Road Trip Around Lake Michigan… 5 Day Full Circle Tour

After building out my SUV as a car camper, I recruited my friend Carly, and we came up with a last minute plan to road trip and camp around Lake Michigan. We gave ourselves 5 days to travel 1300 miles, visit 4 states, touch 3 of the great lakes, and experienced a side of the Midwest that isn’t just flat corn fields.

Join us as we uncover the hidden gems and share insider tips for the perfect road trip experience. We discovered pristine sandy beaches, picturesque lighthouses, and awe-inspiring views. Whether you’re a nature enthusiast, a history buff, or a foodie seeking culinary delights, this road trip has something for everyone.

Along the journey, we stopped at some of the most renowned eateries, where we savored mouthwatering dishes that celebrate the region's diverse culinary scene. From fresh seafood to delectable farm-to-table creations, your taste buds are in for a treat as we show you the best places to eat and dine like a local. So, buckle up and get ready for an unforgettable road trip experience around Lake Michigan!

We started our adventure in Chicago, and worked our way North through Wisconsin, then south through Michigan. I don’t believe there would’ve been much of a difference if we had gone counterclockwise, but I’m happy with the route we took. Stops in Chicago and Milwaukee should definitely be on your list if you’re not from the area. We live between the two cities, so they were skipped on this road trip. In Milwaukee I’d recommend a stop at the Milwaukee Public Market for a meal, and take your choice of a brewery tour in town. Chicago has amazing museums and a beautiful waterfront.

First stop: Door County, Wisconsin

We ate brunch at Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant & Butik in the Sister Bay area. The restaurant has lots of indoor and outdoor seating, and during the summer they even have real goats on their grass roof! Head directly across the street for easy water access and a great view of the marina.

Cave Point County Park, Wisconsin

We then headed over to Cave Point County Park, there’s some awesome cliffs right by the parking lot and you can do a light hike there. It was a bit rainy and foggy when we arrived, but it added to the ambiance.

We headed to our camp site (Holtwood Campground in Oconto, Wisconsin) just outside of Greenbay, but if you’re staying in Door County for the night, the best sunset spot in Door County is at Anderson’s Dock.

Next stop: Upper Peninsula, Michigan (the U.P.)

Pro tip: buy the Michigan State Park Pass at your first Michigan park. You’ll end up saving a bit of money if you plan on going to a few of parks. It costs $30, but is good for the whole year.

Since the U.P. so far north, it will stay lighter outside much later than you are used to. I also recall hitting a time change in the UP, so pay attention to that if you book any tours. ALSO get gasoline every chance you get!  Gas stations are few and far between, and they close early (like 5-6pm). Your cell phone reception may also be pretty spotty up here, it was never a problem for us using GPS, but knowing this, I would’ve felt better having a paper map in the car, just in case.

Kitch-iti-kipi, Michigan

This is Michigan’s largest natural spring! We spent about 2 hours here, and I would highly recommend the stop. It was free to park with the Michigan parks pass, and a quick walk over to the spring. Once there, you can’t miss the large dock that is directed back and forth across the spring using tethers on each side, that the passengers on the dock have to maneuver. The spring is full of super clear water, making it easy to see 45’ down to the bottom. The spring flows 10,000 gallons per minute, and maintains a temperature of 45 degrees all year round.

A classic U.P. dish is called a “pastie.” We heard the best one in town is at Muldoon’s in Munising. It’s kind of like a meat pie, filled with your choice of meat (we shared a beef and a chicken pastie) and other cooked veggies, plus it came with a variety of gravy and sauces. Word on the street is the locals like to eat theirs with ketchup. The U.P. is also known for Trenary Toast, we didn’t personally get to try it but I’m adding it to my list for next time!

The Pictured Rocks, Michigan

Next up, we booked a cruise to view the Pictured Rocks. We booked with Pictured Rock Cruises, and did the 5pm Spray Falls cruise, and were very happy with our choice! We were there just before the season started so we missed out on doing a kayak tour in the area, apparently Northern Water Adventures is a good company to book with. You can also hike around Pictured Rocks, but to get to some of the best stuff  (Chapel Rock) it’s approximately 10 miles, so do some research if you plan to hike there. However you choose to view it, don’t miss seeing the Pictured Rocks while in the U.P.

Tahquamenon Falls, Michigan

Yet another place to use your parks pass, we camped at the Rivermouth campground, and then checked out the falls in the morning. They’re nicknamed the “root beer falls” because they’re brown with white foam, which comes from the vegetation decomposing around the river. We spent about 2 hours checking out the upper and lower falls, but there are a few hikes in the park that could easily entertain you for a whole day!

Whitefish Point Light Station, Michigan

There is a maritime museum there, but we mostly went to check out the free beach access. It was a gorgeous rock beach with lots of driftwood and great views of the crystal clear Lake Superior!

Mackinac Island, Michigan

There is a ton to do and see on Mackinac Island! Plan to spend the day here, we were priced out of staying on the island, but hotels were shockingly cheap in Mackinaw City, to the South, and St Ignace, to the North. The ferry costs $29 for a round trip, there’s 2 major ferry companies, Shepler’s & Star Line. They’re both good companies and cost the same, I believe one leaves on the hour and the other on the half hour.

Try the fudge! Each shop seems to have 2 locations, and they all say they’re the original. I watched a YouTube video of someone comparing all of them and they found that Murdick’s is the best, so that’s who I went with. We were not disappointed!

We ate lunch at the Pink Pony, which has a balcony overlooking the water. The island is known for it’s White Fish dishes, so be sure to try some wherever you end up eating!

We didn’t have time, but check out the Grand Hotel. It costs $10 to go in, but it’s apparently a very stunning property. You’ll also see it as you come in on the ferry.

