michigan lighthouse circle tour map

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Driving Lake Michigan’s Circle Tour

Posted By: Julie Henning October 17, 2022

Connected to the Atlantic Ocean by a system of locks, canals, and channels along the Saint Lawrence Seaway, a popular Midwest road trip is the Great Lakes Circle Tour, a designated scenic road system connecting all of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River. The Great Lakes Circle Tour consists of routes for circumnavigating the Great Lakes, either individually or collectively. The Lake Michigan Circle Tour is part of this system.

Lake Michigan Circle Tour

With 1,640 miles of shoreline touching Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin, the Lake Michigan Circle Tour exists within the Great Lakes Circle Tour. First published by the Michigan Department of Transportation and the West Michigan Tourist Association as a 52-page guide book in 1899, the Lake Michigan Circle Tour was replaced by a website in 2007. However, you can order a printable copy of the map to be sent to your home address (we have this and like it).

Marked with this scenic road marker every ten miles, the Lake Michigan Circle Tour is roughly 1,000 miles long, the drive would take about 14 hours to complete without stopping. A key attraction on the tour is 105 Lake Michigan lighthouses, some of which are accessible only by boat. Brown “Harbor Tour” signs are intended to direct travelers on a side trip into one of the many port communities along the lakeshore.

Lighthouse map, courtesy of https://lakelandboating.com/lake-michigan-lighthouse-map-updated/

Key Stops on the Lake Michigan Circle Tour

Having completed the entire trip over the span of several years and several road trips and in different seasons, there’s something about Lake Michigan that sort of gets in your soul. Here are some of our recommended key stops along the route, with links embedded to more detailed stories previously published on Road Trips for Families.

West Michigan

I grew up in West Michigan, so let’s start there. Sand dunes, boardwalks, and beaches. These three things are fundamental to the childhood of anyone living within 40 miles of “The Lake.” In Holland, Tunnel Park has an amazing playground, beach, and campsites. Duck Lake State Park , north of Muskegon is an excellent spot to try skim boarding (pick your own board up at Meijer or purchase one before your trip ).

I Love Grand Haven Sandcastle at Grand Haven State Park

Grand Haven has a lovely boardwalk and popular state park. We visited last year and went on a sunset cruise (read more in this story ). Hug the lakeshore and continue north on M31 and you’ll pass through Ludington (where the SS Badger car ferry crosses the lake into Manitowoc, Wisconsin). Before you leave, however, be sure to stop and see the lighthouses here (we recommend a visit to Ludington State Park ).

Big Sable Point Lighthouse, Ludington State Park

M22 and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Arguably the most popular tourist destination in Michigan is the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore , Traverse City and the Leelanau Peninsula. Once a month I see a M22 sticker on a vehicle out here in Oregon; a testament to the fact that so many of us Michiganders have moved west but still have a formative connection to this part of the world. The Oregon Dunes National Lakeshore is as close as it gets. As I mentioned earlier, some of the stops on the Lake Michigan Circle Tour are only accessible by boat/ferry, namely the Manitou, Beaver, and Squaw Islands.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

I have strong family ties with the Manitou Islands; my great great grandparents settled there after immigrating to America; read about making your own day trip to South Manitou Island in this story.

South Manitou Island Lighthouse

Door County, Wisconsin

Considered the Cape Cod of the Midwest, Door County, Wisconsin is the Wisconsin tourism equivalent of Michigan’s Leelanau Peninsula. Also known for wine, cherries, sailing, and shopping, over ten lighthouse stops are noted on this section of the Lake Michigan Circle Tour.

Scenic Views of Door County, Wisconsin

Because the wind typically travels West to East across Lake Michigan, you won’t find the spectacular sand dunes (when I first moved to Wisconsin in 1995 I was not expecting a quick and steep drop off into the water at Bradford Beach in Milwaukee – one can easily wade slowly out into Lake Michigan for several hundred feet on the opposite shore). That said, spectacular winds and deep water help put places like Sheboygan, Wisconsin on the map as the Surfing Capitol of the Midwest.

Travel south from Sheboygan and make a stop in Port Washington, home of the famous Pirate Festival . As spectacular as Michigan’s dunes are Wisconsin’s bluffs.

Bluffs Overlooking Port Washington, Wisconsin

Bottom of the Lake

The bottom, or “foot” of Lake Michigan is about the opposite experience from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula as it gets (we don’t have any published stories on the U.P, but we’ll fix that soon, eh!) If you have never been to Milwaukee , add it to your bucket list. Milwaukee is one of the most underrated cities in America and has lots to offer for families from museums to parks, sports, festivals, events, tours, and loads of regional, ethnic, non-chain restaurants.

North Port Lighthouse Museum

A lovely stop on the Lake Michigan Circle Tour is the the North Point Lighthouse Museum is a lighthouse built in 1888, located in the picturesque Lake Park and now on the National Register of Historic Places. For more ideas on what to do in Brew City, check out my insiders guide here . Approximately 30 minutes south of Milwaukee in the town of Racine the Windpoint Lighthouse, another lighthouse/museum worth checking out.  We had a nice picnic on the beach here despite visiting in early spring when the wind can still be bitter cold from the recent ice melt.

Windpoint Lighthouse in Racine, Wisconsin

Kenosha , Chicago , South Chicago , and Norther Indiana have stops along the route; the Indiana sand dunes and Indiana Dunes National Park is most definitely on our bucket list.

Kenosha lighthouse. Kids for scale.

Before You Drive the Lake Michigan Circle Tour

Before you visit Wisconsin and Michigan, be sure to read these funny insider tips in these stories:

• 15 Important Things You Need to Know Before Visiting Wisconsin
• 15 Important Things You Need to Know Before Visiting Michigan

About the Author

Julie henning.

