Felicia Fullwood
Fall Color Routes
10 Scenic Drives for Fall Color
Plan a fall color road trip with 10 self-guided scenic drives across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, from the Keweenaw Peninsula and Porcupine Mountains to Pictured Rocks, Tahquamenon Falls and the Mackinac Bridge. Each drive lists its distance, drive time, stops and directions, and shows where the leaves are peaking now, based on the weekly Fall Color Report.
Where the color is this week
Color moves from the western and interior U.P. toward the east and the Great Lakes shorelines.Choose your route
Region
Drive time
Showing all 10 routes
Tap a route or its number to see it up close. Mileage and drive times come from the tour guide and don’t include stops.
1Western U.P.Keweenaw Peninsula100 miles · 4+ hrsThe Keweenaw dazzles in every season, but it’s spectacular in fall. Vibrant foliage, crisp air and scenic roads make it a color-filled loop from Copper Country’s twin towns to the tip of the peninsula.2Western U.P.Porcupine Mountains225 miles · 4.5+ hrsHoughton is your launch point for this loop through Baraga, Ontonagon and Gogebic counties, with Lake Superior’s rugged shoreline, roaring waterfalls and 35,000 acres of ancient forest in the Porkies.3Western U.P.Iron County221 miles · 4+ hrsStart at Ironwood on the far western edge of the U.P. and loop through waterfall country, old-growth forest and the hundreds of miles of trails around Iron River.4Central U.P.Marquette177 miles · 3.5+ hrsMarquette’s vibrant downtown makes a good basecamp for this loop up the Lake Superior coast, through the Hiawatha National Forest and over to Munising.5Central U.P.Wild River & Lake Michigan Bays127 miles · 2.5+ hrsFrom the ski jump vistas of Iron Mountain to the churning Menominee River and the Green Bay shoreline, this route ends in Escanaba.6Central & Eastern U.P.Lake Michigan144 miles · 2.5+ hrsA Lake Michigan coastal drive with pull-offs you’ll want to come back to, from Escanaba’s bakeries to a ghost town, the U.P.’s largest spring and the Mackinac Bridge at sunset.7Central U.P.Lake Superior160 miles · 3+ hrsTour 4 gives you a taste of Pictured Rocks. This one is the full experience, on a county road motorcyclists rank among the top rides in the country.8Central & Eastern U.P.Tahquamenon Falls & Whitefish Point172 miles · 3.5+ hrsThe scenery gets better with every turn on this loop from Grand Marais. Plan extra time for photo stops.9Eastern U.P.Whitefish Bay81 miles · 1.5+ hrsOne of the shortest tours, with beautiful trees in the Hiawatha National Forest and along the Lake Superior shoreline.10Eastern U.P.Lake Huron to Sault Ste. Marie168 miles · 3.5+ hrsStart at the base of the five-mile Mackinac Bridge and head for Michigan’s oldest city, the freighter channel and the Les Cheneaux Islands.
Stages of fall color
Color typically begins in mid to late September and peaks during the first three weeks of October.
Before the season closes
- Oct 10Last day for the ferry to Grand Island (Tour 4)
- Mid-OctPictured Rocks Boat Cruises end for the year (Tours 4 and 7)
- Oct 31Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point closes for the season (Tour 8)
Dates are from the Fall Color Tour Guide. Check with each operator before you go.
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