7 days in Northern Michigan, a road trip itinerary

Sample itinerary. This plan shows the format and level of detail of a VanSledright Travel itinerary. Opening hours, prices, ferry times and seasonal dates change, so confirm the details with each provider before you book. Each day ends with a breakfast, lunch and dinner pick near that day’s stops; price levels run from $ (inexpensive) to $$$$ (a splurge), and restaurants change too, so check before you go.

Where should you stay in Northern Michigan?

Use three bases. Spend three nights in Traverse City, where the Old Mission Peninsula, Sleeping Bear Dunes and the Leelanau Peninsula are all day trips. Downtown and the West Bay waterfront are the most convenient areas, because you can walk to dinner after a day in the car.

Spend one night in Petoskey, in or near the downtown Gaslight District, and the last two nights in Mackinaw City, where many hotels are within walking distance of the ferry docks. If you would rather sleep on Mackinac Island, swap the second Mackinaw City night for a room on the island and book it early. Island hotels are seasonal and fill up in July and August.

How do you get to and around Northern Michigan?

Fly into Cherry Capital Airport (TVC) in Traverse City, which has nonstop flights from Chicago, Detroit and other hubs, and rent a car at the airport. You can also drive up from Chicago, Detroit or Grand Rapids.

You need a car for this trip. The route follows US-31 and M-22 along Lake Michigan, and no single drive is long: Traverse City to Charlevoix is about an hour, Charlevoix to Petoskey is under half an hour, and Mackinaw City back to Traverse City is about two hours. Mackinac Island is the exception. Cars are not allowed there, so you park at the ferry dock and cross on foot.

Two entry passes are worth knowing about. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore charges $25 per vehicle for a pass that is good for seven days (as of 2026), and the staffed fee stations take cards only. Michigan state parks require a Recreation Passport on each vehicle; for cars registered outside Michigan that is $12 a day or $42 for the year (as of 2026). This plan uses a state park once, on day 3.

What does the road trip look like, day by day?

The loop uses three bases, so you unpack only three times. Drive times are approximate and don’t include stops or summer traffic.

Day 1: Traverse City and the Old Mission Peninsula

Morning. Start in downtown Traverse City. Walk Front Street, the main shopping street, then cross to Clinch Park on West Grand Traverse Bay for a first look at the water. Traverse City calls itself the cherry capital, and you’ll see cherries on menus all week.

Afternoon. Drive M-37 up the Old Mission Peninsula, a narrow strip of orchards and vineyards that runs about 19 miles north between the two arms of Grand Traverse Bay. The peninsula has ten wineries; pick one or two tasting rooms and agree on a driver first. Near Chateau Grand Traverse the road tops a rise with views of both bays. At the end of the road is Mission Point Lighthouse, built in 1870, with a wide shallow beach and short trails. The lighthouse tower is open for a small fee from May to October and on November weekends.

Evening. Drive back down the west shore of the peninsula and stop for dinner at Bowers Harbor before returning to town.

Where to eat on day 1

• Breakfast: The Omelette Shoppe (downtown Traverse City, $$). The Cass Street location is a block off Front Street, so you can start the morning walk from the table. Known for cinnamon rolls and omelets.
• Lunch: Sleder’s Family Tavern (Traverse City, west of downtown, $$). A tavern open since 1882, a few minutes from downtown, for a burger before the drive up the peninsula.
• Dinner: Jolly Pumpkin (Old Mission Peninsula, $$). A brewery restaurant in a 19th-century mansion on Peninsula Drive at Bowers Harbor, on your way back from the lighthouse. It closes earlier than restaurants in town, so check the hours.

Day 2: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Morning. Drive west to Empire, about 30 to 40 minutes from Traverse City, and stop at the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center to buy your park pass. Then hike the Empire Bluff Trail, a moderate 1.5-mile round trip to a high overlook above Lake Michigan.

Afternoon. Drive the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, a 7.4-mile one-way loop with twelve marked stops. The Lake Michigan Overlook is the best-known stop; stay on the viewing platform, because the bluff below it is very steep and the climb back up is much harder than it looks. Next, go to the Dune Climb, a tall wall of open sand that you climb on foot. The trail from there to the big lake is a strenuous 3.5-mile round trip over more dunes, and the Park Service says it takes most people about three hours, so only start it with water and time to spare.

Evening. Stop at Glen Haven, a preserved historic village on the beach with a general store, a blacksmith shop and a boat museum in the old cannery. Drive back to Traverse City for dinner.

