Couples Getaway: Our Itinerary for Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

Looking for the perfect Michigan couples getaway? Check out our itinerary for Michigan’s Upper Peninsula for nature, good eats and plenty of fun!

We are just getting back from an amazing vacation in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. I was looking for the perfect spot to head with my husband {our first kid-less vacation in 6 years!} and the more I researched, the more the U.P. called me with all of its adventure, beauty and the ability to unplug. Also? I have never been further than St. Ignace. I couldn’t justify a flight somewhere when I have so much of my own state to explore.

I was hoping I could find my dream trip online and replicate it, but I couldn’t find anything and a lot of information out there was unnerving {like, how much do I really need to hike to get to that waterfall, and are there bathrooms there?}. Thankfully, friends and the blog Things To Do in the U.P. were extremely helpful.

Here’s the itinerary for what we did on our getaway…I’d love to hear what your favorite spots are because we barely scratched the surface!

DAY 1: Tahquamenon & Grand Marais

Paradise: Browns Fisheries Fish House | Lower Tahquamenon Island Adventure | Upper Tahquamenon 

Grand Marais: Hilltop Cabins | Lake Superior Brewing Company | Grand Marais Beach

We started our adventure at 6:30 a.m. so we hightailed it across the bridge before noon. We were hungry, so we grabbed lunch at Browns Fisheries Fish House in Paradise. We got a whitefish/crackers platter {caught and smoked the day before}, fried mushrooms and the fish and chips platter. Hands down one of my favorite meals ever, and I think I will be dreaming of it until next time!

From there, we headed to Tahquamenon, where we got in for free with a Michigan Activity Pass {it’s free with a Michigan Recreation Passport, otherwise it’s $11/vehicle}. We started out by exploring the lower falls by taking the Lower Tahquamenon Island Adventure {follow the signs for boats once in the park}. It was $7/person {or $20/family}, and worth every penny.  We hopped in a row boat and paddled to the island where we could explore and get inside the falls, which felt refreshing. There wasn’t a terrible amount of walking and kids would have a ball getting in the water and checking out the tree-lined trail. Perfect for age 5+ because the falls do have a bit of a current. Wear water shoes everywhere in the U.P. because it’s rocky everywhere you go.

The Upper Falls were a 4-mile drive away from the lower falls and just breath-taking. Pictures don’t do it justice. Wear tennis shoes if you’d like to view the falls from every angle – there are lots of stairs and it’s a workout. I was blown away with each new perspective.

Note: There were cute little gift shops and bathrooms at both, and a brewery at the upper.

After the falls, we took a very remote drive over to Grand Marais {take the route next to the lake!}. We were thankful we had a map and filled up with gas in Paradise because there were no stations along the way, and much of the drive was on dirt roads with no cell service. We loved stopping at the sandy beach along the way to stick our feet in the water.

Grand Marais itself is a lovely small town loaded with charm…and even a house shaped like a pickle barrel. We stayed in the Hilltop Cabins, and we loved the views it offered! In town, we grabbed beers and pizza at the Lake Superior Brewing Company.

The beach was incredible here {just down Lake St. in town}, with very few people, and the sunset was phenomenal. If you’ve never seen a Lake Superior sunset, you are missing out. Period. So romantic!

DAY 2: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore & Munising

Grand Marais: West Bay Diner | Sable Falls | Log Slide Outlook

Munising: Miners Castle | Sunset on the Bay Motel | Johnny Dogs | Pictured Rocks Cruises

We kicked off day #2 with breakfast at the nostalgic West Bay Diner before heading west of town to Sable Falls and the Log Slide.

We opted for a one-mile hike through woods and down dunes to get to the beach. We were the only ones on the trail and it was so serene. It was so fun running down the dunes to the beach too!

Camera self-timer for the win!

After, we walked up stairs to the falls, which were incredible. We hopped the fence to get a closer look {rebels, ya’ll}.

