The Best Michigan Road Trip For Awe-Inspiring Waterfall Views Is A Coastal Peninsula Paradise

A 60-mile claw reaching out into Lake Superior along Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the Keweenaw is the northernmost peninsula in a state full of dramatic peninsulas. Its sparse population and dramatic scenery inspires secluded nomadic roamings through forested hills and across an inland waterway, the Portage Canal, that technically separates it from the main Upper Peninsula. The canal's name means "Keweenaw" in Ojibwe, the Native American language indigenous to the region, and describes how the canal and inland lakes helped connect the region to the mainland. Although it doesn't have the glacial lakes and alpine views of a western road trip, its position on the deepest Great Lake amidst 60-foot waterfalls and countless scene-stealing hikes is not a bad substitute.

You can reach the remote region through the gateway city of Houghton, which is a five-hour drive from Mackinac City, the northernmost tip of Michigan's Lower Peninsula, or four hours from Green Bay, Wisconsin, and Duluth, Minnesota. Flights to Houghton County Airport depart twice daily from Chicago O'Hare, connecting Keweenaw to the world; the flight time is about two and a half hours. Once you arrive, you'll want to pick up a rental car at the airport for your road trip. Make sure to have a map handy as you travel, as mobile phone service isn't always available. There aren't too many roads around, so most of your route will take you along US-41 (in the central peninsula), Gay Lac La Belle Road (east coast), or MI-26 (northwest coast). You can take the tour any time of year to enjoy dramatic scenery, but in the early spring and summer, you'll find the waterfalls at their most dramatic.

Trace the trail of Michigan's very own awe-inspiring waterfall mecca along Keweenaw's inland waterway on MI-26, with a first stop at Hungarian Falls Nature Area in the town of Hubbell, 7 miles from the airport and open to the public for free. With an upper, middle, and lower falls, there is something for every hiking and experience level. For light hikes, try the upper and middle falls, each with around a 20-foot drop; the 60-foot drop of the lower falls is only possible by taking a more challenging hike. From the falls, you can visit Torch Lake, also in Hubbell, or head east via Rice Lake Road to the coast of the peninsula to walk the sandy beach of Schoolcraft Township Park on Superior Grand Traverse Bay. This is a peaceful, sandy, off-the-beaten-track beach with 18 parking places, and is perfect for a summer swim between road tripping locales.

Driving north along Gay Lac La Belle Road will take you along the edge of Lake Superior until Point Isabelle. Stop on the edge of Lac La Belle Lake in the namesake village to see Haven Falls. Then, head north to US-41 and continue on to Copper Harbor, where you can hike the Manganese Falls. Stop for lunch at the humble Tamarack Inn (517 Gratiot Street, open 8 a.m. until 3 p.m.), which has a four-star rating on TripAdvisor. Spend the night in Copper Harbor and visit the Keweenaw Peninsula Dark Sky Park, headquartered at Keweenaw Mountain Lodge (14252 US-41, Copper Harbor) for one of Michigan's most remote regions for viewing a different kind of natural wonder: the stars.

As you traverse the west side of the peninsula on M-26, the stunning views of the lake continue, and rocky vantage points with hiking trails abound in the quiet, peaceful atmosphere, even without going to a remote island national park. You'll want to take in the majestic scenery at Silver River Falls, directly off MI-26 in Eagle River Township, and maybe even wade in the water. For more hiking and climbing, stop off at Mount Baldy (directly south of M-26 and Lake Bailey) for a 6-mile round trip hike up more than 1000 feet of elevation. If you didn't think Michigan had mountains, maybe the view will change your mind.

Back on M-26, continue south until you reach Jacob's Falls, a dramatic and fast-moving falls that can be seen from the road. For a deeper journey into the falls, you can make a difficult hike through some additional falls to complete the journey. Next door to the falls, you'll find The Jampot (6500 M-26), a jam and bakery outlet where local monks from the nearby Byzantine monastery sell regionally-grown fruity jams and other delicious offerings. The shop is open Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., from May until October.

As you leave Eagle River, M-26 will merge into US-41 and take you south to Calumet, the rugged mining capital of Keweenaw and a town that's still full of historical landmarks, despite its population of only 621 people. Buildings dating back to the 19th century tell the story of Indigenous Ojibwe miners, French traders, and the U.S. citizens that crowded in during the mining heyday of the late 1800s. Follow US-41 south to complete your tour in Houghton, finding water one more time at the Portage Canal.