Where to eat on day 2

• Breakfast: The Flap Jack Shack (Traverse City, on US-31, $). A pancake house on the south side of town that opens early, for a full breakfast before a day of hiking.
• Lunch: Art’s Tavern (Glen Arbor, $$). A tavern open since 1934 in the village between the scenic drive and the Dune Climb. Open all year. Cash or check only.
• Dinner: Trattoria Stella (Traverse City, Grand Traverse Commons, $$$). Italian cooking with a menu that changes daily, in the former state hospital buildings at Grand Traverse Commons, on the west side of town as you drive back in. Closed Tuesday; book ahead.

Day 3: The Leelanau Peninsula and Fishtown

Morning. Follow M-22 north along West Grand Traverse Bay to Suttons Bay, a small harbor town with a main street of shops, and on to Northport. At the tip of the peninsula, inside Leelanau State Park, is the Grand Traverse Lighthouse, built in 1858 and now a museum. You’ll need the Recreation Passport for the car here.

Afternoon. Drive down the Lake Michigan side to Leland for lunch and Fishtown, a cluster of weathered fishing shanties, smokehouses and docks along the Leland River where commercial fishing boats still tie up. A nonprofit preserves it, and several shanties now hold small shops. Spend the rest of the afternoon on the beach in Leland or at a winery on the way back across the peninsula.

Evening. Return to Traverse City on M-22 along the bay and have dinner on the water before you reach downtown.

Where to eat on day 3

• Breakfast: Grand Traverse Pie Company (downtown Traverse City, $). A local bakery cafe that started in Traverse City in 1996, for a quick breakfast and a slice of cherry pie for the road.
• Lunch: The Cove (Leland, in Fishtown, $$$). Lake Michigan whitefish and seafood chowder in Fishtown itself, a few steps from the shanties. Check that it’s open if you visit in spring or late fall.
• Dinner: Apache Trout Grill (Traverse City, West Bay, $$$). Fish and steaks on the shore of West Grand Traverse Bay, on M-22 as you drive back into town. Open since 1994.

Day 4: Charlevoix and Petoskey

Morning. Check out and drive US-31 north to Charlevoix, about an hour. Pick up a map at the visitor center on Mason Street and walk to the mushroom houses, the stone cottages with wavy cedar roofs that local builder Earl Young designed from 1919 into the 1970s. They are private homes, so look from the sidewalk. Several are a short walk from downtown on Park Avenue.

Afternoon. Drive on to Petoskey, under half an hour north. Walk the breakwall and the shore at Bayfront Park to look for Petoskey stones, the fossil coral with a six-sided pattern that is Michigan’s state stone. They are easiest to spot when wet. Then walk up into the Gaslight District, the old downtown shopping streets.

Evening. Petoskey faces west across Little Traverse Bay, so the waterfront is a good place to watch the sun go down before or after dinner.

Where to eat on day 4

• Breakfast: Round’s Restaurant (Traverse City, East Eighth Street, $). An old-fashioned diner on the east side of town, on your way out toward US-31 north.
• Lunch: The Villager Pub (downtown Charlevoix, $$). A pub on Bridge Street for Great Lakes whitefish or perch, a few blocks from the mushroom houses. Open daily for lunch.
• Dinner: City Park Grill (downtown Petoskey, $$$). A restaurant in an 1875 building where the young Ernest Hemingway spent time, in the Gaslight District close to the waterfront.

Day 5: The Tunnel of Trees to Mackinaw City

Morning. Drive around the bay to Harbor Springs, about 20 minutes, and walk its small waterfront. Then take M-119 north. This is the Tunnel of Trees, a 20-mile road to Cross Village that runs under a canopy of hardwoods along a bluff above Lake Michigan. It is a narrow two-lane road with tight curves, and it is hard going in a large vehicle, so drive slowly. In 2026 a section near Good Hart was closed by washouts, with a signed detour, and Cross Village stayed reachable by State Road. Check the Petoskey Area Visitors Bureau page for the road’s status before you set out.

Afternoon. Have lunch in Cross Village at the end of the road, then drive on to Mackinaw City, about 40 minutes, and check in. Walk to the shore for a first view of the Mackinac Bridge.

Evening. If the sky is clear, drive a few minutes west to Headlands International Dark Sky Park. It is free and open all night, with a designated viewing area on the shore. White lights, including phone screens, are not allowed in the viewing area, so bring a red flashlight.

Where to eat on day 5

• Breakfast: Roast & Toast (downtown Petoskey, $). A cafe that has roasted its own coffee since 1993, on Lake Street in the Gaslight District. Open from 7am.
• Lunch: Legs Inn (Cross Village, $$). A stone and timber landmark from the 1930s at the north end of the Tunnel of Trees, serving Polish food with a garden above the lake. Open late May to late October, closed Tuesday, no reservations.
• Dinner: Dixie Saloon (downtown Mackinaw City, $$). A bar and grill at Huron and Central avenues, across from the ferry dock, with windows facing the straits.