Whatever you do, DON’T MISS Arch Rock (pictured above)! I’d highly recommend going up the hill at Marquette Park, walk through the park, see Arch Rock, and then go down the steps. It’s 200+ steps up to the top, so taking the hill up was way easier! There are also horse/buggy people-mover type things, you can take one of those to the top, too, just keep in mind you’ll be on their schedule of when you have to leave.

We stayed in Mackinaw City for the night, there are a bunch of hotels, all surprisingly cheap! We paid for a balcony room, but there are these black bugs all over that area (they look like big mosquitos, but apparently don’t bite) and they swarmed our balcony door. Hopefully those are out of season when you are there, but just a heads up!

That night we went to Headlands International Dark Sky Park: the reason we stayed south of the bridge (which, by the way costs $4 to cross). This was really cool, especially if you are there on a non-cloudy night. You can see the northern lights there in the winter, obviously out of season when we went in May, but it was still very cool. We went around 11pm when it was finally dark, brought our camp chairs and watched the stars for about an hour. It’s a place with super low light pollution, so the stars are very visible!

Driving South…

The Legs Inn
A Polish restaurant voted the 2nd most iconic restaurant in Michigan, we didn’t get a chance to stop here but I wish we had!

Petoskey State Park
We also didn’t get a chance to stop here, state parks cover almost the entire coast line, so we had to be picky. This is where you can find Petoskey stones, Michigan’s state stone. You’ll see lots of gift shops with things made of these stones pretty much everywhere you go.

Traverse City, Michigan

The Village at Traverse Commons

Formerly a state asylum, it turned into Michigan’s largest renovation project. It’s now got shops on the lower level and condos on the upper levels. Some cute shops to check out, but it didn’t take us very long to make it through. They have a lot of the property’s history displayed in the hallways as you pass through.

The Little Fleet

An awesome food truck village which was definitely worth stopping at. We tried almost every food truck and it was great!

Cherry Republic

Traverse City is known for it’s cherries, and this store has a TON of cherry products (don’t miss the Boomchunka cookies!).  Definitely worth a stop, and the street it’s on is really cute, but there’s also another location in Glen Arbor, which is closer to Sleeping Bear Dunes.

Don’t miss a stop at Moomer’s Ice Cream on your way from Traverse City to Sleeping Bear Dunes. You’ll see stores selling Moomer’s all over the state, but this is the only actual store they have. It is literally right next to their farm and you can see the dairy cattle roaming around. We got the ice cream flight & tried 5 different flavors, but eat it fast because it melts quickly!

Sleeping Bear Dunes, Michigan

The park has a great drive within the park, with lots of viewpoints along the way. Don’t expect to go down the dunes, it’s a steep drop into the lake, and it would take you 2 hours to climb back up! It was super windy while we were there, so be prepared for that. Grab a coffee at Leelanau Coffee Roasting in the main town just before entering the park.

Further south in a town called Mears there’s a company known for it’s dune buggy rides across the dunes, called Mac Wood’s Dune Rides. We didn’t get a chance to do this, but looks fun from the videos I’ve seen if you’re up for an adventure!

Also in Mears, check out Little Sable Point Lighthouse (pictured above). There are a TON of iconic lighthouses on the Michigan coast, so take your pick!

Grand Haven, Michigan

We camped at PJ Hoffmaster State Park, which was a very beautiful woodsy campground. We went right into town the next morning at walked the Grand Haven Pier Lighthouse. There’s a few iconic lighthouses within an hour drive from here that are all pretty similar. This one, Holland Pier & St. Joseph pier. Google them and see which one looks prettiest to you if you can only stop at one. However, we made 3 quick stops at all 3 (since I love lighthouses) and it was worth the stops.

Holland, Michigan

The whole town of Holland pulls a lot of inspiration from the Netherlands, and if you’re there in May you can catch the Tulip Time Festival. I love all things Dutch, so it was worth a stop for me, but it is a bit kitchy, if that’s not for you. We went to Nelis’ Dutch Village, skipped the theme park part, but went shopping in the stores and got some great gouda cheese & stroopwaffel.

Windmill Island Gardens, Michigan

Looked a bit more like a theme park to us, so we didn’t go in, but they do have an actual dutch windmill on site that looked really cool. This is a great stop if you’re there during the Tulip Festival.

Deboer Bakkerij, Michigan

A dutch bakery & restaurant. Exceptionally good coffee and pastries! There’s also a sit down restaurant inside.

Holland State Park had a really nice beach area, I mostly went for the lighthouse, but this would be my recommendation for spending a day at the beach.

Douglas Root Beer Barrel, Michigan

A bit off the beaten path, the Douglas Root Beer Barrel was one of my favorite stops along the trip. It’s a concession stand that serves hot dogs and root beer on tap, but the building is made to look like a giant root beer barrel! It was built in the 1950’s and recently underwent a major renovation. It’s a quirky stop along the way that I’m glad we didn’t miss!

Valparaiso, Indiana:

We couldn’t miss a stop in Indiana to complete our trip, so we ate at The Rolling Stonebaker. It used to be a food truck and is now a literal hole in the wall walk up and order kind of place. It has delicious and unique pizzas, and we also tried their meatballs and elote. Definitely worth a stop if you’re in town!

Thinking back on these past 5 days, I am honestly blown away by some of the natural beauty the Midwest has to offer.

We had a lot of other places we wanted to see along this route that 5 days frankly just isn’t enough for. But along the way we referred to this trip as a “taste test” to see which places we’d like to go back and explore more of. I’m sharing this blog to show you the highlights of the trip, but it can easily be tailored to your interests and whatever length of time you have to spend on this.

Whether you’re from the Midwest or not, a road trip around Lake Michigan is a trip I’d recommend to add to your bucket list.