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How to make the most of the Lake Michigan Circle Tour

• April 12, 2018

When it comes to Great American road trips along the water, California’s Pacific Coast Highway gets all the press. But I say the middle coast is incredibly underrated. Why not drive around Lake Michigan?

There are two ways to tackle this 900-mile, 14.5-hour drive. The first is to complete it all at once. The other? Break it into two separate trips—the north loop and the south loop. A ferry between Manitowoc, WI and Ludington, MI make it easy to bisect the huge body of water. The 620 passenger vessel can accommodate tour buses, RVs and cars, and takes about four hours. Sounds like a fun adventure to me!

In addition to resources on GoRVing.com , both Michigan and Wisconsin’s tourism boards do a great job of pointing you toward RV campgrounds along the route.    

Tackling the serene North Loop

Kick off your trip in Ludington, Michigan, heading north toward Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, and Traverse City. With its rich blue waters, white sand beaches and nothing but water on the horizon, it’s easy to see why this town is called the Caribbean of the North.

If you can, allot a few days here. Explore Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes, the five local lighthouses (I have a thing for lighthouses!), and explore many great restaurants. From breakfast at the Grand Traverse Pie Company to Asian-inspired food at Alliance Restaurant, there’s no shortage of great places to grab a bite.

Next, it’s on to the “Tip of the Mitt” (aka the top of Michigan—you’ll notice locals regularly use their palm to denote locations within the state). Stop in Petoskey’s downtown, which overlooks Lake Michigan and offers terrific shopping, then continue on to Mackinaw City. From here, you must must must take the ferry to famous Mackinac Island. It’s one of my favorite places in the country. Touristy, sure, but I adore any place where no cars are allowed (here’s my travel guide to the island ). Simply leave your camper or RV on the mainland and head over for the day or even overnight.

From Mackinaw City, you’ll cross the “The Mighty Mac,” the 10th largest over water suspension bridge in the world. Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (aka the U.P.).

For one of the strangest attractions in the area, visit Saint Ignace’s Mystery Spot , an area where gravity, allegedly, seems to have gone haywire. Is it a natural phenomenon… or cheesy tourist roadside stop? Hmm… maybe both. The route through the U.P. is quite rural, but offers many opportunities to immerse yourself in nature. Fall colors explore here, and there’s tons of great hiking and mountain biking.

Continue on to Marinette, WI. This area is known for its series of scenic and accessible waterfalls, located primarily in Marinette County’s Parks System. From there, it’s on to Green Bay, home of the Packers and historic Lambeau Field.

If you can, allocate a few days to picturesque Door County, WI. A weekend and holiday playground for Milwaukee and Chicago residents, you’ll find quaint shops, wineries, restaurants, pretty campgrounds and more on this peninsula. And with that, you’re headed to Manitowoc, home to the largest maritime museum on the Great Lakes, and where you can hop aboard the ferry back to Ludington.

Exploring the scenic South Loop

The south loop kicks off in Manitowoc. Head south down I-43 Sheboygan and into Milwaukee. If you’re lucky enough to drive through on a Friday, hit up one of the city’s many fish frys. In fact, no matter where you are in Wisconsin, this happens every single Friday. Think fried cod or perch served with tartar sauce, potato pancakes, apple sauce and coleslaw. Paired with a Wisconsin brewed beer or an old fashioned, it’s the quintessential ‘Sconnie meal.

Next stop? Chicago. Route 137 joins Lakeshore Drive (US-41), taking you past the Lincoln Park Zoo, Navy Pier and the Shedd Aquarium. Indiana is but a blip on the Circle Tour, passing through industrial Gary (birthplace of Michael Jackson), then onto Dunes Highway near the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. If weather permits, stretch your legs along the sandy shoreline, or hike the West Beach Dune Succession Trail and boardwalk. Nearby you’ll find the town of Beverly Shores, where you may view the five historic Century of Progress Homes from the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair.

The Dunes Highway continues on to Michigan City (which is actually in Indiana), then into the Great Lakes State. Explore the Riviera of the Midwest’s charming towns, like the wine lover’s haven of New Buffalo; St. Joseph and its delightful lighthouse and beach; and Holland, known for its Dutch heritage, quaint shops and restaurants, and its annual springtime Tulip Festival . Both Grand Haven and Muskegon are great stops for beach adventures, spectacular views of lakeside dunes, wilderness trails and more. There are plenty of places to park your RV for a night or extended stay.

The farther north you drive, the more scenic and less populated the landscape. Meander through the communities of Whitehall, New Era, Shelby, and Hart, as well as Silver Lake Sand Dunes. The blue waters adjacent to the dunes are so crystal clear, you can actually view a wreckage of three ships that sunk on November 11, 1940. Art lovers will adore Pentwater, which hosts arts and crafts fairs all summer long. Fifteen minutes north of Pentwater, you’ll be in Ludington, where you may catch the ferry back to Manitowoc.

Have you driven the Lake Michigan Circle Tour? Any tips for making the most of the experience?

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This Post Has 15 Comments

Do have a map of this tour?

Try this link. https://www.wmta.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Lighthouse-Map-for-Web-2018.pdf

I loved the info. I grew up in Zion IL. Do you have a map of this tour?

I loved this info and grew up 50 miles north of Chicago in Zion. I wondered if you have a map of this tour?

I did this trip late last Sept in my T@b camper for 2-1/2 weeks. Made it as far as Mackinaw Island, but not the upper peninsula, It was the hottest two weeks MI had experienced all summer. Stayed in state parks all around the lake down to Holland. Let me just say, Lake Michigan is absolutely beautiful and the beaches and clear water made for some great swimming! I highly recommend Sleeping Bear Dunes Nat Park, the wineries on Traverse Bay, and the trip back in time on Mackinaw Island! Can’t wait to go back and go up into the Upper Peninsula!!!

