Help Needed: 17 Day Trip July/Aug

Hi everyone,

I%26#39;m flying into Chicago at the end of July and i%26#39;ll have 17 days in the US before flying home, again from Chicago.

I%26#39;m looking to spend a few days there before renting a car and driving around Lake Michigan, anti-clockwise. I was wondering if 14 days would be enough time to enjoy this route or is it too long / too short? Should i branch out and experience some places away from the lake?

I%26#39;m a 26 year old English guy who%26#39;ll be travelling alone, i%26#39;ve seen quite a bit of the US already and NYC and Disneyland aren%26#39;t really my thing, i really enjoy experiencing the less touristy places (i appreciate that this area is touristy with people from the US but i%26#39;m hoping not to meet too many Brits!) but if there%26#39;s any must-see sights i should see along the way, please do say. I don%26#39;t want to spend too long in Chicago, as although it%26#39;s probably an amazing place, i live in London so i get the big city fix on a daily basis.

Any advice on where to go and what to see would be a great help. I%26#39;ve booked my flights but as you can see, i%26#39;m in the early stages of planning this great trip. Thanks.

Note: I%26#39;ve also posted this on the Wisconsin board as i assume there and Michigan are the two states i%26#39;ll spend the most time in.

Help Needed: 17 Day Trip July/Aug

Chris,

Great to hear you%26#39;re coming to Michigan! I think you%26#39;ll have a great two weeks on this kind of trip. I, and others on this site, will be more than happy to help plan your trip, but first could you provide us with a little more info? First, what kind of things are you into? Do you like historic sites, beaches, nature, physical activities, etc? Basically, what kind of stuff are you trying to see? Secondly, what kind of budget will you be on? Should we send you to campgrounds, budget motels, high end hotels, bed %26amp; breakfasts, etc?

Once we have a better feel for what you%26#39;re going for, we can help you with a much more detailed itinerary, but here are some highlights that I would direct you towards. I%26#39;m just going to give a quick blurb on each of these and you can google or ask any questions for more info(saves me from typing a book here):

Get out of chicago, drive a couple of hours and swing into a great little beach town around SW Michigan...Grand Haven, Saugatuck, South haven etc. Others will have more info on these and which you%26#39;ll want to choose.

Traverse City area...largest ';city'; in Northern Michigan, directly on Lake Michigan with lots to see and do...Michigan%26#39;s best wineries are located in the area on Leelauau Peninsula and Old Mission Peninsula, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is just a short drive,

Petoskey/Harbor Springs area...Petoskey%26#39;s a great small town with a fun, funky vibe...also right on Lake Michigan, fun downtown area with lots of good bars/restaurants...a good choice to spend an afternoon and night. On the drive up to Mackinaw, don%26#39;t miss the tunnel of trees on M-119, continue on 119 to Cross Village for more great beaches and a zany lunch spot called Leggs Inn.

Mackinaw City/Mackinac Island (both pronounced Mack-in-aw) The Mackinaw Bridge connects the Upper and Lower Peninsulas of Michigan...the world%26#39;s longest suspension bridge. Mackinac Island is kind of the crown jewel of Northern Michigan...a short ferry ride from the mainland but takes you back 100 years...all old Victorian style buildings, no cars allowed anywhere on the island so everything%26#39;s horse and buggy or bicycle...really a neat place but kind of touristy. Make sure you spend at least one night here as the scene really changes after the last ferry leaves and the majority of tourists are gone...it%26#39;s really quite a party spot!

Upper Peninsula...you could easily spend two weeks just on a tour of the UP, but for your trip I%26#39;d think you%26#39;ll want to spend at least a few days making the trip across to Wisconsin. Some highlights include:

The Locks in Sault Saint Marie...If you%26#39;re into mechanical or technical attractions at all, you might want to check out the ';Soo Locks'; a system of large locks for freight ships. They%26#39;re really cool, but a bit out of the way for the rest of your trip...if this is your thing, don%26#39;t miss it, if you could care less I%26#39;d skip it.

Tahquamenon Falls...The largest waterfalls East of the Mississippi...State Park very worth checking out, there are hiking trails, you can rent a rowboat to get a closer look, there%26#39;s a small brew pub on site with sandwiches, etc. A MUST see in the UP.

