Michigan, Chapter One: The Upper Peninsula (Shipwrecks, Pasties, and a Very Cold Lake)
By Diana | Between Chapters
An old family friend, someone I've known since childhood, invited me on a road trip through Michigan. The Lower Peninsula, the Upper, the bridge in between. I had wanted this trip for years: pine trails, water in colors that don't seem legal, small towns you'd never think to aim for. My heart said yes before my mouth caught up.
We made a loose plan and left the rest to Mother Nature. She overdelivered. This is the first of three chapters, because the trip was too big for one.
Bay City, Briefly
I flew into Detroit early and met my friend, who had a quick business meeting in Bay City. While he worked, I wandered downtown. Quiet, like a lot of Michigan towns, but full of small endearing details. I ducked into Old City Hall and browsed a genuinely impressive cocktail and wine list. It's five o'clock someplace, after all. The meeting wrapped fast and we pointed the truck north.
Crossing Over
The Mackinac Bridge is the moment the trip becomes The Trip. Five miles of steel over water so blue it looks retouched, connecting the two peninsulas. On the other side we stopped in St. Ignace, where a kind woman at the visitor center gave us tips for the area and one firm instruction: book your Munising area rooms now, not later. She was not wrong. Rooms up there vanish in high season. Consider this your instruction too.
We took in the bridge and all that sparkling blue from a nearby park, then got back on the road.
The Pasty Education
You cannot drive the Upper Peninsula without passing a hundred signs for pasties, so let's settle this now. It's "pass-tee." Not paste-ee. Not pah-stee. A pasty is a savory hand pie, traditionally beef, potato, onion, and rutabaga, though you'll find everything from chicken pot pie to jalapeño bacon to vegetarian these days. Hot, hearty, deeply comforting. Locals are split between ketchup and gravy for dipping. Try both. Choose your side. Defend it forever.
Au Train: A Sunset Worth the Drive
The drive from St. Ignace to Au Train winds along shorelines and through long stretches of pine, past whitefish fry stands and old barns leaning softly with time. We rolled in with just enough evening left for dinner at the Brownstone Inn, which was deeply satisfying in the way food only is after a full day of travel. Cozy, warm, a low hum of other travelers passing through. It felt like the start of something real.
Our hotel was interesting, to say the least. But it was a bed, and the bed was not the truck, and gratitude is a spiritual practice.
Afterward we walked the nearby beach at sunset and I nearly didn't recover. Sky met water in soft fire and mirrored blue. I could have stayed for hours. I almost did.
Munising: The Little Town That Stole the Whole Chapter
The moment we rolled into Munising, I knew this town was going to charm us senseless. Small, scenic, wrapped in pine and lake breeze, with exactly the right balance of quiet magic and quirky corners.
First stop: a glass bottom boat tour with Glass Bottom Shipwreck Tours. This is not your average cruise. Our guides were part history professor, part stand-up comic, fully entertaining, and beneath the glassy surface of Lake Superior we floated directly over the skeletons of two sunken ships, their rib cages still visible in the clear water. Spooky and beautiful are not opposites. This tour is proof.
Back in town, we found Gallery Coffee Co., which is a café, a bar, and an art gallery all at once, and somehow all three well. I sipped my coffee, marveled at the ceiling (go see the ceiling), and browsed antique shelves like a character in a coastal novel.
And then, because this trip knew exactly who I am, we found Falling Rock Café and Bookstore. Strong coffee, packed shelves, used books, local gossip, pure small-town literary heaven. You know the rule by now: I don't pass a bookstore, and I definitely don't pass one that also pours coffee. If you only make one indoor stop in Munising, make it this one.
We grabbed a local waterfall map, which is a real thing that exists here, and picked a handful of trails. Every path ended at falls tucked into the forest like secrets. The air smelled like pine needles and damp earth. Our shoes got muddy. It was glorious.
That evening, my friend bravely tried the whitefish food truck outside our hotel. He declared it tasty. His stomach filed a dissent. I played it safe and ventured into town solo, landing at The Driftwood Deli and Café, a vegan-friendly spot that surprised me in all the right ways. I ordered a local beer (who even am I?) and a veggie bowl that felt like a small miracle in the land of meat pies. It became our go-to for the rest of the stay.
Grand Island: 21 Miles of Love-Hate
The next morning we loaded up the fat tire mountain bikes and ferried over to Grand Island, an underrated slice of adventure just off Munising's coast. The route: a 21-mile loop around the entire island. Panoramic cliff views, dense forest, and a soundtrack of my own enthusiastic yelps. I may have caught the mountain biking bug. More on that in Chapter Three.
The biggest lesson of the day: bug spray. Do not underestimate the sand flies. They do not care that you're on vacation. They will find you.
Despite the itchy ambush, the ride was epic. We earned every uphill, coasted the downhills like kids, and stopped constantly for the views. Somewhere along the trail I decided to strip down and dive into Lake Superior. And by dive, I mean inch in slowly while squealing at the arctic temperature. It was cold. It was perfect. It took me embarrassingly long to commit, and I regret nothing.
Pictured Rocks: The Finale
Our last day in Munising might be my favorite memory of the entire trip. We booked a three-hour kayak tour along Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore with Paddling Michigan. We'd debated renting kayaks and going alone. Book the tour. Our guide was funny, patient, and full of geological trivia, and the route took us places we'd never have found ourselves.
Pictured Rocks is wild in every sense. Cliffs glowing in rust, teal, ochre, and green, like someone painted them and forgot to tell geology. Waterfalls spilling off the rock in ribbons, misting our faces as we paddled under them. At one point we squeezed our kayaks between towering walls of stone, bumping off the walls and giggling like the beginners we absolutely were. I felt like a tiny Indiana Jones in yoga pants.
I finished that paddle with aching arms, wet socks, and a completely full heart. Worth it does not begin to cover it.
Munising Quick Hits
Stay close to downtown or the water, so both food and nature stay within reach. Eat at The Driftwood for the vegan options, or brave a whitefish truck if your stomach is more loyal than my friend's. Do the shipwreck tour, kayak the cliffs, bike Grand Island, hike the waterfall map, and have something strong under the ceiling at Gallery Coffee Co. And book your room the moment your dates exist. The nice lady in St. Ignace was right.
Munising, you weird and wonderful little town. You have my whole heart.
Coming Up in Chapter Two
The ferry to Mackinac Island, which I can only describe as a Disney movie that lets you order cocktails. An 8-mile bike loop, 233 steps to Arch Rock, the Grand Hotel in all its floral-wallpapered glory, and a bar called The Pink Pony that lived up to every syllable of its name.
Chapter Two lands next week. Subscribe below and it comes straight to you.
Want the full plan, not just the story? I turned this whole trip into The Michigan Road Trip: a complete 7-day itinerary covering both peninsulas, with drive times, ferry logistics, the kayak tour worth booking, where to base yourself at every stop, and what to read along the way. It's the version of these chapters you can actually drive. Grab it here.
🎧 Listening…
Tom Lake - Which feels very much Northern Michigan
🍷 Drinking…
White Wine from Chateau Chantal
✈️ Planning…
A trip or maybe summer house in Munising….A girl can dream
💛 Recommending…
Love the color and simplicity of this sweatshirt to throw over a dress or tank. (Michigan nights can be chilly!) This lightweight rain jacket/wind breaker saved me many times (climbing those dunes!) A cute wine tasting outfit is a necessity paired with these sandals, throw a t-shirt over this set after you finish biking and/or hiking and be ready for some breweries right after!
