Michigan Upper Peninsula

The most beautiful place in the world! I love the clean air, beautiful lakes and rivers, and peacefulness of it all.

For my 300^th review, I’m writing about my favorite vacation destination. Seems whenever I mention Michigan, everyone thinks of wineries, golf courses, and lakefront resorts. When I mention that the Michigan I visit is north of Wisconsin, I often get a blank stare: «But Michigan is across the lake…» Welcome to the UP, with its population aptly named «Yoopers.» Life in the UP is a throwback to a simpler time.
Devoid of their luxuries, the Bluetooth-​equipped Urbanite or the pampered North Shore housewife will feel disappointed and disoriented in this northern part of Michigan. It is not for everyone, so if any of these points bother you, the UP is not for you:
1. No, there are no wineries I’m aware of — it’s probably too cold to grow grapes anyway.
2. Spas? What are those, most Yoopers will wonder. A hot tub enclosed in a backyard gazebo is the closest thing you’ll find.
3. Antiques are often a polite term for the rusty junk that turns up at estate sales.
4. Good luck with your cell phone and all wireless devices north of Green Bay, WI. Coverage is spotty in some towns and non-​existent in most others. Broadband is still a rarity and most businesses do not have an online presence or a primitive one at that.
5. The «hotels» are often little independent motels with a few bigger ones like AmericInn. «Rental cabins» in some cases resemble little Unabomber huts clustered near a lake or river. Don’t book ‘em blindly or you may be shocked when you arrive.
6. Nightlife means absolute silence except for coyotes howling, crickets chirping, or the snort of a startled deer hearing your approach.
7. Dining out means eating cheese, bacon or something fried. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, people might feel concerned about your physical well-​being.
8. An absence of big malls or large concentrations of chain restaurants and stores.
9. And if dining out, don’t order pizza or you’ll be disappointed, especially if you’re coming from Chicago.
From Chicago, it’s about a 7 – 8 hour drive of roughly 350 miles. So what’s magical about the place I’ve been visiting every summer for over 10 years straight?
As you journey farther north through Wisconsin, the malls and populated industrial regions become fewer. Car traffic becomes sparse. Just beyond Green Bay, Lake Michigan cedes its climate reign to the colder influence of Lake Superior. Even on a warm day, you feel a cool breeze in the air. Soon, the endless rows of corn and expansive prairies of the dairy farms give way to slender pine trees, packed close together in tall groves along the roadside. The chain stores and fast food joints disappear too.
Suddenly, life returns to an earlier, more carefree state in a place where time runs slow. As you come out of your car on a dirt backroad and look around, you smell the moisture of the woods, the moss on the evergreens and the warm scent of the woodland flowers trailing the breeze. You hear the distant lapping of the lazy waves of a nearby inland lake. The air is clean and the water is pure. The deer outnumber the people.
You can pass an afternoon picking berries or relaxing by the lakeside. In mid-​summer, the sun sets around 11 PM. At night, you can see all the stars above you, passing satellites and even the Milky Way without the glare of city lights. A moonlit walk can be just that, in the absence of all artificial lights.
Summer comes and goes quickly in this region, roughly from Memorial Day until Labor Day. By late August, overnight temps drop into the 50s or even 40s sometimes. Soon, the snowblowers appear alongside the school supplies at the local Shopko. The festivals and county fairs of August and early September punctuate the 3-​month period with projects by the 4H kids and local crafters.
And the UP has its landmarks too: the Houghton-​Hancock Bridge, the clock tower of Crystal Falls, the Mackinac Bridge that connects the Upper and Lower Peninsulas, the historic copper and iron mines, the lighthouses and numerous waterfalls. An indoor water park or cucumber slices over your eyes are no substitute for the pristine air and water of the North Woods. If you truly want to «get away» come to Upper Michigan for its beauty and see the land that time forgot.