@Kathy – Hello! I will be driving a camper for a 5 day trip around Lake Michigan, coming from Chicago. I saw your comment and was wondering if you had any additional suggestions/tips for camping. Sleeping Bear is definitely on the list already. I’m just trying to research easy places to stay for a night or two on the trip. Any advice is greatly appreciated! Stephanie

Try this on a Harley….. so much more fun.

I would love a paper map of the circle tour. Is that available? Been looking at lots of sites and see nothing. Thanks for any help.

My husband and I took a week’s vacation to drive around Lake Michigan a number of years ago – stopping and staying in many of the lakeside towns along the way. Even though we’ve vacationed in west and northern Michigan our whole lives, we discovered things we had never seen before or hadn’t seen in years. Shopping in Saugatuck, swimming in Lake Michigan all along the way, seeing Dorr County, WI, Lambeau Field and New Buffalo for the first time. Driving through the Tunnel of Trees along Lake MIchigan north of Harbor Springs (and lunch or dinner at Legs Inn in Cross Village on a shelf overlooking the lake.) Hanging out in Chicago. But somehow we missed Silver Lake Sand Dunes, still need to go back to see them! If you’re going now, check out some of the many craft breweries along the way — Greenbush (Sawyer, MI), New Holland (Holland, MI), Founders (Grand Rapids, MI), Right Brain, Workshop, & North Peak (Traverse City, MI), Short’s (Bellaire, MI), 3 Floyds (Munster, IN) — and tour the not-so-small Miller brewery in Milwaukee! And those are just the ones we’ve been to – there are many more. It’s a great trip, so beautiful!

Great tip. Harbor Spring Michigan is a must-do. Don’t forget Johans Backereys in Petosky and Harbor Springs!

Teri. I liked your comment around the Lake Michigan tour that you and your husband did, that is some thing that me and my wife would like to do this coming week, do you have a map or places that you may recommend to stop by. will appreciate if you can share it.

Alfredo & Austria

I would like a paper map, how do I get one?

West Michigan provides a paper map of the circle tour. It also shows most of the Lake Michigan Lighthouses on the route. You can print off your own map by downloading it or send a request and they will mail one to you. https://www.wmta.org/lake-michigan-lighthouse-map-circle-tour/lighthouse-driving-itinerary/ You can also visit the: State of Michigan Historical Markers web site for additional places to visit: State of Wisconsin Historical Markers: https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS15267 State of Illinois Historical Markes: http://www.historyillinois.org/HistoricalMarkers.aspx State of Indiana Historical Marker: https://www.in.gov/history/2350.htm I am also going to suggest a side trip to Beaver Island, Michigan which is the largest inhabited island in Lake Michigan, with a year round population. You can fly there from Charlevoix airport (15mins) or take the ferry from Charlevoix (2 and 1/2 hours) leave your car in Charlevoix you can rent a car (advance reservation suggested or rent a bike). There are a couple of primitive campgrounds that are only $10 a night both right on Lake Michigan! Thank you Samantha for your suggestions as well.

As a lifelong Mighigander, I have a few must see places that I visit whenever I vacation on the Lake Michigan shoreline: 1) Horizons bookstore in Traverse City- one of America’s great bookstores 2) Northern Latitudes Distillery in Leland 3) Scalawag’s Seafood in Traverse City and Mackinaw City 4) The Omelette Shoppe in Traverse City 5) Grand Traverse Winery in the Old Mission Peninsula

I grew up in Muskegon, Michigan, so I’m glad Sam mentions it. Pere Marquette beach there is indeed beautiful. Downtown is a short exit off US-31 and has a great brewery, Pigeon Hill, and I believe a distillery nearby as well. South of downtown is the excellent Hearthstone restaurant, from which you can easily get back to US-31. Head north on US-31, between Muskegon and Whitehall, and you’ll find Michigan’s Adventure Amusement Park and water park. There are several camping options in the area, including Duck Creek RV Resort, which is across the street from Michigan’s Adventure.

I currently live in Chicago, where I’ve been for several years. I love the city, but it’s probably not the best place to visit on this driving tour. You can get around best without a car, and parking is really expensive. Also, since there’s a lot to do here, I think it warrants more time and thus a separate visit. If/when you do come to Chicago, my advice is to also get out of downtown and into the real neighborhoods, as they all offer cool restaurants, shops, pubs, festivals, etc. and more character.

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Use this updated map, itinerary to tour more than 100 Lake Michigan lighthouses

• Published: Apr. 15, 2022, 1:03 p.m.

Big Sable Point Light pictured at sunset on September 29, 2015 at Ludington State Park in Ludington, Mich. (Joel Bissell | MLive.com) MLive.com MLive.com

• Brandon Champion | [email protected]

Michigan has more lighthouses than any other state.

So it’s a good thing the West Michigan Tourist Association has once again released its Lake Michigan Lighthouse map.

The free poster-sized publication details all the lighthouses located on the shores of the Great Lake, which also providing a circle driving tour of motorists traveling around the lake trying to see them.

Along the way, travelers will find more than 100 lighthouses, countless islands, unique attractions, parks and natural areas, miles of glorious beaches, quaint harbor towns, and one “modern marvel” – the Mackinac Bridge.

RELATED: What it’s like to spend a night with the ‘lighthouse keepers’ at Big Sable

The cover of the 2022 map features an aerial photo of South Haven Lighthouse, courtesy of Dan Zeeff. a professional landscape, aerial, and architectural photographer based near Grand Rapids

The full circle tour driving route around Lake Michigan is available online and in PDF form. You can also have a hard copy mailed to you.

