This Michigan highway packs sand dunes, wine country, and a turquoise coast into 116 miles

It’s the nation’s best autumn drive

A two-lane road runs 116 miles along the Lake Michigan shoreline in northwest Michigan, and unless you live in the Midwest, you’ve probably never heard of it.

M-22 loops around the Leelanau Peninsula, past sand dunes that rise 400 feet above the water, through fishing villages that haven’t changed since the 1880s, and alongside a lake so clear it looks Caribbean.

USA Today readers voted it the best scenic autumn drive in America. Rand McNally put it in the top five driving tours in the nation.

And somehow, it still flies under the radar.

The road signs people keep stealing

M-22 goes back to 1919, one of Michigan’s original highway designations.

Over the years, the state rerouted sections to hug the water more closely between Suttons Bay and Traverse City, and two stretches now carry Pure Michigan Byway status.

But the best proof of how much people love this road is the signs. The M-22 marker became so popular that theft turned into a real problem, with the state replacing about 90 signs in three years.

That same marker now shows up on stickers, clothing and gear all over the Midwest.

Climb 210 stairs to the highest point on the lake

The Arcadia Overlook, sometimes called Inspiration Point, sits 800 feet above Lake Michigan, the highest point along the lake’s entire shoreline.

You’re already 370 feet up just standing in the parking area. From there, you climb 210 stairs and a series of viewing decks to reach the top platform.

The views stretch for miles across open water in every direction. A telescope on the platform lets you spot ships on the horizon.

Every evening, crowds gather here to watch the sun drop into the lake.

Point Betsie was the last hand-staffed lighthouse on the Great Lakes

Point Betsie Lighthouse went up in 1858 to mark the southern entrance to the Manitou Passage. Its name traces back to a Native American word for the sawbill duck, filtered through French as “Pointe Aux Bec Scies.”

For over a century, keepers ran the light by hand. It held out longer than any other on the Great Lakes, finally going automated in 1983.

Today you can walk through the keeper’s residence, the fog signal building and the boathouse museum.

The original Fourth Order Fresnel lens is back inside and on display.

Crystal Lake looks like the Caribbean in Michigan

Crystal Lake covers nearly 10,000 acres in Benzie County, making it Michigan’s ninth-largest inland lake.

On sunny days, the water shifts between turquoise and deep blue, and first-time visitors almost always compare it to the Caribbean. The lake drops to 165 feet at its deepest point.

Before the Civil War, people called it “Cap Lake” because whitecaps hit the surface so often. M-22 curves along the north shore between Frankfort and the Sleeping Bear Dunes, so you drive right alongside it.

Sleeping Bear Dunes earned the title of Americas most beautiful place

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore runs 35 miles along the Lake Michigan coast, and M-22 cuts straight through it. Sand dunes tower more than 400 feet above the water.

The park spans about 70,000 acres and includes two wilderness islands, North and South Manitou. Good Morning America viewers once named it the Most Beautiful Place in America.

More than a million people visit each year. The famous Dune Climb lets you scramble up sand hills for a wide look at Glen Lake below.

Drive the 7.4-mile loop with 12 stops through the dunes

The Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive winds 7.4 miles through dunes, forests and Lake Michigan overlooks, with 12 stops along the way.

Stop number nine, the Lake Michigan Overlook, pulls the biggest crowds in the park. You can walk, bike or rollerblade it. In winter, crews groom sections for cross-country skiing.

If you’d rather move on your own two feet, the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail stretches over 20 miles on paved path through the national lakeshore, connecting Empire, Glen Arbor and the Dune Climb area.

A 1.5-mile hike with a 400-foot drop below the deck

The Empire Bluff Trail runs 1.5 miles round trip through a beech-maple forest and ends at a boardwalk and observation deck perched more than 400 feet above Lake Michigan.

From the top, you can see South Bar Lake, the Sleeping Bear Dunes and South Manitou Island spread out below. Most people finish the hike in under an hour.

In spring, wildflowers cover the forest floor. In fall, the canopy turns to reds, oranges and golds. It’s one of the most popular short hikes in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.

Fishtown still smokes whitefish like it did in 1904

Leland’s Fishtown is one of the last working commercial fishing villages left on the Great Lakes. Weathered shanties, smokehouses and docks line the Leland River right where it flows into Lake Michigan.

Commercial fishermen have worked this spot since the 1880s. Two historic fish tugs, the Joy and the Janice Sue, sit along the working waterfront.

Carlson’s Fishery opened in 1904 and now runs in its fifth generation, still smoking and selling fresh whitefish. The Fishtown Preservation Society has managed the site since 2007.

Glen Arbor sits between the bay and 200 cherry products

Glen Arbor is a small village pressed between Sleeping Bear Bay and the Glen Lakes, and it serves as the gateway to the national lakeshore.

Cherry Republic runs a whole campus here with a store, restaurant and gardens, stocking over 200 cherry-themed products.

Michigan ranks as one of the top cherry-producing states in the country, and you’ll feel that everywhere in town.

Nearby Glen Haven, a historic steamship village preserved by the National Park Service, has a general store, blacksmith shop and boat museum.

25 wineries and the line between the equator and the pole

Suttons Bay sits on the eastern shore of the Leelanau Peninsula along Grand Traverse Bay.

You can walk the compact downtown and hit more than 25 shops, art galleries and over a dozen restaurants. Rolling vineyards surround the village, and the peninsula holds more than 25 wineries.

Farther north, Northport anchors the top of the peninsula with its marina, parks and orchards full of cherry and apple trees.

M-22 crosses the 45th parallel twice on the loop, the halfway mark between the equator and the North Pole.

The lighthouse at the tip has watched the water since 1852

The Grand Traverse Lighthouse stands inside Leelanau State Park, eight miles north of Northport at the very tip of the peninsula.

The original tower went up in 1852, and the present light dates to 1858, making it one of the oldest on the Great Lakes.

Inside, the restored keeper’s dwelling looks like a home from the 1920s and 1930s, with exhibits on shipwrecks, foghorns and local maritime history.

You can climb the tower for views of both Lake Michigan and Grand Traverse Bay. The surrounding state park covers over 1,550 acres with rustic campsites, mini cabins and trails along the rocky shore.

Drive M-22 through Michigan’s Leelanau Peninsula

You can pick up M-22 at US-31 just northeast of Manistee, and the road ends in Traverse City.

Cherry Capital Airport in Traverse City is the closest major airport. The full 116-mile drive takes about three hours without stops, but most people spend a full day or more.

You’ll need a vehicle pass for Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and a Michigan Recreation Passport or daily entry fee for Leelanau State Park.

Check the official website for current pass prices before you go.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

Read more from this brand:

• Chasing golden dunes and lakeshore color near Sleeping Bear this October
• Holland, Michigan: where Dutch tradition meets Great Lakes beach culture
• Lake Muskegon Drops Off EPA Toxic List After 40 Years and $84 Million