This delicious fall color tour along the southern stretch of Northern Michigan’s iconic M-22 offers gorgeous views and harvest-season markets. Here’s your day trip itinerary.
This article first appeared in Traverse Northern Michigan. Find this story and more when you explore our magazine library. Want Traverse delivered to your door or inbox monthly? View our print subscription and digital subscription options.
Arcadia
Imagine this: You’re sipping a cozy cuppa while driving through prismatic tunnels of trees, the pavement below—wet from a recent autumn shower—reflecting the blue-sky-fluffy-white-cloud morning above. You pull over for a quick snapshot of the bucolic views before kicking off your coastal color tour with a hike at Arcadia Dunes.
The universally accessible Old Baldy Trail, named for the dune that offers majestic views of Lake Michigan, takes hikers through trees of gold and along a leaf-strewn boardwalk for about half a mile before opening up to a panoramic overlook. Burnt-orange leaves flutter in the foreground while turquoise waters, capped in white, lap up against the bluffs. Take a moment to soak in the scene and enjoy the freshwater breeze.
For those with some extra time to burn before venturing on, challenge yourself by hiking the entire trail to the Old Baldy dune (a two-hour roundtrip). You’ll feel like you’re at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (with a fraction of the people).
From here, head just a half a mile south to your next vista: Inspiration Point (aka Arcadia Overlook), situated directly off M-22 and home to one of the state’s most iconic views. The parking lot buzzes with activity during peak fall color as leaf peepers make their way up the 120 steps to the top of the overlook. On a clear day, you’ll see the picturesque towns of Arcadia, Onekama and Manistee. Tip: Don’t forget quarters for the telescope on the viewing platform—you’ll be able to spot landmarks like the Arcadia Channel and Frankfort Lighthouse, and a portion of the revenue goes to the Arcadia Lions Club for community improvement programs.
Photo by Allison Jarrell
Photo by Allison Jarrell
Photo by Allison Jarrell
Lunch Break: Food Truck Find
Feeling inspired (and hungry), you’ll make your next stop at Ketch 22 Kafe, a gourmet food truck parked just 300 feet north of the Arcadia Marsh trailhead. This is elevated street food at its finest—think mahi sandwiches, smoked salmon dip and vegan mushroom pot stickers. We recommend pairing a Northwoods soda with one (or two) orders of golden-fried Wisconsin cheese curds. Follow @ketch22MI on Facebook for up-to-date hours and the menu.
Photo by Allison Jarrell
Photo by Allison Jarrell
Photo by Allison Jarrell
Arcadia Marsh Nature Preserve
After refueling, you’re ready to explore Arcadia Marsh—a 313-acre Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy preserve that features a universally accessible boardwalk stretching 0.75 miles over marshy waters. Classified as a Great Lakes Coastal Marsh, this is a rare and declining habitat; it’s one of only 15 or so remaining coastal marshes along Lake Michigan’s Lower Peninsula shoreline. (It’s estimated that more than 80 percent of all original Great Lakes marshes have been destroyed.)
Even when viewed from a manmade boardwalk, Arcadia Marsh feels wild. The area is home to more than 200 plant species (including threatened wild rice), and more than 250 bird species have been seen there. In the fall, this means you could see a colorful wood duck nesting in an old tree, hear the song of a swamp sparrow, spot a sandhill crane fishing for dinner, or find a rare family of trumpeter swans floating by, unbothered by your presence.
Take your time (there are benches along the way) and relish an autumn panorama that’s unique to the Great Lakes coast.
Photo by Allison Jarrell
Pierport & Bear Lake
Drive five minutes south and you’ll stumble upon a cornucopia of farm markets and fruit stands dotting M-22, including Miller’s Northwood Market in Bear Lake, just east of Pierport. Pick heirloom pumpkins and gourds, peruse local fruit preserves and head inside for a steamy cup of homemade hot cider. A stone’s throw down the street, AVO Farm Market awaits with an array of apples, gourds, winter squash, heirloom pumpkins and seedless Marquis and Jupiter grapes. And a few miles inland, BrixStone Farms invites visitors to their apple orchard and maple syrup farm (open thru mid-November).
Photo by Allison Jarrell
Photo by Allison Jarrell
Photo by Allison Jarrell
Onekama
With your car now full of farmstand goodies, keep heading south on M-22. Maple lattes and boutique treasures await in Onekama, a sleepy, postage-stamp town perched on the shore of Portage Lake. First stop: Onekama Village Park for a short lakeside walk with bright blue waters set against surrounding hills ablaze in fall color. On M-22, swing into Anchored Designs Boutique for Michigan merch—buttery soft “Lake Life” crewnecks, road map throw pillows, clever stickers. (Did you know Michigan’s state flower is the traffic cone? Wink wink.) Across the street, the art gallery Patina Designs has reimagined and repurposed home decor. Then grab that latte and a treat (think chocolate crumb bars and fresh scones) from Yellow Dog Café. Hop back in the car and putter a mile down the road to MacBeth & Co., a 100-year-old feed store turned gift emporium. Good to know: Fall hours vary at many shops, as Onekama settles into its slower, cozy off-season. Call ahead.
Photo by Allison Jarrell
Manistee
You’ve driven the coast, now it’s time for a bird’s-eye view. Orchard Beach Aviation offers scenic flights over downtown Manistee and the Lake Michigan shoreline—on truly bluebird days, sightseers can spot shipwrecks from the air. Standard flights last about 15 minutes ($40 per person) or a longer route runs for $60.
Those downtown storefronts you just flew over? Let’s go inside. Maryann’s Antiques—two floors of art, furniture, lamps, linens, records; Wellnested—home décor delights and a “zen den” filled with books and journals to inspire; Port City Emporium—a whimsical gift shop with 50-plus Michigan artists. Cap off the day at North Channel Brewing Co. Highlights: a Metallica pinball machine, beer-battered onion rings towered high and drizzled with Michigan honey, an expansive sidewalk patio with heaters.
Travel Tip: Manistee County Tourism Authority has mapped out several self-guided tours—natural wonders, U-Pick farms, historic sites, more—along with inland and coastal fall color drives. Each map (available online) has points of interest noted along the way and is a fantastic resource for planning your trip.
Photo by Allison Jarrell