This year, the WMTA also released 24 free, digital jigsaw puzzles showcasing this year’s featured lighthouses. Puzzles, which can be found here , include:

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• Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Pierhead Lighthouse
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• Southport Lighthouse
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Because life's too short to stay home …, lake michigan's greatest hits, a nine-day circle tour itinerary takes in the highlights of this ultra-scenic drive..

© Beth Gauper

Smack in the middle of the Upper Midwest, Lake Michigan is irresistible in summer.

It's America's freshwater Riviera, and everyone competes for a little piece of that beautiful sand: beach bums, lighthouse buffs, campers on a budget.

A road trip around its shores is one of the world's most scenic drives, a thousand miles of lakeshore lined by state, county and national parks — and two big cities.

But it's tricky to plan a Circle Tour of Lake Michigan. What to see, what to do, where to stay? If you wait till the last minute, you may not find a place.

Here's a nine-day, eight-night Circle Tour of Lake Michigan that takes in the highlights.

Start planning as far in advance as possible — six months if you're planning to camp over weekends in Michigan beach parks, 11 months in Wisconsin parks.

For more, see Camping around Lake Michigan .

Plan up to a year in advance if you want to stay anywhere on holiday or festival weekends in a beach town or in one of the many state-park cabins.

For more, see Michigan's great lake cabins .

For an overview of what you'll see, go to Circling Lake Michigan .

For half a Circle Tour, with a short cut by ferry, see Lake Michigan with kids .

For details, see Planning a Circle Tour of Lake Michigan , which lists the biggest festivals.

The shoreline is 1,640 miles long, but it's about 1,100 miles by car, or less if you want to skip one of the four largest peninsulas — the Door in Wisconsin, the Garden in the Upper Peninsula and the Mission and Leelanau in Lower Michigan.

Since you have to start somewhere, we start in Green Bay.

Green Bay to the Straits of Mackinac, 255 miles

Get an early start if you want to see the best attractions along this stretch, mostly along U.S. 2 through the Upper Peninsula.

Less than an hour from Green Bay , you'll come to the Fire Museum in Peshtigo, where more than 1,000 people died in an 1871 forest fire that largely was overlooked because the Great Chicago Fire happened the same day.

Half an hour east of the Wisconsin-Michigan border, take a break on the lovely beach at J.W. Wells State Park. In Escanaba, see the 1868 Sand Point Lighthouse.

At this point, it's possible to head north on U.S. 41 for a detour to Marquette or Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, stops on the Lake Superior Circle Tour .

Continuing east on U.S. 2, two unusual sites are worth a short detour. On the Garden Peninsula, the intact but abandoned Fayette Historic Townsite was a boom town in the 1880s, when its giant furnaces smelted ore into iron, then shipped it to the big cities.

As soon as you're back on U.S. 2, it'll be time to turn off for Kitch-iti-kipi Spring , where you'll get onto a raft and propel yourself across the spring to watch water bubbling from deep within the earth, like an underground volcano.

On the Straits of Mackinac, either spend the night in St. Ignace , take the ferry to Mackinac Island or cross the Mackinac Bridge to spend the night in Mackinaw City .

It's expensive to stay on the island, but it's worth it if you get up early to enjoy the quiet before day-trippers arrive.

Mackinac Island , a short ferry ride

This fabled island really is spectacular. Get away from its fudge-infested main street as soon as possible to tour Fort Mackinac and bluffs lined by magnificent Golden Age "cottages."

© Torsten Muller

Bicycles are the best way to see this car-free island. Bring or rent one to circle it on the eight-mile Lake Shore Road and cross its rounded hump — the Ojibwe called it Michilimackinac, land of the great turtle, for the way its interior rises from the lake.

You'll see famous Arch Rock, the Sugar Loaf, the ruins of Fort Holmes, nature trails and carpets of wildflowers.

Mackinaw City to Traverse City, 106 miles

Many people give short shrift to Mackinaw City , but that's where you'll find one of the lake's biggest family attractions: Colonial Michilimackinac, a fur-trade post staffed by interpreters who portray the year 1775, when the British controlled it.

If you also plan to go to Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island, buy a Triple Choice Ticket and visit Colonial Michilimackinac and also Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse or Historic Mill Creek Discovery Park, which includes a 425-foot zip line and 50-foot-high forest canopy bridge.

From Mackinaw City, drive west to Cross Village and have a meal at the Legs Inn , whose fieldstone façade is lined with white stove legs. Founded by a Polish immigrant in 1921, it combines Old World traditions with a quirky outsider-art aesthetic.

From Cross Village, the Tunnel of Trees follows the Lake Michigan shoreline to the old-money enclave of Harbor Springs and the resort town of Petoskey.

In pleasant Charlevoix, take a stroll along the canal that connects Lake Michigan to big Lake Charlevoix and see the stone " mushroom houses " designed and built by local resident Earl Young. You can even rent one if you want.

Traverse City to Empire via the Leelanau Peninsula , 85 miles

Traverse City has an enviable spot at the foot of Grand Traverse Bay and two long peninsulas. Swim from its beaches, bicycle the TART Trail, shop and eat in its appealing downtown or take a cruise on the tall ship Manitou .

If you love lighthouses (and wineries), travel to the tip of the Old Mission Peninsula to see the Old Mission Point Lighthouse or up the Leelanau Peninsula to Grand Traverse Lighthouse . You can stay there as a volunteer keeper , and also at other lighthouses around the lake.

Then continue on to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore , the one required stop on the Lake Michigan Circle Tour.

Empire to Holland, 184 miles

Get up early to play in the giant sandbox of Sleeping Bear Dunes. Do the Dune Climb, swim from the beaches, hike the Empire Bluff trail and tube down the Platte River.

