Trip around Lake Michigan - destination recommendations

You HAVE to stop in Saugatuck,MI It is without a doubt one of the BEST small towns in Michigan. It's my favorite spot and I actually just took a day trip there this past Thursday and Sunday.. Oval Beach is a must see.. I took this pic back in October, the very last weekend before Halloween.

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/mpadula/6293421​827/

Ludington Michigan Big Ferry's, Dunes, old buildings, great sun set

LeLand Michigan Great little fishing town old buildings Great little bar about 5 mile north
right side of street

Tunnel of trees.....awesome
Going past the tunnel of trees is a well named German or Polish resturant Legg's Inn a must
stop at

The south side of the Makinaw Bridge is nice too

Email me if you want I have a lake house and get up that was a lot...glad to help. Gone around a few times on Harley's

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions and responses. So here is the trip I've worked up, but I think it may be a little bit aggressive and I might take off one or two destinations.

Questions, are sunrises worth shooting on the east side of the lake shore? I suppose the quality of light will be amazing, but should I save my energy and just focus on shooting sunsets on the shore or do both?

I'm picking the absolute worst time to go here price wise. Currently the trip is going to average $150/night just for meager accommodations that offer a 30 day cancellation. Since my job may be ending, I'm opting to spend more on lodging so that I can cancel reservations if I get chopped at the office and want to scale it back. If you had to cut anything out, what would you Skip? Trip price tag for lodging and gas is $1500 currently.

Want to save money? Camp!

There are all kinds of campgrounds along the way (private and state/national parks)

You'll go from $150 a night to $10-40 a night (of course I love camping and that half the fun for me). Plus, depending on where the campground is at, you can shoot all night right from te comfort of your camp site (the camp ground I stay at in the pictures rocks is litterally right on the beach and my camp ground was at the waters edge)

Actually here is a shot from a few years ago. This is the campground at the pictured rocks I stayed at right from my camp site.

gremlin75 wrote in post #14146825
Want to save money? Camp!

There are all kinds of campgrounds along the way (private and state/national parks)

You'll go from $150 a night to $10-40 a night (of course I love camping and that half the fun for me). Plus, depending on where the campground is at, you can shoot all night right from te comfort of your camp site (the camp ground I stay at in the pictures rocks is litterally right on the beach and my camp ground was at the waters edge)

I agree, have been doing it for years. Another option is to stay in cabins (where available) in campgrounds. They are pretty basic usually (rustic?), but might save you some money.

I would not try too hard for sunrise on the east side of the lake, but sunsets can be super.

I have no problem camping, but I am a woman traveling alone and a light sleeper, so I really don't like to stay in campgrounds that I am unfamiliar with. I have no recommendations for grounds with private, remote, quiet sites. Its just too much of a wild card. Cabins are a nice idea, but you can only rent them by the week in July on all the sites I found and still they are about $100/night. Plus, I must admit, in July climate control is nice.

kristin6 wrote in post #14147073
I have no problem camping, but I am a woman traveling alone and a light sleeper, so I really don't like to stay in campgrounds that I am unfamiliar with. I have no recommendations for grounds with private, remote, quiet sites. Its just too much of a wild card. Cabins are a nice idea, but you can only rent them by the week in July on all the sites I found and still they are about $100/night. Plus, I must admit, in July climate control is nice.

Understandable I suppose, but you still may want to keep the option open at some of the larger stops.

At the Sleeping Bear Dunes rangers are always around during peak season (platte river campground)

The grounds I stay at in the Pictured rocks (munising tourist park) is a plain very open camp ground so if anyone tried to mess with you they would have every other camper on them in no time (the best part of the place is to get a site on the lake. Nothing like shooting from you're own personal little beach then having a fire on the beach and drinking a beer or two)

Also if you like hiking there are lots of nice trails at the rocks. Almost all lead to waterfalls. My favorite trail is probably The Mosquito Trail. A beautiful trail by its self but it leads to a couple nice small falls (the smallest falls in the area I think) that are in the middle of the forest. Just a nice hike with or without a camera! (just know there is a reason its called "Mosquito Trail"....deet is your friend )

EDIT: speaking of deet, this extremely mild winter we had means that that bugs will most likely be very bad this year. Be prepared!

Oh, I forgot to ask, Wednesday on my docket is actually July 4th. It looks like I'll be heading to Mackanac that day, but didn't plan to stay on the island itself.

Where should I shoot fireworks from? Is there a good spot where I can get the bridge in the frame with the fireworks?

