Overnight Adventure Along the M-22 on Michigan’s Upper West Coast

One of the most fun parts of my month-long trip to Michigan in May 2021 was two full days exploring the scenic M-22 along Michigan’s northwest coast. This trip technically starts just north of the small town of Manistee and ends at Traverse City. I expanded it a bit.

To get the full effect, start in the small town of Ludington (on the way to Manistee) and plan to wrap up the journey in Petoskey. My version of this fabulous overnight trip bypassed the “big city” of Traverse City. I’m sure it’s lovely and if you have a second overnight available, I’d add a night here on the way back from Petoskey.

Here are the top spots along Michigan’s northwest coast worthy of exploration.

Waterfront Park Sculptures Ludington, Michigan

1. Ludington is a small lakeside town most famous as a commercial fishing port. It’s the number one salmon port on Lake Michigan. Stearns Park is known for its white sandy beaches and has many water activities available for the family to enjoy. Stroll along the beach and search for the next rock or unique shell to add to your collection.

Waterfront Park is a highly recommended Ludington stop with miles of trails and interesting sculptures at every turn. Of course, Michigan residents love their lighthouses and Ludington’s is worth a snapshot. Finally, a tidbit you may find interesting - the SS Badger Car Ferry connects Ludington with Manitowac, WI in the summer months (when the lake isn’t a block of ice). It’s the largest car ferry to cross the Great Lakes.

2. Quaint Manistee is one of the best stops along this journey. You can easily spend a couple of hours in this Victorian Port city, starting with a wander through Veteran’s Park taking photos of the historic main street that lines the Manistee River on the opposite side.

Drive across one of the town’s two bridges and wander the Riverwalk. It’s 2.75 miles through downtown to Lake Michigan, but if you aren’t up for that long of a walk, the distance between the two bridges is three quarters of mile in length so you’ll be able to make the loop in an hour’s stroll. This is the best part of the Riverwalk as it straddles the river on one side and Main Street buildings on the other. Walk the boardwalk and return to your starting point along historic Main Street.

If you’re into fishing, Manistee considers itself the fishing capital of the Midwest and there’s plenty of salmon, trout, and panfish to catch on Lake Michigan and Lake Manistee.

Departing Manistee, just north of town, the M-22 scenic highway officially begins. Look for the signs as you’ll need to veer off to the left to catch the M-22.

3. Arcadia – Just 20 minutes after the scenic route begins, you’ll drive through the little town of Arcadia and in another ten minutes arrive at the Arcadia Overlook, also known as Inspiration Point. This is worth a stop as it’s the highest point overlooking Lake Michigan.

Traipse up the 210 steps and breathe in the majesty of the Lake view with the turquoise waters below. It seemed more like the tropical Caribbean waters than I’d imagined a northern, inland, Great Lake to be. If you’re lucky, you might spot a bald eagle flying overhead. There’s a path along the cliff below the towering staircase that’s a great option for stretching your legs and experiencing more views of Lake Michigan.

4. Frankfurt – Drive 20 minutes and stop in Frankfurt for a craft beer and lunch at Stormcloud Brewing Company. Their handcrafted Belgian ales are a delight even for non-beer drinkers. Be sure to try the truffle oil and parmesan popcorn.

Another 10 minutes outside Frankfurt, is the Point Betsie lighthouse and surrounding dunes. The lighthouse itself was closed due to Covid when I was there, but the views were breathtaking nonetheless. I had a great time scouring the dunes for rock souvenirs and playing in the sand like a kid in my backyard sandbox.

5. Sleeping Bear Dunes – It seems like each of these stops is a half an hour from the other. Empire, home of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, is no exception. This is a good place to spend the night. If you left early enough in the day to begin this adventure, there’s still daylight to explore the National Lakeshore and sweeping dunes on this first afternoon.

Consider the Lakeshore Inn for your stay. I loved it and I’ll stay there on my next adventure. It’s clean and centrally located to Sleeping Bear Dunes hotspots. It’s next door to the Visitor Center if you plan to stop by for a National Parks passport stamp or info on local hikes from the Rangers.

Drive five minutes north along the M-22 and you’ll see a turnoff to the left for the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive. This is a seven-mile scenic loop with a dozen stops to pull over and learn about the lakeshore area and the impossibly tall dunes found here. Don’t climb the dunes, just enjoy the scenic overlooks and take advantage of the photo opportunities.

Following the loop drive, head five minutes north to the Dune Climb. This is the best place in the park to climb the dunes. It doesn’t look that steep yet it’s shockingly tiring and a long trek to the top. The great thing about this dune climb is starting at the base just off the parking lot and climbing up. Whenever you’ve had enough cardio, you can turn around and effortlessly walk or slide to the bottom.

There are one or two places on the earlier scenic drive where you might be tempted to climb on the dunes. Don’t. These all start at the top, which means you climb down (the easy part) and then must make your way back up to return to the parking lot. Avoid an expensive rescue call for help, climb dune starting from the base.

My favorite dinner and breakfast spots are the Cherry Public House in Glen Arbor and Joe’s Friendly Tavern in Empire. Cherry Public House is a fifteen-minute drive from the hotel. I ended up there on a whim and ran into the owner of the Lakeshore hotel at the restaurant that evening. Popular among locals and tourists alike, it’s a craft brewery with a cherry-theme, over 200 cherry products, and 12 cherry-based craft beers to sample. Try an in-season cherry cider and a Burger 101 with side of thick cut fries.