Continue down the lake to Ludington State Park, where you can swim from the beach, tube down the Sable River and walk or bike to the 1867 Big Sable Point Lighthouse, which you can climb.

Just south of Ludington, you can go on a motorized dune ride over the Silver Lake Sand Dunes . Then continue to the Dutch town of Holland and its beloved Big Red lighthouse on the beach. For a great beer, check out New Holland Brewing .

Holland to New Buffalo, 82 miles

Spend part of the morning on the expansive beach of Holland State Park.

Now you're in serious tourist land, and the next stretch is thick with fun little beach towns, each a worthy destination in itself.

In Saugatuck, browse the shops, and if you have time, visit Oval Beach via hand-cranked chain ferry across the Kalamazoo River.

In South Haven, take a ride on the Friends Good Will , a replica of an 1810 square-topsail sloop that's berthed at the Michigan Maritime Museum .

In St. Joseph, ride the carousel and swim from Silver Beach . Near Sawyer, walk the dunes of Warren Dunes State Park .

Then follow the old Red Arrow Highway to New Buffalo and its festive beach.

Each of these beach towns between Muskegon and South Haven has its own craft brewery, as do the towns between Benton Harbor and New Buffalo .

New Buffalo to Racine, 145 miles

New Buffalo is the last beach town before Indiana and Indiana Dunes National Park , whose scattered, non-contiguous parts will puzzle many visitors.

West Beach, the closest to Chicago, is the easiest national-park beach to get into. It's lovely, though flanked by steel mills.

You won't want to spend any time in Gary. And you won't have time to fight your way through the Chicago suburbs to the city's lakefront, which is lined by gorgeous beaches.

So save Chicago for another trip and keep on driving to the Wisconsin border, where you'll reconnect with Lake Michigan at Kenosha . There's a beautiful sand beach and a whole bevy of lighthouses here, along the harbor and up on the hill above downtown.

Continue to Racine, which also has a lovely beach. A bike trail connects North Beach to the Racine Zoo and downtown.

Racine to Two Rivers, 120 miles

In Racine , take a free tour of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed SC Johnson complex.

On the north end of town, stop to see the classic 1880 Wind Point Lighthouse , one of the tallest on the Great Lakes. If you're there on the first Sunday of the month from June through October, you can tour it.

Milwaukee is a destination in itself, but you'll have time to cruise along its beautiful lakefront. If you're there by noon, you'll get to see the "wings" of the Milwaukee Art Museum close and open.

Milwaukee, of course, is a great place to drink beer and tour a brewery .

A bit farther up the coast, Port Washington has a marina and a lighthouse on the hill.

Sheboygan has a lovely beach and the remains of a shipwreck at Deland Park. Just up the hill, its John Michael Kohler Arts Center has a blockbuster collection of  outsider art, and admission is free.

In Manitowoc, stop at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum to tour the U.S.S. Cobia submarine. If you plan ahead, you can even stay there overnight — yes, in the submarine.

The paved Mariners Trail follows the lakeshore and connects Manitowoc to Two Rivers , birthplace of the ice-cream sundae.

Two Rivers to Green Bay via Door County, 179 miles

Just north of Two Rivers, stop at Point Beach State Forest — or better yet, ride your bike there on the lovely Rawley Point Trail.

In Sturgeon Bay , the door to the Door Peninsula, stop to see the town's three lighthouses.

The Door Peninsula is worth a long weekend, at least. But if you only have time for drive-by sightseeing, you can see the highlights and take a stroll or two in a lakefront park.

Head up the peninsula on the Lake Michigan side, stopping at Cave Point County Park just south of Jacksonport. At Baileys Harbor, walk the boardwalk and trails of Ridges Sanctuary , home of rare wildflowers and two old range lights.

If have time, continue around Rowleys Bay to Newport State Park and the curving white-sand beach at Europe Bay.

Otherwise, turn around at Sister Bay and head down the Green Bay side, stopping to look around Peninsula State Park and the charming towns of Ephraim, Fish Creek and Egg Harbor .

Then you're back in Green Bay. If you didn't get there before, or if your kids need a break from driving, visit Bay Beach Amusement Park and ride the Zippin Pippin, a replica of Elvis' favorite roller coast in Memphis.

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Where local news matters most.

2019 edition of Lake Michigan Lighthouse Map now available as a free resource

By Adrienne Brown-Reasner West Michigan Tourist Association

Lighthouse lovers, get ready to plan your next lighthouse adventure! The West Michigan Tourist Association (WMTA) is excited to announce the release of the 2019  Lake Michigan Lighthouse Map & Circle Tour . This is a free poster-sized publication which details all of the lighthouses located on the shores of Lake Michigan, as well as the Circle Tour driving route to guide motorists around the lake.

The full circle tour driving route around Lake Michigan is available online, and website visitors may also download a PDF of this year’s  Lighthouse Map , or request that a free copy be mailed to them here:  https://www.wmta.org/lake-michigan-lighthouse-map-circle-tour/

Vacationers have been looping the lake for generations, but the official “Lake Michigan Circle Tour” route was not established until the 1980s when the Michigan Department of Transportation teamed up with West Michigan Tourist Association to create the route and its official guidebook. Along the way, travelers will find more than 100 lighthouses, countless islands, unique attractions, parks and natural areas, miles of glorious beaches, quaint harbor towns, and one “modern marvel” – the Mackinac Bridge.

While a loosely-organized “circle route” around Lake Superior was promoted by local tourist organizations as early as the 1960s, the first official (and signed) Great Lakes Circle Tour was the Lake Michigan Circle Tour. The only single-nation Circle Tour (Lake Michigan being the only Great Lake completely within the US), the Lake Michigan Circle Tour also has the most mileage of any Circle Tour in the state.