Whitefish Point...site of the Great Lakes Shipwreck museum and the nearest point to where the Edmond Fitzgerald sunk...cool lighthouse, museum,etc. It%26#39;s a short drive from the falls, so again I wouldn%26#39;t miss it.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore...Beautiful rock formations along Lake Superior%26#39;s shore...great hiking, camping and sight seeing. There%26#39;s a pictured rocks cruise that you have to take to appreciate the full scope of the park. If not, there are several vantage points on land.

Kitchi-ti-kippi (Big Spring)...this is an hour attraction, Michigan%26#39;s largest freshwater spring, gushing over 10,000 gallons per minute! The spring%26#39;s about 200%26#39; across and 50%26#39; deep though the water%26#39;s so clear it looks about 5%26#39; deep. There%26#39;s a self propelled raft you can take out with a glass bottom to see the spring. This is one of my favorite UP attractions...check it out here: uppermichiganwaterfalls.com/Kitchitikipi.html

Other things you might want to check out in the UP include:

Copper Harbor, Brockway Mountain, Porcupine Mountains, Lake of the Clouds, Sylvania Wilderness, Iron Mountain Iron Mine, etc.

This should be a bit to get you started...there%26#39;s so much to see and do, I%26#39;m sure others will have even more posts and ideas.

As for Wisconsin, I%26#39;ll let others comment

Help Needed: 17 Day Trip July/Aug

There actually is a route designed just for this at:

great-lakes.net/tourism/circletour/michigan/

Hopefully this will help.

P.S. I am jealous since I have always wanted to do this drive myself.

';Get out of chicago, drive a couple of hours and swing into a great little beach town around SW Michigan...Grand Haven, Saugatuck, South haven etc.';

You missed, stop at one of the casinos on the way. ; )

Four Winds Casino in New Buffalo Exit #1 is brand new and ';Las Vegas'; like.

I%26#39;ll try to fill in the blanks from deadheadcouple%26#39;s post.

In the area between Chicago and the ';Havens'; you will find some of Michigan%26#39;s wineries.

After Grand Haven (Don%26#39;t miss a walk on the boardwalk or a Pronto Pup there), there is Muskegon,my hometown.

We have Pere Marquette beach, great bike paths, the Blockhouse at Muskegon State Park, the River walk along the Muskegon river, a restored submarine among thigs to do.

There is also the cross lake ferry, Lake express, to Milwaukee,WI.

Just north of Muskegon you%26#39;ll find:

Whitehall, home of the world%26#39;s largest weathervane and a lighthouse museum.

Oh, and some more bike paths. : )

Shelby where a dune ride at Silver Lake is a must !

Pentwater, quaint little ';cottage'; community.

Ludington, home of a hydroelectric holding pond. (this things is a site to see).

Manistee, home to yet another casino, Little River casino where you should take US23 north to Sleeping Bear Dunes, Lelanau(sp), and eventually Traverse City.

Then pickup deadheadcouple%26#39;s post from there since they covered the UP rather well.

Btw, should you pass Muskegon on a Weds. or Sun., perhaps we could hookup fpr a personal tour of Muskegon. : )

We%26#39;re always up for a bike ride,lol.

Thanks deadheadcouple and Greg for your replies.

Sorry for not including much info about me in my first post and what i%26#39;m looking to get out of this trip. I%26#39;m really interested in seeing some of the cities and towns that line the coast of MI, as i%26#39;d quite like to spend some time just relaxing in a town, eating nice food and drinking a beer or two. As i%26#39;m only 26 and will be travelling solo, if there%26#39;s any towns with even a hint of young nightlife then it%26#39;d be good to know, although i%26#39;m not expecting clubs on the scale seen in Chicago :)

I%26#39;m quite keen to rent a bike at least a couple of times on this trip to explore some trails and take in the scenery, and although i%26#39;d consider myself to be a novice, i was also looking into the idea of doing some kayaking for a day in the UP as i did a bit in Australia and it was great. Although time could be a factor.

