Fall Travel Guide

Upper and Lower Peninsulas, Michigan

Michigan is one of the more unexpected destinations in the country to offer spectacular fall foliage viewing and a plethora of ways to experience it. Michigan has more than 100 different species of trees, including oak, maple and sycamore, which practically guarantees an annual showing.

Peter's guide to the most surprising places to catch fall foliage.

But the really cool thing about this state is that no matter where you are, you're always within 85 miles of a Great Lake and fewer than 6 miles from a lake or stream for great kayaking and canoeing.

Leaves in the northernmost parts of the state start changing as early as mid-September, but the foliage continues to peak the further south you get. Way up top is the Keweenaw Peninsula, home to Brockway Mountain, the highest scenic road between the Rockies and the Alleghenies. The Lower Peninsula, still part of Northern Michigan, is packed with scenic drives for a short fall getaway: Head east from Traverse City toward Elk Lake and Torch Lake, or drive north toward the Leelanau Peninsula on a tour of the local vineyards and wineries.