Working in conjunction with the Michigan Department of Transportation, the West Michigan Tourist Association helped to make the first of the official Great Lakes Circle Tours a reality and the first publication was released in 1988 as a 52-page guide book. The guide book was transformed into a map in 2007, and the Circle Tour driving route can now be found online.

Lake Michigan Lighthouse Map & Circle Tour  publications are also available in bulk quantities; please contact  [email protected]  for more information.

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Fruitport Area News Online

The hometown paper reaching fruitport and sullivan townships, 2021 edition of lake michigan lighthouse map & circle tour now available.

West Michigan – Get ready for your next lighthouse adventure! The West Michigan Tourist Association (WMTA) is excited to announce the release of the 2021 Lake Michigan Lighthouse Map & Circle Tour . This is a free poster-sized publication which details all of the lighthouses located on the shores of Lake Michigan, as well as the Circle Tour driving route to guide motorists around the lake.

The full circle tour driving route around Lake Michigan is available online, and website visitors may also download a PDF of this year’s Lighthouse Map , or request that a free copy be mailed to them here: www.wmta.org/lake-michigan-lighthouse-map-circle-tour/

Vacationers have been looping the lake for generations, but the official “Lake Michigan Circle Tour” route was not established until the 1980s when the Michigan Department of Transportation teamed up with West Michigan Tourist Association to create the route and its official guidebook. Along the way, travelers will find more than 100 lighthouses, countless islands, unique attractions, parks and natural areas, miles of glorious beaches, quaint harbor towns, and one “modern marvel” – the Mackinac Bridge.

While a loosely-organized “circle route” around Lake Superior was promoted by local tourist organizations as early as the 1960s, the first official (and signed) Great Lakes Circle Tour was the Lake Michigan Circle Tour. The only single-nation Circle Tour (Lake Michigan being the only Great Lake completely within the US), the Lake Michigan Circle Tour also has the most mileage of any Circle Tour in the state.

Working in conjunction with the Michigan Department of Transportation, the West Michigan Tourist Association helped to make the first of the official Great Lakes Circle Tours a reality and the first publication was released in 1988 as a 52-page guide book. The guide book was transformed into a map in 2007, and the Circle Tour driving route can now be found online.

The cover of this year’s map features Point Betsie Lighthouse as photographed by Michael Mullin, which is located in Frankfort, Michigan

Lake Michigan Lighthouse Map & Circle Tour publications are also available in bulk quantities; please contact [email protected] for more information.

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Michigan Highways > Other Routes > Great Lakes Circle Tours > Lake Michigan Circle Tours

Lake Michigan Circle Tour

Working in conjunction with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), the West Michigan Tourist Association (WMTA) helped to make the first of the official Great Lakes Circle Tours a reality. On the MDOT side, Jack Morgan, assistant to the department’s deputy director, introduced the concept of a Circle Tour in 1987. Just 14 months later, agreement had been reached on a route and signs to be posted along the 1,100-mile tour completely circling Lake Michigan. The WMTA filled the need for a guidebook and when the Chicago Tribune and Milwaukee Journal ran articles in 1988 about the new Circle Tour, 150 callers from the Chicagoland area along deluged the WMTA staff the next Monday morning, requesting the guide. Two days later, 700 guidebook requests came in from Illinois and Wisconsin and the following day an additional 1,000 phone and mail requests poured in to their offices.

Present-Day Concerns and the Tri-Modal Corridor

In November 2012, the inaugural meeting of the Lake Michigan Trails Conference was convened in Saugatuck by Western Michigan University professor Dave Lembeck. Lembeck is championing both the completion of a Lake Michigan “water trail” for kayakers, canoeists and other paddlers around the lake’s entire shoreline as well as an interconnection between the water trail, the new U.S. Bicycle Route 35 (USBR-35) and the existing Lake Michigan Circle Tour. The envisioned “Tri-Modal Corridor” would accommodate non-motorized transportation and recreation via the “water trail” in the Lake and the bicycle route on land. The LMCT would help link the various bicycle trailheads and water access points together.

Unfortunately, actual signage along the Lake Michigan Circle Tour route has deteriorated over time. While Wisconsin has generally kept the Circle Tour reasonably well posted, signage in Michigan and Illinois is lacking and long segments of the LMCT in Indiana are now completely unsigned. Indeed, when the numbered highways that the Circle Tour ran along were rerouted in Northwest Indiana in recent years, the LMCT route markers were regrettably not relocated or replaced. Furthermore, highway signing standards may have changed to the point where including Circle Tour route markers alongside the other numbered highway markers on freeway signage is no longer allowed or encouraged. While hundreds of the standard Circle Tour markers are still found alongside the roadside in Michigan, some locations where the LMCT changes directions (e.g. transitions from one highway to another) are now under-signed or completely unsigned altogether. This was cited as a major concern by the attendees at the 2012 Lake Michigan Trails Conference.

Conference attendees vowed to support the ongoing efforts of the existing organizations assembling the resources necessary to complete the Lake Michigan Water Trail and the signed U.S. Bicycle Route network now underway around the periphery of the Lake. Additionally, attendees citied a need to renew coordination and oversight of the Great Lakes Circle Tour Program within the various state departments of transportation, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and the de facto coordinating agency, the Great Lakes Commission. Several of those in attendance pledged resources and a commitment to both preserve the Circle Tour routes and look for ways to improve the coordination and signage into the future. Creating background documentation, documenting and recording the officially-adopted Circle Tour route, clarifying route signage standards and formalizing a route maintenance policy are just some of the concepts put forth in the revitalization of these important tourist routes.