After, we traveled a few miles to check out the Log Slide overlook. This is an area where loggers would slide logs down the dunes before loading them on ships during the late 1800’s. Talk about a dangerous job. There were some rad views here, and the history lessons were great, too.

From there, we visited Miners Castle, which is part of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, for an aerial view. We had a picnic lunch on the grounds and then it started raining, squashing our plans to hit both Mosquito Falls and Munising Falls, which are nearby.

Thankfully, the rain quit before our Pictured Rocks sunset cruise, and in the meantime we had the chance to get checked into our room at Sunset on the Bay motel in Munising, which was clean, friendly, and had a great outdoor space to enjoy a cocktail. We headed into the town to eat at the coolest hot dog stand ever — Johnny Dogs — with a gazillion unique options.

Our cruise was a bit windy, but worth the ride on top {get there early for the best seats and bring a sweater}. Boating the Pictured Rocks is the way to go for an up-close perspective of the beautiful rock formations.

Lover’s Leap…Just don’t leap if you are lovers, because the water below is only 2 feet deep!

DAY 3: Munising –> Marquette

Munising: Falling Rock Cafe and Bookstore | Muldoon’s Pasties

Christmas: To see Santa, of course!

East of Marquette: Lakenland Sculpture Park

Marquette: Presque Isle Park | Jilbert’s Dairy | The Landmark Inn | Ore Dock Brewing Company | Sol Azteca

We kicked off our morning at the adorable Falling Rock Cafe in Munising. Get the Michigan cherry coffee and a cinnamon roll…Amazing!

From there, we took our time traveling to Marquette, which was an hour away on M-28. We stopped at Muldoon’s Pasties for some frozen treats to bring home, and then made our way through Christmas, Michigan, where we had to stop to take a photo with Santa and check out the kitschy gift shop.

We also detoured to check out one of the most random art installations I’ve ever seen: Lakeland Junkyard Art. It was cool…and free! Definitely random and worth a drive through {takes about 10-15 minutes}.

We still had time to kill and food in our cooler once we arrived in Marquette, so we decided to visit the beach in Presque Isle Park. It was a small yet nice beach…But man! That Lake Superior is SO COLD. There also were some biting flies there, so bug spray was a must. {Due to the dry air when we were there, we didn’t get a single mosquito bite.}

After, we headed to Jilbert’s Dairy for yet another roadside attraction: Ice cream…with a giant cow. Definitely had to text that picture to the kids 😉

We finally checked into our hotel for the night — The Landmark Inn. This was a splurge because I have a soft spot for historic hotels and we loved being so close to everything. We walked to the Ore Dock Brewing Company for beers, and headed over for Mexican at Sol Azteca {Steinhaus, the German spot we planned to go was closed already} and to walk around and check out the ore dock before heading in for the night.

DAY 4: Marquette –> Home

Marquette: Donckers

St. Ignace: Clyde’s Drive-In

Nothing fancy to note on this day of driving, but we did do some great eating! If there is ONE place you must visit in downtown Marquette, it’s Donckers. It’s an old-fashioned candy store with a cafe upstairs. It was so cool, and great for kids and adults alike.

After traveling for several hours, we figured we’d do what so many people suggested to me and eat at Clyde’s Drive-In in St. Ignace before crossing the bridge. Definitely one of the best olive burgers I’ve ever had. Paired with a chocolate malt, it gave me just the jolt I needed to take on driving for a few hours. Keep in mind it is cash only {in fact, a lot of places in the U.P. are, so bring some spending cash}.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That’s our trip! If I could do it over again, I think I would start in Marquette and work our way east and add in a fourth night on Mackinac Island. Or, maybe even add another week and make it over to the Porcupine Mountains and Copper Harbor. There is so much to see in the U.P. Just make sure to bring a map and plan ahead because you likely won’t have great cell service…which may be one of the best things about visiting, especially as a couple 😉

Where are your favorite places to visit in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula? Chime in and let me know!