6. Before heading north on the morning of day 2, stop at Joe’s Friendly Tavern on Lake Street. It’s less than a ten-minute walk from the hotel. Friendly staff, coffee, and breakfast items are plentiful here.

After filling up, head 40 minutes north on the M-22 into secluded Leelanau County to find Leland’s Fishtown. It’s a historic, well-preserved, 150 years old fishing village filled with quaint shops and friendly locals. It’s fun to wander and take photos before heading down the street to Van’s Beach in search of Leland Blue stones.

If you aren’t a rock person before this trip, you will be by the end of it. It seems every town along this coast is known for a different type of fossilized rock or near-rock. Leland Blue aren’t stones at all, but beautiful pieces of slag from smelting works conducted here in the 1800’s. Before a thought was given to environmentalism, companies dumped iron-ore byproducts into the lake.

These “stones” are blue glass inflused with other chemicals that when quickly cooled by the lake’s water turned into swirling shades of blue, gray, or even green. Now collector’s items, these “stones” are made into jewelry and other decorative items. You will likely have more luck finding one of them in a local shop rather than on the beach, but it’s fun to channel your inner child and go rock hunting anyway.

7. At the very tip of the M-22, another 30 minutes north, is Northport. Throughout Leelanau county, there are local wineries and beautiful parks, lakes, and lighthouses too numerous to mention. Northport has a beautiful marina and park area along the water. The Grand Traverse Lighthouse is a short drive out of town.

From this point southward, the drive leaves the Lake Michigan coastline and travels along Grand Traverse Bay. On this part of the drive be on the lookout in Springtime for bright white cherry blossoms in full bloom. This part of Michigan is Cherry Blossom territory, and you will see field after field of them as you drive toward Sutton’s Bay.

8. Fifteen minutes down the coast of Grand Traverse Bay, you’ll arrive at Sutton’s Bay. Its picture-perfect main street filled with quirky shops and galleries is worth an hour or so to explore. Sutton’s Bay is a great foodie destination as well, with restaurants of every kind lining the streets. I stopped at Scoops 22 for a lemon poppy seed ice cream cone on this sunny afternoon. It was worth all the carbohydrates and calories!

The M-22 officially ends half an hour from here in Traverse City. A good many of you will be tempted to spend the night in Traverse City and I bet it’s worth it. As I was driving through, it felt like a big city in comparison to the quaint local towns leading up to it. I “audibled” it and chose to bypass Traverse City altogether. If you decide to bypass it as well, drive around the eastern side of the Bay and squeeze in a couple more “must-see” northern Michigan hot-spots.

9. Leave Traverse City on Highway 31 hugging the waterfront. In just under a couple of hours, you’ll arrive at the small town of Charlevoix. The highlight of this delightful coastal town is its residential street filled with unique, hobbit-like mushroom houses. These were designed and built over a fifty-year period in the 1900s by self-taught architect Earl Young.

Some of these masterpieces of stone, thatch, and cedar shake are inhabited by locals while others are available to rent through VRBO. I plan to return here with friends for a hobbit-house overnight. Not far from the mushroom houses is the waterfront with yet another beautiful light house and rocky beach area, perfect for more rock hunting.

As it turns out, Charlevoix has its own fossilized rock, a Favosite, made from coral that lived 250-450 million years ago. These stones are gray-ish in color and to me look like chia-seed pudding. The little “chia seed” hexagons are the structure that once held tiny pieces of coral. The structure reminds me of Japanese capsule hotels with row after row of identical bullet shaped rooms lined up one after the other.

10. From Charlevoix, head to Petoskey, a thirty-minute drive to the east. This is a cute small town to wander through and a great spot to spend the night. Make sure to walk along the waterfront in search of a Petoskey stone – another Favosite, like its cousin the Charlevoix stone. These are most easily spotted in the shallow waters. When the stones are wet, they change from a dull tan color to visibly display their unique honeycomb pattern. If you can’t find a stone along the shore, shops in town have them available for $3-4 apiece.

11. If you decide to stay the night, consider the classic Perry Hotel with its incredible views overlooking Little Traverse Bay. It’s a short walk to Shopper’s Lane and Bay Street storefronts and galleries. Grab dinner at the nearby Palette Bistro. They have a great happy hour where you can order up a $5 French 75 champagne beverage and baked feta cheese dip for less than $20 (including tip!)

12. At this point you’ll have to make a choice – continue North another forty-five minutes to see the spectacular Mackinaw Bridge and ride the ferry to Mackinaw Island. Or return south and spend time exploring Traverse City. My time was up so I can’t advise you on either direction other than to say both seem “worth it”. I’ll update you after I complete my return trip.

Hopefully, this blogpost gives you a good start at planning your northern Michigan adventure. I’ve heard that it’s stunning in the fall as the leaves are changing colors. It was beautiful in the springtime when I visited. I’m sure every season has its charms in this little slice of Midwest heaven. If you’re interested in more photos of the M-22 adventure, head on over to my Instagram profile @travelistaliz.