Looking to plan the perfect Michigan Upper Peninsula Road Trip that takes about a week? I’ve got you covered! Continue reading for the best waterfalls, hiking trails, view points, and adventure activities in Michigan’s UP!

why this blog? Hi there! My name is Maddy and this article was written by me, a person! I grew up in the Midwest, now live on Lake Superior and have for six years, and I have seven years of experience as an outdoor guide. The Upper Peninsula (UP) is my backyard, and I’m happy to show you how to the travel the UP on a shoestring budget, which is the only way I know how to travel 🙂

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Upper Peninsula magic! Left: Lake of the Clouds at peak fall color. Right: Black River Scenic Byway.

Best 7-Day Upper Peninsula Road Trip Route:

An Upper Peninsula Road Trip is one of the best road trips in the Midwest! In Michigan’s UP, you can find remote waterfalls and popular, short hikes. You can find museums, roadside attractions, and all together some of the coolest things to do in the Great Lakes Region. Here is the best one-week road trip route for travelers on a budget:

Leave No Trace in the Upper Peninsula:

Much of the hiking and recreation in the state of Michigan is on the cultural and ancestral homelands of the Odawa and Ojibwe Nations. With this in mind, it’s important to treat all outdoor spaces with the respect of potential sites of cultural and archeological significance.

This includes packing out everything brought with you including toilet paper (which can take years to biodegrade) and apple cores (which can attract bears to the trailhead). Remember to leave everything as found, hike only on designated trails, hike through mud and not around it to avoid further damaging fragile trails, and pay attention to local invasive species concerns including cleaning hiking boots before hiking. 

In addition, camp only in designated campsites and park only in designated parking spaces! Remember to plan ahead and prepare for wilderness travel, and be sure to carry three ways to signal for help beyond a cell phone (I like a whistle, signaling mirror, and Garmin InReach). 

Left: car camping to save money while travelling. Right: taking in the view from an incredible Upper Peninsula campsite!

What to pack for an Upper Peninsula road trip:

Michigan can be hot during the day during the summer, but cool in evenings especially by the coast. Up on Lake Superior, temperatures may be much cooler year round. Remember! The best gear is the gear you have with you.

Here’s what to pack for hiking in Michigan:

• Long pants: for women looking for a flattering fit and functionality try Kuhl Freeflex or REI Trailmade
• Long sleeve wool baselayers : wool tops like this make a great hiking layer both for sun protection and for regulating body temperature 
• Shorts: I like a quick dry pair with a built-in belt  and a elastic waist, swim-friendly pair
• If paddling or swimming: a UPF sun hoodie
• A down puffy jacket that packs down small: nights are a lot cooler than you might expect!
• Leggings with pockets!!! 
• A solid day hiking pack
• On rugged trails, trekking poles
• Hiking boots: I like Oboz Bridger Mids for best grip and ankle support, or alternately hiking/paddling sandals like Bedrocks (designed for paddling guides and paddling guide (me) approved)
• A solid raincoat
• Binoculars for watching wildlife
• If camping, a tent, sleeping bag, and sleeping pad
• If backpacking, backpacking gear!
• An America the Beautiful Pass
• A Michigan Recreation Pass

My number-one budget road trip tip is to sleep in your car and forgo a tent! Sleeping in your car can be comfortable and feel extra safe for solo female travelers. It also makes it easier to spot camp and sleep in your car at a trailhead if needed, though I recommend finding an actual campsite for comfort’s sake.

READ: Road Trip Packing List

Day One: Tahquamenon Falls and the Shipwreck Coast

First thing on your Upper Peninsula road trip is to drive up over the Mackinac Bridge (pronounced Mack-in-aw) and head up to the Tahquamenon Falls! Tahquamenon Falls State Park is massive and encompasses 12-miles of the river, with great hiking trails. I recommend checking out both the Upper and the Lower Falls before heading to your next destination of the day.

Lake Superior-side camping in along the Shipwreck Coast.

From here, head up to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum ($15 admission) at Whitefish Point to learn about the history of Great Lakes Shipwrecks, including the infamous Edmund Fitzgerald, before you drive the Shipwreck Coast. From here, head over to Deer Park, MI (avoid Forest Service Roads for now) and hop on Deer Park Road. Camp for the night at Muskallonge Lake State Park; you can make reservations here. If you’re not inclined to pay state park camping rates, keep driving and check out some of the first-come, first-serve State Forest Campgrounds just down the road, but be warned that they may be full at peak summer.

If you’re not looking to camp, drive through to Grand Marais, Michigan for lodging.

