If you are not in a hurry take Rt.12 Red Arrow Hwy/Blue Star Hwy. closer to the lake and more laid back,lodging or motels really are not a problem except on the weekends then most places request 2 day stays and book quickly,just a few of our favorites are
Warren Dunes Start Park nice beach- big dunes
Winery Tours near Bridgman good county roads Tabor Hill Winery Great Restaurant
New Buffalo eat at the Stray Dog
South Haven eat at Clementines Onion ring by the foot fresh Walleye/lake Perch check-out south beach and lighthouse
Saugatuck downtown area crazy busy on the weekend but nice break go to Oval Beach and Mt.Baldhead trails then jump on 31 to Muskegon
Muskegon go to Lakeshore Dr. to Beach St.and near harbor entrance/Coast Guard station eat at The Deck right on the beach good BBQ/bar and lighthouse. Again 31 N. to Manistee
Manistee just north of town take Rt.22 to Sleeping Bear Dunes until Empire RT.22-72 pick-up maps and park permits ,Definitely drive thru Pierce Stocking Scenic Dr. Huge dunes great views follow 22 or go back to 72 and head back to31 .
Traverse City take 37 N. Old Mission peninsula all the way to the Lighthouse.Stay at the Grand Traverse Lodge very-very nice but expensive also stop at the Bad Dog deli/bar back to 31 north to Petosky check-out the downtown area and park near city marina eat at Whitecaps Grille and Spirts head north on 31 to 119 to Harbor Springs just outside of town you will enter the tunnel of trees nice twisty road but narrow watch out for bicycles and sand on the roadway,not sure of the towns name but stop at the Leg Inn good food/drinks
Mackinaw City stay at Holiday Inn short walk to Darrows Restaurant great Pies and short walk to Lighthouse park for sunrise photos of the Big Mac. Hope these ideas help with your trip plans and when you go over the bridge make sure the wife has the camera in hand for pictures down thru the grating .Check with Mi.about state park pass they charge non -residents $10-$12 per park .Enjoy the ride

 

How many day trip do you plan on this being.??


I'm in Grand Haven, which is straight west of Grand Rapids.


I've ridden the lakeshore for years, and its certainly a great ride.


We usually head north from here, but south haven and Saugatuck are nice areas, although more touristy.


I like Hunter's advice, but instead of heading from empire to traverse city, I would continue north to Leland, Northport, Suttons Bay, then back down to Traverse City.

 

If you're riding up the coast plan a stop in Grand Haven to check out the boardwalk. Two can't miss places to eat are Butch's Beach Buritos and the Pronto Pup stand.

 

we are going to be in MI from July 30 when we arrive in Grand Rapids thru Aug 4th when we leave Marquette in the UP.

 

SESupply2,
How was you trip to the western shores of Michigan? We are planning a trip coming over on the ferry from Wisconsin and plan on heading north along the western coast up through the UP and back down to Sheboygan Wi. Looking for info on what you learned from your trip in this neck of the woods last summer.

 

Wedgeply........we had an awesome trip. We started out trip by riding up to Grand Rapids for the night, hit their HD dealer that evening and headed up US31 all the way to Manistee and then north of it got on MI22. We rode that all the way up to the point and back down along Suttons Bay to Traverse City......awesome road, nicely paved, not much for gas stops so make sure you get it before you get on MI22.....lots of little touristy towns along that route. We ate in Leland on the west side.........then picked up US31 again and took it to Mackinaw City where we stayed 2 nights. As far as the UP, we took hwy 123 off I75, took it all the way to Whitefish point to the Shipwreck museum, awesome site, lots of info. left there hwy 123 south to hwy 28, then west to Munising, ate there, took hwy 94 back south to US2 and worked our way back to Mackinaw City. There are lots of roads to ride up there, lots of trees so watch for wildlife, we were never out past dark for that reason. IMO I wasn't that impressed with the UP....nice roads and lots of trees, maybe if we had more time to explore other areas it might of been better. I actually like the western MI better. Hope that helps.

 

Thanks for the input

 

You turned around too early!!! The best riding is on the west side of the UP, mainly up in the Keweenaw Peninsula. Otherwise known as the Copper Country. It is very rugged up in that area with lots of ghost towns, abandoned copper mines, and historic towns. Great riding anywhere up there. Cliff Drive and Brockway Mountain Drive are some of the most scenic roads. Don't forget Eagle Harbor, Calumet, Houghton/Hancock, Copper Harbor.... I can go on and on. You should head up there again. You could be different and head up the west side of Lake Michigan.

 

 

The only picture I happen to have on this computer. An old copper smelting factory.