Michigan Road Trip: Day 5 – Leelanau Peninsula
Today we headed north. The plan was to end up at a campsite near the town of Glen Arbor so that we’d be in a good location to explore the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. But I had to quickly adjust our plans after learning that the campground I had hoped to stay at was booked solid. Luckily, we were able to reserve a site at Leelanau State Park, which sits at the very top of the Leelanau Peninsula in northern Michigan. It was further north than we had planned for, but only an extra hour or so of driving – small potatoes at this point.
As we wound our way north, we watched the landscape change. Low-lying, “beach-y” shrubs gave way to pine forests. I expected to see mountains rise up in the distance and I had to remind myself that we were in Michigan, not New York or New Hampshire. It was a beautiful drive, especially when we glimpsed Lake Michigan to our left, or any of the smaller inland lakes that we passed on our right. I love being “up north.”
We drove through the town of Leland and couldn’t resist stopping to stretch our legs and having a look around. Somehow Leland had not hit my radar when I was trip planning, otherwise it would have been a scheduled stop. It’s a charming fishing town, with an historic fishing village appropriately named “Fishtown.” It’s also the hub for the ferry to North and South Manitou Islands.
Fishtown in Leland, MI
After a bit of exploring, we took the opportunity to stock up on camp food for the evening – marshmallows were on the list, of course.
We made it to Leelanau State Park around 4:30 and were very excited to get a waterfront site. We had plenty of time to set up camp, eat a late lunch, and take a tour of the historic lighthouse before enjoying a gorgeous sunset over the lake.
Sunset at Leelanau State Park
It was a wonderful change of pace from the shopping and eating and general overindulging we enjoyed the first few days of the trip.
Total Driving: 220 miles; 4.5 hours
Lodging:
- Leelanau State Park in Northport, MI- Beautiful state park with an historic lighthouse on the tip of Leelanau Peninsula; reservations available through Reserve America, a few sites reserved for walk-ins (including the waterfront site we were able to get)
Additional Photos
Click on Thumbnail to View Larger Image
 View from our campsite |
 Old Leelanau Lighthouse |
 Sunset |
Continue Reading:
Intro | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10
nancy and I did a circumference trip around Michigan proper 5 years ago and this brought back fond memories for us ! We especially liked leelanau. Too bad you missed the mackinaw island trip…kind of touristy, but the no cars cobblestone streets were cool as well as the hike up a large waterfall.
as wisconsinites we can make this trip again fairly easily, but we are going to northern shore of lake superior again first. awesome trails, waterfalls, and views !
We can’t wait to get back! Instead of driving out there next time, I’d love to fly into Traverse City for a couple of days, do Mackinac Island, and then spend some time exploring the UP. We just didn’t have enough time to get that far north last summer and I hear it’s worth a trip all on its own. Have fun on your trip – we’d love to hear about it!