Lake Huron is one of the four Great Lakes that border Michigan. And the lake that has the longest Michigan shoreline. This Lake Huron Day trip will span the length of that amazing shoreline and take you to so many amazing beaches, along some beautiful scenic roads, and helps you to find parts of Michigan history along the way.
When to Visit Michigan’s East Coast
Michigan has something to offer everyone year round. From white snow drifts in winter, to lush green forests in the summer, to multicolored leaves in the fall, there is something for every season. And since this is an easy day trip over well maintained roads this Michigan day trip is perfect year round. However, if you want to enjoy any of the beaches along this road trip, you’ll want to visit in the summer when the water is warm enough to swim in.
Top Things To Do
Getting There and Around
This road trip starts in Port Huron and ends in Mackinac City. Port Huron is a short drive from Detroit. So this can make a great add on to your Detroit vacation. We used this day trip as a great way to see some sights while traveling from the Lower Peninsula to the Upper Peninsula for our UP road trip.
Detroit is typically the cheapest airport to fly into in Michigan and it is the closest airport to the beginning of this road trip. From Detroit, you’ll need a car to drive this road trip. Plus, you can find several rental car agencies at the Detroit airport.
Lake Huron Day Trip
Port Huron
We started our Michigan vacation in Port Huron. Here we walked along the St. Clair River at the Thomas Edison Parkway Boardwalk and looked out at the freight ships making their way into Lake Huron as the cars passed passed over the Blue Water Bridge heading to and from Canada.
Frankenmuth
Next, we skipped the “thumb” of Michigan before making a detour to Frakenmuth. We spent an extra day/night exploring here but this optional side trip will extend your Lake Huron day trip into a full weekend trip. Frakenmuth is a top tourist destination in Michigan with a claim to fame of celebrating Christams year-round. It’s super touristy but a fun add on to your Lake Huron road trip nonetheless. Or you could just make a short stop here on your Lake Huron day trip. A full night is not needed.
Next, we stoped in Bay City to walk along the riverfront pathway. We also enjoyed wandering around the marinas and looking at all the docked yachts.
Lake Huron Shoreline
Then, we continued on to East Tawas and Tawas Point State Park. This amazing park has some of the most beautiful beaches that we visited on this Lake Huron day trip.
If you are traveling with the family, consider stopping at the over-the-top Dinosaur Gardens. This is a small scale amusement park with giant dinosaur sculptures. Here you can play putt-putt, try your hand at digging for fossils and more. If you just want to stop and wander around the dinosaur sculptures, you’ll need to pay the $10 admission fee. We love a good roadside statue photo-op but we were not willing to pay the $10 admission so we didn’t stop.
Northern Towns
The next big stop was Alpena. We wandered around the downtown area of town where we grabbed lunch and explored all the touristy shops.
We visited Alpena during COVID so our options were limited, but one thing we wish we would have been able to do was a shipwreck tour. Alpena is a great spot to take a glass bottom boat tour to see all of the nearby shipwrecks. Shipwreck tours are $38/person and are offered on a schedule based on the time of year. Check out the website here for more information. It looks like it would have been fun!
Next, is Presque Isle, a cute little beachside town. If you’d like to make a stop here, we’d recommend the Presque Isle Lighthouse. Here, you’ll have the opportunity to climb to the top of the tower and take in the great views.
However, our favorite lighthouse/shipwreck stop combined was next: 40 Mile Point Lighthouse. Here, you can explore the history of shipwrecks AND lighthouses in the area. You can take a self-guided tour of the old lighthouse here, wander the beautiful beach, and walk to a nearby shipwreck.
Next, visit Cheboygan. This is another larger town and a great place to stop for a bite to eat (a.k.a. ice cream). You can wander the downtown or the shoreline boardwalk here.
Mackinac City
Finally, stop in Mackinac City. If you’re here early enough, you can take a historic tour of Colonial Michilimackinac. We’ve done this tour twice and really enjoyed it both times. Admission into the Fort is $14.50/adult. If you’re planning on visiting Mackinac Island, you can get a combo ticket for $28/adult that will get you into both forts.
In the evening, grab dinner at one of the many Mackinac City restaurants. Or simply stock up on fudge, popcorn and other old-timey snacks that you can find in every other downtown Mackinac City shop. Make sure to wander the downtown of Mackinac City and the lakeside boardwalk, both are beautiful!
Lastly, we then stayed overnight in Mackinac City before we left the next morning for the next leg of our Michigan vacation. If you stay overnight anywhere along this Lake Huron road trip, make sure to wake up early the following morning to catch the sunrise over Lake Huron.
Want to Adjust the Lake Huron Road Trip Itinerary
If you have extra time there are so many things to add to this Lake Huron road trip, which spans the entire East Coast of Michigan. First, if you have one extra day, you could start in Detroit and spend some time seeing all the amazing things that this misunderstood city has to offer. Or if you have one extra day, you could extend your time in Frankenmuth, the village where it is Christmas year-round.
With one extra day, you could also consider slowing down this Lake Huron road trip. This is a pretty fast paced road trip and there isn’t a lot of time for long stops. However, there are plenty of places you may want to stay for longer, like the wonderful beaches, many wineries and multiple lighthouses. In order to spend time at every stop along this road trip, turn it into a Lake Huron weekend getaway.
If you have two extra days, consider visiting Mackinac Island at the end of the road trip. This is one of the most popular places to visit in Michigan and we really enjoyed our visit!
If you have a whole week, consider using this Lake Huron day trip as a way to get from the easily accessible Lower Peninsula to Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula. There you can then spend a week road tripping around the UP.
What to Budget
This is actually a super cheap road trip. From the amazing cheap eats to the free beaches, you’ll find plenty of things to do on this road trip to keep the budget low. We spent just shy of $200 for the day, including staying in a hotel at the end of this Lake Huron day trip.
Our budget included gas, a hotel and food throughout the day. Additionally, we paid $50 for Fort Michilimackinac/Mackinac entrance combo pack tickets. Also, we put a few cash dollars in the donation box at 40-mile point lighthouse.
What to Pack
Because Michigan is full of seasons, sometimes one day can even have multiple seasons, you should always pack layers when visiting.
If you’re visiting in the summer, make sure to pack a swimsuit and a quick drying towel as those beautiful beaches may call your name!
Also, we always pack our soft-sided cooler when we’re road tripping so we can pack road trip snacks or purchase some edible souvenirs along the road. If you pack a cooler, make sure to stock up on snacks like the amazing smoked fish or Michigan wines along this Lake Huron road trip.
We hope this one day itinerary for a Lake Huron road trip has helped to inspire you to visit Michigan. We love this state as it’s our home state. And we’ve explored all over the state. If you have any questions about your Lake Huron road trip, please leave them in the comments section below and we’d be happy to help.
