Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (the U-P) is one of the most magical places in the USA. It is a natural wonderland that is filled with mountains, forests, and lakes. This peninsula is surrounded by some of the greatest Great Lakes in the world and is filled with spaces virtually untouched by humans. There are so many places in the UP where you can completely loose yourself in nature. Even when you stumble upon the amazing small towns, you’ll still feel miles from your life and your cares. So if you’re looking for a beautiful place to loose your worries and your cares, consider spending some time in the UP. To help you plan your vacation, we’ve put together a list of our favorite things to do in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Trust us, we’ve spent more summer breaks and long weekends in the UP than we are able to count. If it’s worth doing, we’ve done it – twice. We hope you’ll have as much fun in the UP as we have over the years. These top things to do in the Upper Peninsula have become very popular over the years as people have discovered the charm of this wilderness area. So we’ve also included our best tips and tricks for visiting these tops stops to help you avoid crowds and preserve some of the rustic charm that the UP has.
When to Visit
This is such a hard question for me to answer because it really depends on what you want to do. There are so many fun things to do in the Upper Peninsula, no matter the season. However, if you want to explore as many things as possible from the list below, we recommend visiting in the summer. This is your best bet for those beautiful sunny days that will allow you to explore all of the outdoor wonder that the UP has to offer.
However, we can’t resist telling you that the fall color change in the Upper Peninsula and the snowmobiling here in the winter is pretty darn amazing too. I will also go out on a limb and say avoid the spring, it’s muddy, rainy, damp and cold.
Getting There and Around
You’ll definitely need a car to explore the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We even recommend a car to get to the UP as flights in are generally expensive and rarely ever direct. Marquette or Escanaba are the best options if you are flying here.
One other thing to note is that cell service in the UP sucks! I won’t even try to sugar coat it. So you’ll need to remember to pack either a GPS or a paper map. Did you forget both of these things? No worries, stop in to any Michigan rest stop and you’ll be able to find a free state map to help you navigate.
What to Budget
An Upper Peninsula vacation can actually be super affordable if you’re excited to be in the outdoors. So if you camp and explore outdoor attractions like parks and beaches you can have a super affordable trip. However, if you want to do excursions like museums and boat tours and stay in hotels things can get pretty pricy during peak tourist times.
We’ve included prices for all of the things to do in the Upper Peninsula that we recommend to help you budget your daily excursions.
Accommodations
For accommodations, the UP is a great place to camp. Campsites range from $0-$20/night on federal and state land. And really why visit a private campground when there are so many amazing parks to stay in.
If you choose to stay indoors at night, which we do anytime the nighttime temperature drops below freezing, you pay from $100-120/night in the shoulder seasons (spring and fall). Home rentals average between $120-220. Something to know about home rentals in the UP; they tend to market more to large groups. So this is a great option to explore if you’re traveling with the whole family. However, if you are visiting with a smaller group, hotels will generally be cheaper.
Food
Food prices in the Upper Peninsula can be very cheap. You’ll rarely find “fine dining”. Instead you’ll find lots of bar-type food. This is good news for you budget travelers as you’ll end up paying an average of $12 for a lunch at a sit down restaurant. Food options can be limited in the UP if you are between towns, so this is one of those destinations that we recommend packing your own food if you think you may not be near a town during meal-time. We like to eat breakfast in the hotel, pack a picnic lunch and then eat at a sit-down restaurant for dinner when we visit the Upper Peninsula.
Transportation
In addition to your daily costs, you’ll also have transportation costs. This will include your flight if you choose to fly and your car rental/gas. Sorry we can’t give you a good idea of what to budget for this, it really varies greatly depending on time of year and destination. This is one of those places that we recommend driving to (if you can) as it will eliminate the need for a rental car and flight. But make sure to budget a few hundred dollars to fill your tank several times as you’ll be doing a lot of driving UP here (pun intended).
Top Things to Do
The Soo Locks
Time: 2-3 hours
Check out the worlds largest and busiest lock system in Sault Ste. Marie. The Soo locks are a fun way to spend a few hours. Watch the locks in action from the viewing deck or take a tour boat through the locks to get a firsthand experience of this engineering marvel.
Cost: FREE (by land)-$32/adult (by water)
Mackinac Bridge
Time: 30 minutes
Explore the Mackinac Bridge, the gateway into “God’s Country”. Drive over this 5-mile suspension bridge on your way into the UP. Once in the UP, stop at viewing areas around St. Ignace to get good views of the bridge over the beautiful blue waters of Lakes Michigan and Huron.