Lack of Official Routing & Erroneous Information

Unfortunately, for many years, the Great Lakes Commission's own description of the LMCT was largely incorrect, both in terms of the actual route and because of numerous typos and incorrect community names. For example, for sixteen years (2001–17), the "Lake Michigan Circle Tour Road Route" section of the Commission's LMCT page (archived) gave the following highly-erroneous description of the route in Lower Peninsula:

ROUTE: Follow I-96E to Holland; US-31N to Manistee; MI-22 to Traverse City; US-31 to Petoskey; MI-119 to the town of Cross Bridge; C66 to US-31; cross the Mackinaw Bridge (toll) into the Upper Peninsula

The first major issue is to get to Holland from Indiana, one needs to first follow US-12 East (not listed) before transitioning onto I-94 East (not listed), then exit that route and follow BL I-94 and M-63 through St Joseph and Benton Harbor (not listed), transitioning then onto I-196/US-31 North (also not listed!) with a loop through downtown South Haven via BL I-196 (not listed), then back to I-196/US-31 North, before exiting onto US-31 North to reach Holland. On top of that, I-96 doesn't go to Holland at all!

From Holland to Petoskey the directions are somewhat better, although loops through downtown Muskegon, the downtowns of Whitehall and Motague, and through Pentwater via the respective BUS US-31 routings are omitted. However, from Petoskey, the LMCT has never run along M-119 and even if it did, the directions erroneously call the community of Cross Village , Cross Bridge , instead! (It's never been called Cross Bridge since its was founded in 1830!) But after omitting the connection from US-31 onto I-75 once US-31, the name of one of Michigan's most famous landmarks is misspelled: the Mackina c Bridge! If these directions are this bad—and have been since it was first reported to the Great Lakes Commission in the late 1990s (based on a previous incarnation of the erronous web page)—how could anyone trust the rest of the information?

Lake Michigan Circle Tour Route

The route of the mainline LMCT in Michigan follows signed state trunkline routes in its entirety, although in some places the nearest state highway to the Lake Michigan may be several miles away. Along with the primary Circle Tour route, several marked "Lake Michigan Circle Tour Loops" have been posted using white-on-brown signs. These loops may follow state highways or utilize city streets and county roads running closer to the shoreline. These loop routes are detailed below the mainline route below:

• The LMCT enters Michigan from Indiana on US-12 south of New Buffalo and proceeds northerly through New Buffalo to I-94 .
• The route leaves US-12 and continues northerly on I-94 from Exit 4 toward St Joseph.
• At Exit 23, the route exits I-94 and continues northerly into downtown St Joseph via BL I-94 .
• In St Joseph, the LMCT continues northerly on M-63 into northern Berrien Co.
• At the nothern terminus of M-63 , the circle tour proceeds northerly on I-196 / US-31 toward South Haven.
• The route leaves I-196 / US-31 at Exit 18 and loops through South Haven using BL I-196 .
• On the east side of South Haven, where BL I-196 ends at I-196 / US-31 Exit 20, the route continues north into Allegan Co on I-196 / US-31 .
• While the LMCT remains on I-196 / US-31 at Saugatuck/Douglas, a locally-designated LMCT Harbor Tour loop route is signed concurrently with A-2 /Blue Star Hwy between Exits 36 and 41.
• The circle tour continues northerly on US-31 / BL I-196 toward Holland at Exit 44 when I-196 splits off to the east.
• After splitting from I-196 south of Holland, the route continues northerly following US-31 past Holland and through Grand Haven and toward Norton Shores.
• At the jct of US-31 & I-96 , the LMCT leaves US-31 and follows BUS US-31 through downtown Muskegon.
• Northeast of downtown Muskegon, the route continues northerly via M-120 to North Muskegon and northeasterly back to US-31 .
• Back on US-31 , the circle tour continues northerly toward Ludington, leaving US-31 once to follow the route of BUS US-31 through the downtowns of Whitehall and Montague in northern Muskegon Co.
• At the end of the US-31 freeway near Ludington, the LMCT turns east following US-10 / US-31 toward Scottville.
• At Ludington rather unique LMCT Loop Route begins, although it is currently unsigned: From US-31 , the Loop route continues westerly along US-10 into downtown Ludington, then travels straight across the Lake Michigan via the S.S. Badger carferry!
• At Scottville, the circle tour turns northerly again to follow US-31 toward Manistee, although a locally-designated LMCT Loop Route formerly continued east on US-10 into downtown, then northerly via Old US-31 back to US-31 and the LMCT. ( NOTE: The LMCT Loop route through Scottville was removed/decommissioned some time in late 2004 or early 2005 and no longer exists. )
• The route continues northerly from Scottville and through Manistee on US-31 .
• Northeast of Manistee, the route turns northerly to follow M-22 through Onekama, Frankfort and Empire.
• Northeast of Empire, a LMCT Loop Route leaves M-22 to follow M-109 past Glen Haven, rejoining M-22 at Glen Arbor. (The mainline LMCT remains on M-22 between Empire and Glen Arbor.)
• From Glen Arbor, the circle tour continues northerly on M-22 through Leland to Northport. At Northport, M-22 and the LMCT turn nearly 180 degrees to head southerly into Traverse City.
• At Traverse City, the LMCT returns to US-31 and continues northerly via US-31 through Elk Rapids, Charlevoix and Petoskey and on toward the Mackinac Bridge.
• South of Mackinaw City, where US-31 ends, the route continues northerly on I-75 crossing the Mackinac Bridge and entering the Upper Peninsula at St Ignace. Between Mackinaw City and St Ignace, the LMCT is jointed by the Lake Huron Circle Tour .
• In St Ignace, the LMCT continues westerly along US-2 for more than 140 miles through Manistique and Gladstone to Escanaba.
• At Escanaba, the circle tour continues southwesterly via M-35 along the Green Bay shoreline to Menominee
• The route continues south on US-41 through Menominee and enters Wisconsin at Marinette.
• Continue on the Lake Michigan Circle Tour route into Wisconsin at the Wisconsin Highways website.

