Real trip, actually taken · 10 days
10-Day Michigan Upper Peninsula Road Trip with Kids
Waterfalls, Lake Superior beaches, an iron mine and two ferries — a real family's loop around the UP.
- Going to
- Upper Peninsula, Michigan
- Length
- 10 days
- Travelers
- Families
- Trip total
- $1,975–$2,957
A real family took this trip. We fixed the time-zone timings on day 8 and named the ice cream stop on the last day.
Their rating
Rated by the traveler who took this trip.
$1,975–$2,957
The total covers lodging, getting around and tickets and tours for the whole party, plus food, gas and parking estimated in the breakdown below.
Things to do
- Stargazing from the park beach (Day 1)
- Fort Mackinac (Day 2)
- Rent bikes on Main Street (Day 2)
- Ride M-185 around the island (Day 2)
- Mystery Spot (Day 3)
- Soo Locks Park and observation deck (Day 3)
- Tahquamenon Upper Falls (Day 3)
- Tahquamenon Lower Falls rowboat to the island (Day 3)
- Check in at Pictured Rocks Cruises (Day 4)
- Pictured Rocks Spray Falls Cruise (Day 4)
- Munising Falls (Day 4)
- Miners Castle overlook (Day 4)
- Kitch-iti-kipi (Day 4)
- Sugarloaf Mountain (Day 5)
- Presque Isle Park and Black Rocks (Day 5)
- Sunset · Lower Harbor Ore Dock (Day 5)
- Canyon Falls, Alberta (Day 6)
- Hunter's Point Park (Day 6)
- Brockway Mountain Drive (Day 6)
- Stargazing in the Keweenaw Dark Sky Park (Day 6)
- Fort Wilkins Historic State Park (Day 7)
- Lake of the Clouds overlook (Day 7)
- Swim at the Union Bay beach (Day 7)
- Sunset · Union Bay Campground (Day 7)
- Presque Isle River waterfall loop (Day 8)
- Iron Mountain Iron Mine, Vulcan (Day 8)
- Bay Beach Amusement Park (Day 8)
- Titletown District (Day 9)
- Sunset · Ludington State Park (Day 9)
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Why this plan works
A late start from home, so the day is built around getting the tent up before full dark: one short dinner stop, then straight to camp and the park's own dark-sky beach.
- 4:00 PM
Leave home
4:00 PM
Chairs and the stove can wait — it's one night.
Head north on I-75. Load the car so the tent, poles, mallet, headlamps and sleeping bags come out first.
- 6:00 PM
Dinner · Upper Peninsula Inspired
6:00 PM
It delivers a low-key, family-friendly dinner with plenty of quick, crowd-pleasing options after a full day on the road.
Settle into this casual Munising market and eatery for oven-toasted paninis, flatbreads, and shareable cheese boards. Adults can sample regional Michigan craft beers and ciders alongside the kid-friendly bites.
- 8:30 PM
Wilderness State Park Campground
8:30 PM
Closest park to the Mackinac Bridge with its own dark-sky preserve, so there's no second drive for stars.
Book ahead · In-park sites usually open ~6 months out and often go the day they release
Check in at the campground office — confirm late-arrival hours before you leave home.
- 8:35 PM
Set up camp
8:35 PM
Everything else can come out in the morning.
Tent first, then the kids' sleeping bags. Aim to beat sunset.
- 10:00 PM
Stargazing from the park beach
10:00 PM
Wilderness is a designated dark sky preserve — no need to drive on to Headlands.
Walk down to the Lake Michigan beach once quiet hours start. Check the moon phase for your dates.
If you fall behind
- Check the moon phase before you go: a bright moon means planets and constellations, a dark one means the Milky Way.
Bookings & costs
$1,975–$2,957
0 of 20 bookable items booked
Food not included: about $1,240, listed below
Locked in
$0
paid or reserved
Still to book
$2,300
est. $1,865–$2,732 · 20 items
Gas & parking
$170
est. $110–$225
Know before you go
Practical notes for this trip — the things worth sorting before you leave.
Passes
Buy a Michigan Recreation Passport with your plate registration — it covers Tahquamenon, Fort Wilkins, the Porcupine Mountains and Ludington State Park on this route.
Bookings
Book the Pictured Rocks Spray Falls cruise and the SS Badger as soon as your dates are firm; both are the fixed points the rest of the trip bends around.
Time-sensitivePictured Rocks Spray Falls Cruise
Time zones
The western UP runs on Central Time. The change happens at the Gogebic County line inside the Porcupine Mountains, and you get the hour back on the Badger crossing.
Signal
Cell signal drops out on M-28 between Seney and Shingleton and in parts of the Porcupine Mountains — download offline maps and call dinner orders in early.
Weather
Lake Superior runs cold: bring a warm layer for the Pictured Rocks cruise even on a hot day, and hoodies for the Iron Mountain Iron Mine, which drips.
Camping
Load the car in camping order — tent, poles, headlamps and sleeping bags on top — because two of the campground arrivals are near or after sunset.
Food
Pasties, cudighi at Cozy Inn, thimbleberry jam at The Jampot and curds at Klema's are the regional foods worth stopping for; one of each is plenty.
Cash
Bring cash for Mickey-Lu Bar-B-Q and small-town stops in the Keweenaw; confirm payment options where it matters.
Dark skies
Wilderness State Park and the Keweenaw Dark Sky Park are both on this route — check the moon phase and aurora forecast for your nights.
Getting around
Use a taxi, rideshare or tour shuttle between alcohol stops and back to the stay after Mickey-Lu Bar-B-Q, then Klema's Wisconsin Cheese. Nobody in the party drives after drinking.
Want this trip on your dates?
Make this yours — free, no account, no card.
Questions about this plan
- Why take the Spray Falls cruise instead of the Classic at Pictured Rocks?
- It's shorter on a faster boat and goes further up the shore to Spray Falls, and the 1:00 departure lets the morning after a camping night stay slow.
- What if the day from Mackinac Island to Munising runs late?
- Cut the Soo Locks, never the Lower Falls rowboat. Eating the pasties as a picnic at the locks instead of stopping for lunch already buys back about 40 minutes.
- Which way out of the Porcupine Mountains is better on day 8?
- Option A goes west past the Presque Isle River waterfall loop, the best short walk in the park. Option B goes direct via Bond Falls and buys 30 minutes of sleep. Both reach the Iron Mountain Iron Mine by early afternoon Central Time.
- Is the Titletown District the same as a Lambeau Field tour?
- No. Titletown is the free public district next to the stadium, with a big playground, a full-size field and a 40-yard dash with a timer. This family chose it over a stadium tour for the kids.
- How early do you need to leave Green Bay for the SS Badger?
- Leave by 11:30, 11:45 at the latest: you need to be at the Manitowoc dock an hour before the 2:00 pm Central departure.
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