Fall - Color Tours, Harvest Festivals and Tranquility
Bold, brazen fall marches across the Upper Peninsula, splashing colors on our 7 million acres of forests. These vast forests are transformed into a masterpiece in varying shades of red, complemented by iridescent orange and gold. For contrast, Mother Nature leaves the pine, balsam, spruce, and hemlock clad year around in deep forest green.
Visitors and residents alike take to the roads, either following designated autumn color trails or setting off on adventures of their own design. Along the roads, chicory nods their vivid blue blossoms. Wild apples decorate gnarled old trees. When sampled, many give off the tantalizing taste of aged wine, only better.
Roads cut through tunnels of color such as the Keweenaw Peninsula’s Tunnel of Trees that leads through forests of white birch resplendent in the gold of autumn. Climb our hills and mountains to rugged granite cliffs and scenic overlooks to take in panoramic views. Some choice high places are best reached from hiking trails.
Take in the splendid views from the Tower of History at Sault Ste. Marie, Mackinac Island’s Fort Holmes, and Miners’ Castle in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Capture beauty from the white cliffs above Fayette Historic Townsite, Pine Mountain at Iron Mountain, Sugarloaf at Marquette, Lake of the Clouds in the Porcupine Mountains, Brockway Mountain at Copper Harbor, and ski hills of the Western U.P.
Recommended fall adventures include the miles of forest trails and state park campgrounds. Hike our valleys to abandoned mining villages where the aura of yesteryear grows more poignant when stirred by cool fall temperatures. Explore woodland paths where reindeer moss crunches underfoot and a brush against balsam branches emits a spicy smell.
Early fall tours can include stops along the migratory flight pathways of birds heading south. Colorful flying friends who prefer to winter with us will still be around to greet you.
Venture into fall color to kayak or canoe our rivers and streams. Take to bicycles to enjoy back roads and trails, pedaling hills and valleys with stops at vistas that reach for the horizon.
While touring the U.P., watch for harvest festivals, hometown bakeries, county fairs, church suppers, and arts & craft sales. Along the Great Lakes and especially Superior, when the wind blows strong and the waves build high, watch for adventurous surfers catching the white foaming crests for a thrilling ride back to shore. Or, bring your surf board along with a wet suit to ward off the chilly waters, and join in the fun.
See our waterfalls in autumn. Colors on the surrounding forests present splendid backdrops. Watch floating leaves swirling in the eddies. Choose a convenient boulder within reach of the misty spray. With blue skies overhead on a toasty Indian Summer afternoon and tranquil 5-Star Wilderness only steps away, linger to dream awhile.
Come mid-November, hunters and camp followers work up to a feverish pitch at the approach of their almost sacred day – the opening of whitetail deer season. Many hunters actually hunt. But all a visitor needs to join in is the orange hunters’ uniform and a taste for strong camp coffee. Hunting is optional. The fevered enthusiasm comes with the territory.
Many accommodations offer discount packages during the fall months. Choose a country inn with a fireplace, one of our numerous bed and breakfast inns, or modern lodging in your city of choice where shopping is within easy reach.
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