Cost: $4/vehicle to cross ($2/axel)
The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum
Time: 2 hours
The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum is located along one of the deadliest shores of Lake Superior and celebrates the shipping industry in this area and the lakes that have claimed several lives. This museum brings to life the lives of sailors as well as the mysteries surrounding several wrecks, including the Edmund Fitzgerald. There is also a lighthouse here that you can climb for an additional fee. Also, you’ll find a great sand beach here is you’d like to dip a toe in Lake Superior.
Cost: $14/adult
Tahquamenon Falls
Time: 2 hours
Visit both the upper and the lower falls during your visit to Tahquamenon Falls State Park. This park makes it easy to see both sections of the falls in just a few short hours with big parking lots and short walking trails. The Upper Tahquamenon Falls are the largest falls in Michigan with 50,000 galls of water falling over the 48-foot drop every second. Then drive one to the Lower Falls to complete your visit to this park.
Cost: $9/day (Michigan residents should consider paying a bit extra on their license plate renewal stickers to get an annual pass as it’s a better deal if you visit 2 or more State Parks.)
Pictured Rocks
Time: half day-full day
Pictured Rock National Lakeshore includes the lakeshore along Lake Superior from Grand Marais to Munising, as well as several waterfalls inland. This is one of the best things to do in the Upper Peninsula and is actually one of the top things to see in all of Michigan. You can drive to visit the multiple locations on the land or if you’re feeling more adventurous, you can hike the 10-mile Chapel-Mosquito Loop Trail.
You can also view the lakeside cliffs Pictured Rocks is famous for from the water via a boat or kayak tour. These tours run out of Munising. The kayak tours are fun but kayaking in Lake Superior can be exhausting. The best tour we’ve been on even had a glass bottom section of the boat to see the beautiful lake below.
Cost: FREE by land, $48/adult by lake tour
The Keweenaw Peninsula
Time: half day-full day
Explore the towns of Houghton and Hancock, check out an abandoned copper mine and drive the Keweenaw shoreline to experience the northern-most point in Michigan. Even to us Michiganders, the Keweenaw Peninsula is a truly different experience from anything else you’ll do in Michigan. One of our favorite things to do in the Upper Peninsula is a copper mine tour in this area. You’ll get to ride into an old copper mine in a cool little cart and wear a hard hat – how fun!
Cost: FREE to explore
ORV Your Way Through A National Forest
Time: full day
This is why we keep coming back to the UP. We’ve never been a big fan of snowmobiling, but OOO do we love to four-wheel. Four-wheeling is one of our favorite things to do in the Upper Peninsula. We’ll head out for half-day or full day trips to visit waterfalls, restaurants or to see wildlife. With over 3,000 miles of groomed trails, it is no wonder that riding fun off-road vehicles is one of the best things to do in the Upper Peninsula. Our favorite place to hit the trails? Inside any national forest. These destinations feature groomed trails while still giving you the feeling of being alone in the wilderness.
Cost: varies, but pricy
Kitch-iti-kipi
Time: 1-2 hours
Kitch-iti-kipi is one of the most popular things to do in the Upper Peninsula. It is a beautiful and unique spot, located in Palm Books State Park. It’s a big spring bubbling from the earth into one of the clearest lakes you’ll see. You can ride on the glass bottomed observation deck to slide right over the spring. Here you can see the sand moving as the water bubbles from below. You’ll also be able to spot some of the fish in the water as well as it is so clear.
Cost: $9/day (Michigan residents should consider paying a bit extra on their license plate renewal stickers to get an annual pass as it’s a better deal if you visit 2 or more State Parks.)
Eat a Pasty
Time: 15 minutes
Don’t leave the Upper Peninsula without trying the staple food, a pasty (Past-EE, not paste-EE). Pasties are basically a meat turnover. They’re filled with meat and root veggies like potatoes and rutabaga. Admittedly, they aren’t my favorite. Scott eats them up. Either way, you gotta try it. While Muldoon’s, in Munising, has strayed away from the traditional, they are by far the best place to try one in the UP.
Cost: $7-10
Lake of the Clouds
Time: half day
The Lake of the Clouds is one of the most popular things to do in the Upper Peninsula. You can visit this popular spot by visiting the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. At the lake, you can visit by just driving up to the iconic viewing point, or you can hike around the lake to enjoy some quiet time.
Cost: $9/day (Michigan residents should consider paying a bit extra on their license plate renewal stickers to get an annual pass as it’s a better deal if you visit 2 or more State Parks.)
Waterfalls of Munising
Time: half day-full day
Explore the MANY waterfalls in the Munising area. Several of these waterfalls are located in Pictured Rock National Lakeshore. Others are just along the side of the road or a short drive from Munising. My all time favorite is the tiny Scott’s falls, which is just a trickle but I’ve loved it forever. Other more popular ones are Alger Falls, Munising Falls, Chapel Falls, Sable Falls, and Wagner Falls. If you are a quick walker/driver/parker, you can visit all of these in just half a day. If you like to move at a more leisurely pace you can spend an entire day visiting waterfalls or take on the challenge to see them all. We’ve seen them all at one point or another, but never managed to fit them all into one day.
