Following up on my budget road trip through America Series, I had to touch on one of the most underrated and budget destinations to travel through and that’s Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. You can check out Part One and Part Two of my Road Tripping America series for other budget tips or check out the full YouTube Video about our road trip through the U.P. below.
I am all about traveling and exploring new places but sometimes the most underrated and gorgeous places are the ones closest to home. Even though I grew up in the Upper Peninsula, right across the bridge in St. Ignace, I never appreciated the true beauty and didn’t take time to fully explore.
Our first stop in the U.P. was for the event Skoolie U.P. in Gould City. We spent a wonderful week there meeting other travelers and hanging out and just enjoying one another. We met a few friends at the event and decided to form a caravan to travel around and see what the Upper Peninsula had to offer.
If you are crossing over to the U.P. on the Michigan side, then the Mackinac Bridge alone is a beautiful sight to see. Five miles connecting the two parts of the state over glistening waters. When we took our grand tour of the U.P. we skipped Mackinac Island because I had worked there every summer through high school and had seen all the sights the island has to offer. But if your pockets are deeper and you feel the need to explore this historic island, a trip across on the ferry boat would be worth it. Make sure to research costs ahead of time because if you are on a budget, the ferry trip alone might break you.
Tahquamenon Falls: Not to be missed if you are venturing through the U.P., Tahquamenon Falls. If you are a Michigan resident and have a state park pass, Tahquamenon is free to access. If not, you will end up paying around $9 to get in. But the falls and gorgeous hiking trails surrounding the area are well worth it. If you have a few more extra dollars to spend you can pop into the Brewery and reward yourself with a cold drink after hiking around.
Whitefish Point and Paradise: From the falls it’s a short drive to Paradise where you can check out the small town before heading up to Whitefish Point. For history buffs, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, and Whitefish Point Lighthouse are a must. Even if you aren’t into museums, it’s worth the drive to check out the beach, bird boardwalk, and lighthouse. For cheap stays, there are a few good pull-off and camping spots near Whitefish Point. After taking some sketchy backroads, we were rewarded with a camping spot just a few steps from the beach, where we enjoyed a chilling swim in Lake Superior.
Munising: If you come to the Upper Peninsula for one thing, make it Pictured Rocks. There are several ways to enjoy this gorgeous natural wonder. Personally, we reached farther into our pockets and splurged on a sunset boat tour. No regrets. For around $40-$50 you get to marvel at the lovely rock formations from the waterside while the setting sun illuminates the dancing colors on the shore. The tour was well worth the price. You also have the option of doing a paid-for kayak tour to get up close and personal. We may have also heard rumors about being able to drop in your own kayaks and check out the rocks yourself, but I wouldn’t recommend this unless you are very comfortable in the water and know the area well. If you are more on the budget side of things, then you can explore the multitude of hiking trails along the edge of the cliffs. There are some stunning viewpoints you can access just by hiking and still experience the beauty of Pictured Rocks.
Since our boat tour didn’t get done until after dark, we didn’t want to travel very far to sleep for the night. Thankfully there is a lot of small-town hospitality in the U.P. and one of the grocery store owners let us just park in their lot for the night to sleep before heading out the next morning. It never hurts to ask!
Au Train: This was just a small stop on the way to Marquette, but well worth it. When traveling in your full-time home things can get messy quickly and you must take time to clean and get everything together and organized. In Au Train, there are a few beautiful little pull-out spots and parks right along the water. Our group spent a nice afternoon next to the water, cleaning out our homes and enjoying the scenery.
Marquette: Marquette is the largest city in the Upper Peninsula and home to Northern Michigan University. Whether you want to walk around and explore the city, grab a beer, go hiking, waterfall chasing, or cliff diving, Marquette has it all. Personally, we opted to check out Black Rock Cliffs and do some cliff diving. Well, my husband and friend Katie did the cliff diving, I jumped off from a lower point. But even if you don’t want to dive into the water, the Black Rock Cliffs should be on your list. These dazzling black rocks give way to some of the clear waters of Lake Superior. It seems like this area is always crowded with jumpers and tourists. You can also enjoy all the walking and hiking paths in the area.
The hiking around Marquette is also endless. We stumbled upon a few hikes around the city surrounded by gorgeous forests, and gushing streams with small waterfalls. You can have your pick of accommodations in Marquette, but we just parked up at the visitor’s center for the night. Free parking lots with lake-side views, you can’t beat it.
Copper Harbor: Although we skipped right by it, on your way to Copper Harbor is Mount Arvon, the highest point in Michigan at 1,979 feet. A very long-term goal of mine is to summit the highest point in every U.S. state. Although I’ve already traveled to quite a few states, I have officially made zero progress so far, but maybe eventually.
Once you get to Copper Harbor, the beauty is unmatched, although you may have a hard time finding cell signal, it is a fresh breath of air feeling so remote. Trails End was the perfect campground to make basecamp. It was a close walk into town and great access to hiking trails.
The town is a cute little strip with a few shops, and you are never far from water. You can check out the All Trails app for all of the hiking nearby, and also some good biking trails. You could grab a fish pole and head out to the local lake, or just hang out at camp. One of our favorite beaches nearby was a local rock beach where we got lost in rock hunting for the day. We also enjoyed picking the local thimbleberries in the area and making a mean margarita back at camp.
Quincy Mine: Just a little drive down on your way out of Copper Harbor is the Quincy Mine, which gives mine tours daily. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Ontonagon and the Porcupine Mountains: I know I have said this about a few places, but the Porcupine Mountains were one of my favorite spots in the U.P. I want to say it was the Presque Isle River Waterfall Trailhead that was my favorite, but you can’t go wrong with any of the hikes you pick.
Lake of the Clouds is also not tho be missed. Although when we hiked this area, the lake was literally covered by a cloud as the name implies. It was still a good workout and pushed us to go further and hike down to the lake instead of the overlook just so we could make sure there was an actual lake somewhere under the clouds.
From Ontonagon, you can head down past the Ottawa National Forrest, Iron River, Iron Mountain, and Escanaba but personally, we flew through these areas and made our way right to Kitch-iti-Kipi, Michigan’s largest freshwater spring. This is some of the clearest water you will ever see in your life. The spring was so blue it was almost mesmerizing. A big plus is that this sight was pet friendly, and we even brought our dog Meeka on the small hand-crank boat that takes you across the spring.
The Mystery Spot and the Dunes: To finish of our grand tour of the U.P. as a local growing up in St. Ignace, I knew we had to stop at the sand dunes out on US-2 and the famous Mystery Spot. The sand dunes aren’t hard to spot driving along the water. You can just pick a good spot, pull over, and enjoy the smooth sand and chilly water. If you are into kitschy tourist attractions, the Mystery Spot is worth a visit. If you need a quick spot to camp for the night, the Kewadin Casino in St. Ignace has a lot in the back where we were greeted by car campers, RV’s, and other nomads just hunkering down for the night.
Overall, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is one of the best places that you can road trip on a budget. There is so much natural beauty that you can explore for free! You can save money and camp along the way at one of the many affordable campgrounds or use some of the apps I recommend and find free places to camp and park along the way. Also, make sure you try out at least a few of the famous U.P. pasties white there! We could have easily spent 2 months driving around the U.P. and exploring all the nooks and crannies and more than 300 waterfalls, but other states were calling our names. But never underestimate the beauty that can be found right in your backyard.