie “Somewhere in Time” filmed there.

Mackinaw city (pg 94)

- City web site

- Mill Creek Campground – great views of Mackinac Island and Mackinac Bridge

Harbor Springs (pg 82)

- Cool little resort town – Detroit/Chicago summer homes (i.e. Ford).

- Beach Drive road is similar to Ferndale Drive in Wayzata – only better.

Petosky (pg 82)

- Very cool town. Make sure you drive around Bay View.

- Petosky KOA – very nice, pricey

- Petosky State Park for camping. Didn’t stay there (tried but they were booked) but looked very nice.

- Great biking. Trail to Charlevoux & Harbour Springs – level trails, cool breezes off lake.

Charlevoux (pg 81)

- Very cool town

Traverse City (pg 74)

- Very nice town

Leeland (pg 80)

- Very nice little New England kind of town

Sleeping Bears Dunes (pg 73)

- Must see

- Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

- Map of park

- Make sure you send the kids down the 45 degree, 500’ high slope at the end of Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive just north of the city of Empire.

- Dune Climb. Easy than the Pierce Stocking one.

Ludington (pg 54)

- Nice little town. Nice beach and swimming. Ferry dock.

Silver City (pg 54)

- Must see and must rent a dune buggy.

- Silver Lake Sand Dunes

- One of the few places the public can take vehicles on the sand dunes

- Rent a dune buggy – a gas! Note: bring eye goggles and ear plugs to keep the sand out – you will need it! Reserve ahead of time.

- Silver Creek Campground – nice but pricy.

Warren Dunes State Park (pg 18)

- Close to Chicago, but don’t get the city crowd.

- Huge beach and parking lot. Nice facilities.

- Close to Notre Dame - worth a day trip