Just because the temperatures are cooling and the days are getting short, doesn’t mean your year-long Michigan adventure bucket list has to end.
Fall in Michigan is a spectacular time of year to celebrate the great outdoors. Crisp cool days, no bugs trying to carry you away, and scenery unlike any other. So refuel your bucket list and get ready for another set of adventures.
Hike the Wild Places
Fall is one of my favorite times of the year to take a hike in the woods. The sweltering temperatures (at least for Michigan’s standards) have subsided. The season of black flies, deer flies, horseflies, and mosquitoes has finally ended. And now it’s just you and the trail.
There are all sorts of opportunities for hiking in a deciduous forest. State parks, local trails, and national forests make excellent choices for short hikes, day hikes, or multi-day hikes.
Some of my personal Michigan fall favorite trails are:
- Hogback Mountain, Marquette
- Woldumar Nature Center, Lansing
- Lincoln Brick Park, Grand Ledge
- Potawatomi Trail, Pickney
- Chapel Loop, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
- Escarpment Trail, Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park
- Tahquamenon River Trail, Tahquamenon Falls State Park
Take up a New Hobby – Landscape Photography
There’s no better way to get outside and enjoy the season than participating in a hobby. Fall is one of the most magical times of the year for landscape and nature photographers. This is a great time to give it a try. Whether you have your cell phone, a point-and-shoot camera, or a DSLR, you’re sure to find a new way to see the world.
One fall photography tip, try shooting during a light rain or just after to naturally bring out the pigments in the leaves.
Explore the Waterfalls of Autumn
Once roaring and powerful from spring melt, waterfalls in the autumn take on a different personality altogether. Soothing, elegant streams of water tumble over sharp rock faces as the water meanders down the river. Lower water levels define characteristics of the river rock that may have been hidden during the heavy rain season.
Pick waterfalls that are surrounded by colorful deciduous trees. Some of my fall favorites are:
Go Apple Picking
Michigan is home to over 150 apple orchards across the state. It is no wonder that apple cider, apple pie, and caramel apples are a staple of the season.
Go on a U-Pick adventure to a local apple orchard, such as Uncle John’s Cider Mill in St. Johns. Get lost in a hayride, fall in love with the scenery, and enjoy the delicious harvests of the season.
Float Down the River
There’s nothing more perfect that a fall day on a river or lake where you can take in the views of the golds, reds, and oranges of the season.
Kayak or canoe one of the many rivers in Michigan, such as the Grand River, the Red Cedar River, or a more adventurous river, the Sturgeon River (lower peninsula).
Drive Through Fall
The easiest way to see as much beauty as possible during the season is to hop in the car and drive some of Michigan’s most scenic roads.
Explore M-123 from Newberry to Paradise. This 63 mile drive winds through small towns, forests, and the roaring Tahquamenon Falls State Park.
Drive along the South Boundary Road in Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. Take in the views and visit Little Union Gore Falls, Nonesuch Falls, Manabezho Falls, Manido Falls, and Nawadaha Falls.
Continue west past the Porcupine Mountains to the National Black River Scenic Byway. Not only will you be rewarded with stunning fall foliage, but also have the opportunity to hike to Gabbro Falls, Great Conglomerate Falls, Potawatomi Falls, Gorge Falls, Sandstone Falls, Rainbow Falls, and Lake Superior. This is one of my favorite scenic byways, no matter the season.
M-22 is famous and for good reason. Beautiful fall colors filled with fresh farm stands, stunning overlooks, and fun small towns can be found along this scenic drive. Make sure to stop at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore along the way.
H-58 is beautiful any time of year but there is something extra special during the fall. Take the drive from the town of Grand Marais along the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore to Munising – one of my ultimate favorite small towns to visit in the fall.
And many more. There are amazing fall scenic drives pretty much everywhere you look in the state. You just need to get out there and drive them.
So what’s on your Michigan fall bucket list?