Looking for a fun road trip to do in the Midwest? How about driving around one of the five Great Lakes of North America, Lake Michigan. The Lake Michigan Circle Tour will have you driving around the second largest of the Great Lakes and the only one that is completely located in the USA. The Lake is surrounded by the States of Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois. This road trip will take you through charming little beach towns, islands, and big cities.
We spent 4 days driving around the lake, but with so many beautiful towns and things to see you definitely can do 5, 6, or even 7 days, depending on how much time you have available. We started near Chicago, since that is our home base and went counterclockwise, but it can be done clockwise too. That is the beauty of these suggestions, you can pick and choose and accommodate to your liking.
Indiana
Stop 1: Indiana Dunes National Park
-During this road trip you get to knock a National Park off your list. The Indiana Dunes National Park is one of the newest designated parks becoming the 61st National Park in 2019. Here you can 50 miles of trails over sand dunes and forest, can spend a relaxing day at the beach or if you are up for the challenge you can drive next door to the State Park and participate in the 3 Dune Challenge. The challenge will have you climbing the 3 tallest dunes of the park for a total of 1.5 miles with 552 vertical feet. In the end, you get to brag about it and can even get a sticker at the Information Center.
Michigan
Stop 2: St. Joseph, MI
-Explore Lake Michigan’s Shoreline at the town of St. Joseph, here you can explore Silver Beach and visit their famous Lighthouse for a great photo-op. They take a stroll through their charming downtown.
Stop 3: Holland, MI
-The town of Holland will transport you to Europe. Visit the Windmill and their Tulip Festival during the month of May.
Other possible stops in the area: Saugatuck, Grand Haven, Silver Lake
Northern Michigan
Stop 4: Traverse City, MI
-Traverse City is one of our favorite cities in the USA. It has a little bit of everything, beaches, water sports, hiking trails, wineries, lighthouses, and is close to amazing parks like the Sleeping Bear National Shoreline. You can easily spend 1-2 days here depending on how many days you have available for the circle tour. One of our favorite activities to do in the area is going to the different wineries, our favorites are Schoolhouse, Cedar, Leelanau Cellars.
Stop 5: Mackinaw City/Mackinac Island
-A must during this road trip is Mackinac Island. The island is unique since there are no cars allowed. The best way to get to Macnicack Island is to take the ferry. There are 2 ferry services operating: Shepler’s Mackinac Island Ferry and Star Line. Both companies are very comparable. We chose to go with Star Line since the times worked for us. You can choose to do a day trip or stay overnight. We decided to do an overnight stay since we wanted to experience the island after the majority of the people left on the last ferry of the day. We rented bikes to explore the island, climbed 207 steps to Arch Rock, ate fudge, and watched the sunset in front of the clearest waters we have seen.
Stop 6: Mackinaw City & Mighty Mac
-Explore Mackinaw City and then cross the Mighty Mackinaw Bridge, aka “Big Mac” or “Mighty Mac”, the longest suspension bridge with two towers in the Western Hemisphere into Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Follow the route to Wisconsin through Manistique and Green Bay. There are a few beach stops along the way.
Wisconsin
Stop 7: Door County Wisconsin
-Next is the Door County region of Wisconsin. We spent two days exploring the area and made our home base in Sturgeon Bay. Door County is known for its beachside towns, fish boils, orchards, wineries, state parks, and lighthouses. During our stay we went cherry-picking, we drove the curvy highway to Northport and went to Cave Point County Park. This park was the highlight of our stop in the region. The park has many underwater caves, hiking trails, and limestone cliffs. You can kayak the coastline to see the cliffs or if you are feeling adventurous even jump from the cliffs into the lake.
Stop 8: Milwaukee
-Now is the time to experience some of the big cities on this itinerary. Milwaukee is the largest city of Wisconsin. The downtown area is home to many breweries and restaurants in addition to a beautiful lakefront.
Illinois
Stop 9: Chicago IL
-We end our Circle Tour in Illinois in one of the most popular cities around Lake Michigan: Chicago. You can stop at NavyPier, Soldier Field, bike or walk Lakefront Trail visit some of the Museums, and stop at Millenium Park to see famousThe Cloud, better known as the Bean. In addition, you will get a beautiful view of the city.
Hope you are able to get away and enjoy this beautiful midwest road trip. If you do share your experience with us down below.