Note: The route included on this website has been personally researched by the website author in the field.  

Lake Michigan Circle Tour Loop Routes

Lake michigan circle tour - harbor tour (saugatuck/douglas).

A locally-designated loop route which helps circle tour motorists navigate into and through the off-route communities of Saugatuck and Douglas in northwestern Allegan Co. While most local loops are designated as "Loop Routes" off the mainline circle tour, this particular route is actually designated as a "Harbor Tour," although it behaves like any other Loop Route. Also, as with all Loop Routes, this route is designated with white-on-brown circle tour signs, using the same LMCT "logo." The route is 7.7 miles long:

• The LMCT Harbor Tour begins at I-196 / US-31 /LMCT at Exit 34 near Ganges (south of Douglas).
• The Harbor Tour route proceeds easterly from the freeway along M-89/124th Ave to A-2/Blue Star Hwy.
• The route turns northerly on A-2 /Blue Star Hwy into Douglas, passing just west of the downtown area.
• The loop route then crosses into Saugatuck, still via A-2 /Blue Star Hwy, passing just east of the downtown.
• The route ends when it meets back up with I-196 / US-31 /LMCT at Exit 41 northeast of Saugatuck.

Lake Michigan Circle Tour - Loop Route ( S.S. Badger carferry)

While most Lake Michigan Circle Tour spur and loop routes simply involve an alternate highway routing diverging from the mainline route, this particular spur route is unique among them. On August 29, 1998, Lake Michigan Carferry's S.S. Badger which ferries automobiles, trucks and passengers between Manitowoc, Wisconsin and Ludington, Michigan was officially designated as a Lake Michigan Circle Tour spur route. The route traverses the following path:

• From the mainline Lake Michigan Circle Tour route at the western jct US-10 & US-31 , the route heads westerly along US-10 into downtown Ludington, turning southerly via US-10 /James St to the S.S. Badger carferry docks.
• The route then traverses Lake Michigan itself via the S.S. Badger carferry.
• From the carferry dock in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, the Loop route, following US-10, heads southerly via Lakeview Dr, westerly via Madison St and then northerly along 8th St (with eastbound US-10/LMCT Loop using 10th St) into downtown Manitowoc.
• The LMCT Loop Route ends at jct US-10 & US-151 in downtown Manitowoc.

Former Lake Michigan Circle Tour - Loop Route (Scottville)

When MDOT completed a western bypass of Scottville, taking the high volume of US-31 traffic out of town, a locally-designated LMCT Loop Route was signed, acting as a de-facto Business Routing for US-31 . Note, however, this LMCT Loop route was removed some time in late 2004 or early 2005 and no longer exists. The former route was 1.5 miles long:

• The LMCT Loop Route began at the jct of US-10 & US-31 on the west side of Scottville.
• The route continued easterly via US-10 into downtown Scottville.
• In downtown Scottville, the loop route turned northerly and followed Old US-31 out of Scottville.
• The LMCT Loop Route ended at US-31 north of Scottville.

Lake Michigan Circle Tour - Loop Route (Sleeping Bear–Glen Haven)

While the Lake Michigan Circle Tour generally follows the closest posted state trunkline to its namesake body of water, the Sleeping Bear Dunes area is one exception. Instead of diverting the mainline LMCT off M-22 for only eight miles, it continues via M-22 through to Glen Arbor and on to Leland. However, as M-109 loops off M-22 to the west (lakeside) through the Sleeping Bear Dunes area, it has been designated as a LMCT Loop Route. The route is 6.8 miles long:

• The LMCT Loop Route begins at the southern jct of M-22 & M-109 just northeast of Empire and continues northerly along Dunes Hwy toward Glen Haven.
• At Glen Haven, the loop route turns east and continues on M-109 /Harbor Hwy toward Glen Arbor.
• The LMCT Loop Route ends at the northern jct of M-22 & M-109 in Glen Arbor.

Back to: Great Lakes Circle Tour page .  

Additional Information

• Great Lakes Circle Tour – new website from the author of MichiganHighways.org.
• Lake Michigan Circle Tour History (link broken) – from the West Michigan Tourist Association (WMTA). The WMTA helped to coordinate the first of the Great Lakes Circle Tours in the 1980s.
• Great Lakes Circle Tour – project archive from the Great Lakes Commission . It was the GLC who originally helped establishe the Great Lakes Circle Tours, however as of the early 2020s, the Commission has seemed to have abandoned the concept and no longer supports the Circle Tours in an active manner.
• Lake Michigan Circle Tour (archived) – from the Great Lakes Information Network (GLIN), which "is a partnership that provides one place online for people to find information relating to the binational Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region of North America." Please note that the "Circle Tour Road Route" description from the GLIN site was not only vague, but incorrect! (See description above.)
• --> Shoreline Charms (archived) – an article by Donna Marchetti about the Lake Michigan Circle Tour from the Michigan Living magazine published by AAA Michigan.

Lake Michigan Lighthouse Map & Circle Tour

Home » Lake Michigan Lighthouse Map & Circle Tour

The 2016 Lake Michigan Lighthouse Map & Circle Tour is now available at wmta.org. This free travel map is a complete source for discovering the lighthouses that dot the Lake Michigan shoreline, featuring the entire 1,100-mile Lake Michigan Circle Tour Route through four states, and mapping more than 100 lighthouses around Lake Michigan and the Straits of Mackinac. 

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