You're missing two of the best places on Lake Michigan...don't go to St. Joe, nothing to see there. South Haven is nice, Saugatuck is ok (I live in SH, 20 mins from St. Joe, 15 mins from Saugatuck). Definitelystop at Silver lake sand dunes...it has the tallest working lt house on the Great Lakes; then go to Pentwater...one of Michigan's best kept secrets (try to bethere on Thurs evenings). I think it's much better than Saugatuck, personally - definitely one of the best beaches on the Great Lakes! TC & surrounding area is cool. Tahquamenon Falls is a must!

If ya dont camp at saugatuck, stay in Holland. Mpadula is right aboiut that. And yeah, definetly skip St Joe. Not worth it at all. Saugutuck is much better than ok. Make sure to grab a waffle cone while walking around downtown, best in the world.

And yeah, sunrises are kinda pointless on western side of state. I sure wouldnt get up early to grab em.

Dragoro wrote in post #14159662
If ya dont camp at saugatuck, stay in Holland. Mpadula is right aboiut that. And yeah, definetly skip St Joe. Not worth it at all. Saugutuck is much better than ok. Make sure to grab a waffle cone while walking around downtown, best in the world.

And yeah, sunrises are kinda pointless on western side of state. I sure wouldnt get up early to grab em.

Awesome, thank you both. Another friend is encouraging me to actually skip the southern part of the coast all together and start my trip in Ludington. Since I live in Chicago, I can get over to Holland for weekend trips any time. I think I'll plan to spend just one night in Holland, shooting the sunset in Saugatuck. Since its just 3.5 hours, I can still spend a day and a half poking around that area.

I appear to be too late to make decent reservations anywhere along the shore for the week of the 4th, so I'll be pushing my trip back to mid July. That should be less crowded anyway, but I'm bummed about not shooting the fireworks at Mackinac. Oh well.

Sleeping Bear Dunes
Pictured Rocks
Mackinac Island
Soo Locks
Taquinamin Falls (bad mosquitos)

that is what we liked the most about the UP

a few from that trip
http://s278.photobucke​t.com …chigan09/#!cpZZ​2QQtppZZ20

I have to re-emphasize...Pentwater (IMHO, better than Saugatuck...can see the big lake from downtown and it's a 10 min walk from downtown to the beach) and Silver Lake Sand Dunes (just south of Pentwater). That's where I'd start my trip...skip Holland, Grand Haven...Ludington would be an optional one for me.

gremlin75 wrote in post #14147556
Understandable I suppose, but you still may want to keep the option open at some of the larger stops.

At the Sleeping Bear Dunes rangers are always around during peak season (platte river campground)

The grounds I stay at in the Pictured rocks (munising tourist park) is a plain very open camp ground so if anyone tried to mess with you they would have every other camper on them in no time (the best part of the place is to get a site on the lake. Nothing like shooting from you're own personal little beach then having a fire on the beach and drinking a beer or two)

Also if you like hiking there are lots of nice trails at the rocks. Almost all lead to waterfalls. My favorite trail is probably The Mosquito Trail. A beautiful trail by its self but it leads to a couple nice small falls (the smallest falls in the area I think) that are in the middle of the forest. Just a nice hike with or without a camera! (just know there is a reason its called "Mosquito Trail"....deet is your friend )

EDIT: speaking of deet, this extremely mild winter we had means that that bugs will most likely be very bad this year. Be prepared!

Thanks for all of the information. I am a veritable buffet for mosquito's! I'm going to invest in a couple of the better repellent shirts from REI this year.

Do you have recommendations for certain sites and lots along the UP and west Lake Michigan Shore?

I'd start with the Indiana Dunes before you even get to Michigan.

Nothing wrong with St. Joseph. The lakefront is a fine place to walk dogs and eat ice cream in the summer. But I would not go expecting any terribly memorable or exciting shots unless you have a personal connection there that makes them memorable. (St. Joe's sister city, Benton Harbor, I would not enter alone or unarmed.)

If you want a sunrise shot, there's a stretch of US31, between Grand Haven and Muskegon (or between Muskegon and Whitehall, maybe?) with some wide-open marshland that could be decent.

At the opposite end, you can go to the edge of Lake Superior and throw two rocks. Set up your tripod wherever the first one lands. Point the camera towards wherever the second one lands. You'll end up with a cool shot at least half the time.

I've never tried to shoot Tahquamenon Falls, but when I was younger they were a lot of fun to play in.