Cost: FREE- small parking fee (depending on the waterfalls)
Isle Royale
Time: 2-4 days
THE most remote area in the Upper Peninsula actually lies just 55 miles off the coast of northern Michigan. This island, which is entirely covered by Isle Royale National Park and is one of the least visited National Parks in the US. So why visit? For the chance to see a moose up close of course! The park is open between April-October and can be accessed via a ferry from Copper Harbor. On the island, you can canoe, kayak and hike.
Cost: varies, depending on lodging but upwards of $150/person for transport to the island
Fishing
Time: half day
Explore some of the best fishing lakes around. Sure the fishing is great! But what’s really special is fishing on the incredible inland lakes in National Forest land. These lakes will have minimal houses on them, and in some cases none! So it will just be you, other fisher-people and the nature! Enjoy catching the fish, but also take time to enjoy catching sight of osprey, eagles, beavers, bear and more.
Cost: $26/person for an Michigan resident fishing license
Visit Mackinac Island
Time: one day
I’m never exactly sure if Mackinac Island is part of the upper or lower peninsula. However, since I associate the upper peninsula with fun and relaxing vacation destinations, I’ve lumped Mackinac Island in. Because that’s just what it is. This island with no cars is a wonderful getaway from the hustle and bustle of daily life. Check out our post here for ideas on how to spend a full day on Mackinac Island.
Cost: $27/person for ferry ride
What to Pack
Several of the most popular things to do in the Upper Peninsula involve a beautiful body of water. And as such, you’ll want to make sure you pack your swimming gear, including a nice quick drying towel.
You’ll also probably do a hike or two in order to see some of the amazing things to do in the Upper Peninsula. So make sure you pack a good comfortable pair of shoes or some nice hiking boots.
Us midwesterners also like to wear layers. And there is a reason for that. The weather here can change in an instant. And that is never more true than when you are near one of the Great Lakes. And since you’re near the Great Lakes pretty much everywhere in the UP, you’ll want to make sure you’re prepared for changeable weather. Pack in layers and make sure to bring a weather proof coat for any rain or snow.
Safety
One thing to know about the UP is that cell service is horrible. Pretty much everywhere. Even in larger towns, you’ll find spotty cell service. So make sure you have a paper map or GPS, a plan and a person who knows where you plan on being. If you do find yourself in need of cell service, try the tops of hills. With all the trees and hills this is your best bet fo good cell service outside of bigger towns. Getting lost really is one of the biggest threats to your safety in the Upper Peninsula.
Another thing to note is the dangers of swimming in the Great Lakes, especially Lake Superior. These beaches experience lots of the same natural dangers as oceans, such as rip currents and undertows. So be aware of your surroundings at beaches. Don’t swim in large waves and only swim in official beaches or places where you see other locals swimming. These lakes are also dangerous in the winter when they appear to freeze over. The danger here is that the ice is not always strong enough to hold you up. So only walk on ice that you’ve tested the thickness of and don’t drive on lakes unless a pathway has been marked.
We hope this list of our favorite things to do in the Upper Peninsula has helped you to plan the best Upper Peninsula vacation. Please let us know in the comments section below if you have any questions. We’ve probably been-there-done-that, and we’d be happy to help!
Anyone know of a company that can arrange this sort of trip. Sounds amazing
I don’t know of any companies that routinely do tours but plenty of places do day trips. If you were interested in visiting Munising or Copper Harbor, you could find plenty of day trip tours that would take you to several of these spots. There are a few companies that do UP tours that I’ve seen but they typically offer only 1-2 tours each year during peak seasons. I hope someone else has some better info for you!
Yes, you can truly lose yourself in the UP, especially if you’re loose with your navigation. Did you know most cellphones also have GPS and you can download the maps so you can use them even without a cell signal?
Snail Shell Harbor is the harbor at Fayette state park.
Great Tips! We do love paper maps though 🙂 There travel tools and souvenirs.
In October is it OK to car. Camp if you are a 70yr old female traveling
solo
Thanks for the input Patty! The campgrounds there are wonderfully secluded.
As a third generation Yooper, I’d like to recommend Fayette State Park on the Garden peninsula.
An Historic ghost town on Snail Shell Harbor, Bay de Noc, Lake Michigan.
We love Fayette State Park too! I don’t think we’ve ever been to Snail Shell Harbor though. We’ll have to check it out. Thanks!