Day 6: Mackinac Island

Morning. Take a morning ferry to Mackinac Island. Shepler’s and Arnold Transit both sail from Mackinaw City, and the crossing takes about 20 minutes. Rent a bike near the dock and ride M-185, the 8.2-mile road around the island’s shore and the only state highway in the country with no cars. It is mostly flat and takes about an hour without stops. Stop at Arch Rock, where 207 steps climb from the road to the limestone arch, and at British Landing, the halfway point.

Afternoon. Return the bike and walk up to Fort Mackinac on the bluff above the harbor. The fort has fourteen historic buildings, including the oldest building in Michigan, and costumed staff fire rifles and a cannon through the day. Afterward, walk west to the Grand Hotel. Non-guests pay an admission fee to walk its long front porch and grounds. Leave time for Main Street and its fudge shops.

Evening. Have dinner on the harbor and take an evening ferry back. Check the time of the last boat when you arrive in the morning, because it is earlier in spring and fall.

Where to eat on day 6

• Breakfast: Darrow’s Family Restaurant (Mackinaw City, $). A family restaurant that starts breakfast at 8am, a short drive or walk from the ferry docks. Seasonal; it closes for the year in mid-October.
• Lunch: Fort Mackinac Tea Room (inside Fort Mackinac, $$). Sandwiches and salads on a terrace overlooking the harbor, run by the Grand Hotel. You need a fort ticket to reach it, so eat here as part of your fort visit.
• Dinner: Pink Pony (Main Street, Mackinac Island, $$$). A waterfront bar and grill in the Chippewa Hotel with a patio over the harbor, close to the ferry docks. No reservations, so put your name in early.

Day 7: Mackinaw City and the drive back

Morning. Visit Colonial Michilimackinac, a reconstructed 18th-century fort and fur-trading village on the shore beside the Mackinac Bridge. Costumed interpreters demonstrate cooking, crafts and musket firing, and archaeologists have been digging on the site every summer since 1959. Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse is a short walk away, and the park between them has the best ground-level view of the bridge.

Afternoon. Drive south on US-31. Stop in Petoskey for lunch, about 45 minutes from Mackinaw City, then continue to Traverse City, about an hour and a half more.

Evening. Return the car or check in for a last night, and have a farewell dinner downtown.

Where to eat on day 7

• Breakfast: Audie’s Restaurant (Mackinaw City, $$). The Family Room opens at 8am all year, a few blocks from Colonial Michilimackinac. Audie’s has served visitors since the bridge was built in the 1950s.
• Lunch: Mitchell Street Pub (downtown Petoskey, $$). A neighborhood pub that opens at 11:30am daily, for a burger or its white chili on the drive south.
• Dinner: Amical (downtown Traverse City, $$$). A bistro on Front Street open since 1994, for a last dinner within walking distance of the downtown hotels. Book ahead in summer.

When is the best time for a Northern Michigan road trip?

Mid-June to early October is the window for this plan. July and August have the warmest water and the longest days, along with the highest hotel prices. September is quieter, and fall color usually arrives in the first half of October. For December, see our Midwest Christmas markets road trip.

If you travel outside that window, expect these closures:

• Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive is open to cars from about late May to late October.
• Mackinac Island ferries run their main season from late April to the end of October. In 2026 both companies sailed from April 21 to October 31.
• Fort Mackinac and Colonial Michilimackinac open in early May and close in October: Colonial Michilimackinac in mid-October and Fort Mackinac about two weeks later.
• The Grand Hotel is open from early May to late October, and most island hotels, restaurants and bike shops keep a similar season.
• Seasonal restaurants such as Legs Inn and Darrow’s close by late October. Art’s Tavern, Audie’s, Sleder’s and the Petoskey and Traverse City restaurants in this plan stay open all year.
• Glen Haven’s museum buildings are staffed in summer only.

What should you book ahead in Northern Michigan?

Book these before you go, especially for July and August:

• Your rental car, collected at Cherry Capital Airport.
• All three bases. Traverse City sells out around the National Cherry Festival in early July, and Mackinaw City fills on summer weekends.
• A room on Mackinac Island, if you want to stay overnight.
• Dinner at Trattoria Stella and Amical in Traverse City.
• Ferry tickets can be bought online or at the dock and are not tied to one sailing. Go early in the day in July and August.

You don’t need to reserve the Sleeping Bear Dunes pass; buy it online or at the visitor center when you arrive.

Want a Northern Michigan plan built for your trip?

This sample is written for two adults with a car on a first visit. A custom plan starts from your own dates, budget and interests: more beach time, more wineries, a family with young children, two nights on Mackinac Island, or an extension into the Upper Peninsula.

A custom itinerary for a trip of 4 to 7 days is $149. Send your details through the form below and we’ll confirm the plan and the price by email before you pay anything. See pricing for other trip lengths.