Day Two: The Pictured Rocks

Spend all of your second day road tripping the Upper Peninsula exploring the Pictured Rocks! Here, check out Log Slide Overlook and the Grand Sable Dunes. I recommend carving out the better part of a day to hike the Chapel-Basin Loop, which is just over 10 miles; keep in mind that the parking lot here tends to fill early in the morning. This is the most popular hike in the park, but it’s popular for a reason– it’s gorgeous!

For shorter hikes, check out Munising Falls, Miner’s Falls, and Miner’s Castle.

Hiking along the Pictured Rocks Chapel Basin Loop

For wilderness vibes for your Upper Peninsula at to save money, head in to one of the many state forest campgrounds in the area. Here, you can probably snag a cheap rustic campsite on an inland lake and make a camp meal for the night. Otherwise, check out lodging in Munising.

One of the most popular things to do in the Pictured Rocks is sea kayaking! Personally, I think your time (and money) is better spent hiking above the cliffs. There are frequent rockfalls in the park and you can’t get very close to the cliffs safely in a lot of points, and the views are better from above. I do not recommend bringing your own kayak to the Pictured Rocks. I work as a Lake Superior guide, and there is a good reason to book a guided tour; the lake is cold, hard to read, and it can often appear glass calm at the launch point and become extremely wavy by the time you reach the cliffs.

READ: Best Things to do in the Pictured Rocks

Day Three and Four: The Keweenaw Peninsula

From the Pictured Rocks, it’s time to head up to the Keweenaw Peninsula, which is easily one of the coolest places in Michigan! If you’re able to spend two days here, definitely do, and bring a mountain bike! Find great first-come, first-serve camping at Emily Lake, or book in advance at a State Park. Alternately, stay in a hotel in Houghton, MI.

Beautiful Bete Gris Beach in the Keweenaw Peninsula.

While in the Keweenaw, hike to Canyon Falls, Hungarian Falls, or Douglass Houghton Falls, and drive the Brockway Mountain Scenic Drive. If you’re going to splurge just once on this trip, do it in the Keweenaw. Book a full day sea kayaking trip to Montreal Falls, and hit Takka Saunas in the evening.

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Day Five and Six: The Porcupine Mountains

After the Keweeanaw, head west to the Porcupine Mountains. The Porkies are truly “can’t miss” on an Upper Peninsula Road Trip. Here, check out Lake of the Clouds, Summit Peak, and the Presque Isle Waterfalls before heading to the Black River Scenic Byway to snag a campsite at Black River Harbor Campground and check out the waterfalls there. Alternately, stay in a hotel in Ironwood, Michigan.

Left: one of the incredible campsites in the Porkies. Right: Falls on the Presque Isle River.

If you’ve got the time, it’s worth booking a backpack-in campsite in the Porcupine Mountains. Here, you can camp right on Lake Superior, on the ridge that overlooks the valley beneath the Escarpment, or at Mirror Lake, which is perfect for swimming. The backpacking in the Porkies is relatively beginner friendly. Though there’s no cell service, the trails are well-worn and you often see kids scout groups out backpacking.

READ: Best Things to do Porcupine Mountains

Day Seven: The Southern Upper Peninsula

Leave the Porkies early in the morning on the last day of your road trip and head south to the Southern Upper Peninsula. This is longest leg of your road trip to get back to the bridge, but you totally have the option to break it up differently and sacrifice time in the Keweenaw or Porcupine Mountains, though I really do recommend taking a full day and a half to explore both. In my opinion, the Keweenaw and Porkies are both better, less crowded and more beautiful destinations than the Pictured Rocks.

Leave the Black River Falls area early and head south towards Manistique; this should take about four hours! Stop at Kitch-iti-kipi to see one of the prettiest natural springs in the Great Lakes.

Continue east along Lake Michigan, but don’t forget to stop at the Northernmost Point on the Lake! If you haven’t gotten smoked whitefish and a pasty yet, do it lunch and eat on one of the many roadside beach stops. Go for a swim, get sand in your car. Taking a day to drive this stretch of shore and savor in how truly wild it feels is one of my favorite parts of driving through the Upper Peninsula, and it makes the perfect end to the road trip before heading back to the “real world”. I especially like to stop at Cut River.

Playing hooky on Monday and need one last place to camp? Check out Hog Island State Forest Campground, Brevort Lake, Lake Michigan Campground, or one of the many, many others.

more great lakes adventure ideas…

• Ultimate guide to solo female road trips
• 27 Best Hiking Trails in Michigan
• 10 Midwest Road Trip Ideas
• Best Backpacking Trips in the Midwest
• Beginner’s Backpacking Checklist

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