I don%26#39;t want to spend my whole trip going to museums but if a town has a particularly good museum or a quirky attraction which is worth taking in, then i%26#39;m definitely up for having a look. I%26#39;ve already decided that i will go to Mackinac Island as it looks nice there and although touristy i think it%26#39;s a must see.

Accommodation wise, i%26#39;ve stayed in Super 8 in CA before and so places like this would be my ideal choice as they don%26#39;t break the bank and are convenient. Is there many motels in UP? Will i have to book in advance my accommodation, considering it%26#39;s high season?

Another thing, i%26#39;m very aware that the US is huge in comparison to the little island i call home. Will 14 days be enough to do this route without feeling rushed or will i be spending my whole time behind the wheel? It%26#39;s hard to gauge distances from just looking at websites and maps.

Thanks in advance for your helpful comments.

Chris

Hello SoloChris,

I see you asked if you could do all this in 14 days. Well I did a bit of figuring and if you were to travel for 2 and a half hours a day by car for 14 days you could do it.

This is just a rough estimate but I figure you will travel

550 miles (885 km) in Lower Michigan.

Chicago - Benton Harbor, Michigan, South Haven, Grand Haven, Muskegon, Ludington, Glen Haven, Northport, Traverse City, Petoskey, Harbor Springs, Cross Village, Mackinaw City.

720 miles (1159 km) in Upper Michigan

Mackinaw City, then across the Mackinac Bridge to enter God%26#39;s Country to Paradise, Seney, Manistique, Munising, Marquette, Copper Harbor, Silver City, Menominee.

350 miles (563 km) in Wisconsin to Chicago.

Menominee, Michigan, Marinette, Wisconsin, Green Bay, Sturgeon Bay, Milwaukee, to Chicago, Illinois.

The above cities are not what I suggest you go to or not go to. I just used these city names as a way you can look at a map and see what I figured for the route.

Total miles traveled - 1620 miles (2607 km)

I figured you could travel 50 miles (81 km) per hour in a car.

Total time in car would be 32 plus hours.

Ok, one question at a time:

';if there%26#39;s any towns with even a hint of young nightlife';

Not in Michigan, mostly smaller towns of less than 50,000 people, but Milwaukee,WI is the ';beer capital';. : )

';I%26#39;m quite keen to rent a bike at least a couple of times on this trip to explore some trails and take in the scenery';

Now that%26#39;s one thing we have a lot of from Holland,MI to Hart,MI

';was also looking into the idea of doing some kayaking for a day in the UP';

I would think the water to be a little bit warmer in the Lower Peninsula.

White River near Whitehall has trips.

';I%26#39;ve already decided that i will go to Mackinac Island as it looks nice there and although touristy i think it%26#39;s a must see.';

While it may seem touristy, a bike ride around the island will help you forget this fact. : )

';Will 14 days be enough to do this route';

I will answer two questions here:

The accommodation question is a bit tricky.

While there are hotels along the route, they would probably need pre-booking during the summer.

This would also put you on a schedule which I get the feeling you don%26#39;t want to be on.

I would look into the cost of a small motor home rental and see how it compares to renting a car and overnight lodging.

We have many campgrounds along the lake.

This will most likely be your biggest expense.

As far as 14 days being enough, you would only need to cover around 85 miles a day to complete the trip around the lake.

That is less than an hour and a half driving each day.

Lake Michigan Circle Tour

the route was mapped and signs were posted along all 1100 miles of Lake Michigan%26#39;s shoreline.

I disagree that there is no nightlife for a younger crowd in MI. You will find plenty of it in Traverse City and possibly Petoskey in Northwest MI (lower peninsula). And Muskegon must have something. And if you are going to the casinos, there might be a good club available, though I cannot really give any info on that sort of thing. LOL. And there must be something in Holland, too?

Correction - I wish you could edit the post you make.

Where it says at the bottom that it equals to one and a half hours of driving -

It should say Two and a half hours driving.

Correction again.

I see it was Greg2305 that posted 1 and a half hours a day driving.

So my post was right. Greg2305 assumes you are going around Lake Michigan while you are in the Upper Peninsula and my route for you is to go to Lake Superior and other places North of Lake Michigan. That is why the added miles.