Plan the Perfect Visit to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

Planning a trip to Michigan's Upper Peninsula can get overwhelming fast. Pictured Rocks, waterfalls, Lake Superior beaches, hiking trails, small towns and scenic drives can easily turn what should be a relaxing vacation into hours and hours in the car trying to see everything.

YouTuber Evelyn’s Farm Diaries and her family spent part of their Michigan getaway at The Kingfisher Lodge — and brought the camera along. From exploring the river and soaking in the hot tub to s’mores by the fire, this is what a few days here can actually look like.

Their trip included a long hike, beach stops, time around Escanaba, floating the Escanaba River, dinners outside and, eventually, a day where they barely went anywhere at all. That mix of adventure and downtime is a pretty good model for planning the U.P. well.

Watch their Upper Peninsula adventure:

DON'T TRY TO SEE THE WHOLE U.P.

Michigan's Upper Peninsula stretches for hundreds of miles, and you could spend weeks exploring it without seeing everything. Instead of building an itinerary around every place you might possibly want to visit, choose a home base and plan a few good days around it.

The Kingfisher Lodge sits along the Escanaba River near Cornell, about 20 minutes outside Escanaba. From here, you can mix bigger U.P. day trips with local exploring and slower days at the lodge.

A good Upper Peninsula vacation usually includes one or two bigger adventure days, a few shorter local outings and at least some time with nothing scheduled at all.

PICK ONE BIG U.P. ADVENTURE

Every Upper Peninsula trip deserves at least one day where you really go explore. That might mean hiking along Lake Superior, exploring Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, chasing waterfalls, visiting Fayette Historic State Park, spending a day around Marquette or taking a scenic drive with a few trails and roadside stops along the way.

The family in the video tackled a long hike early in their trip and ended up walking around eight miles before getting back to the car. It was beautiful and memorable, but they were also tired, hungry and very ready to be done by the end of it.

That's a good reminder not to stack too much into one day. Pick one major destination, bring food and water and leave enough time to actually enjoy where you're going.

LEAVE ROOM FOR THE UNPLANNED STUFF

Some of the best things to do in the Upper Peninsula aren't really attractions at all. They're the beach you notice while driving, the roadside stop you almost pass, the trail you decide to follow or the afternoon that changes because nobody feels like leaving the river.

The family in the video does quite a bit of exactly that. There is a loose plan, but plenty of the trip develops as they go.

That's a good way to experience the U.P. Have a few places you want to see, but don't schedule every hour.

SPEND A DAY AROUND ESCANABA

You don't have to make every day a road trip. Escanaba and Gladstone are close enough to The Kingfisher Lodge for an easy morning or afternoon without committing the entire day.

You can grab breakfast or lunch, walk the waterfront, visit a beach, pick up groceries and still be back at the lodge with plenty of time left in the day.

A few easy things to do around Escanaba and Gladstone include:

• Explore Ludington Park and the Escanaba waterfront

• Visit Sand Point Lighthouse

• Spend some time along Little Bay de Noc

• Walk downtown Escanaba

• Head to Gladstone for the beach and harbor

• Stop for dinner before heading back to The Kingfisher Lodge

One useful lesson from the family's trip is to check restaurant hours before you leave. They tried several places before finding somewhere open with room for them, and small-town hours can vary, especially outside peak summer season.

ENJOY THE RIVER

One of the best parts of staying at The Kingfisher Lodge is having the Escanaba River right outside.

The family in the video discovered that pretty quickly. What started as a simple idea to grab an inner tube and float a short stretch of river turned into one of the highlights of their stay.

But tubing is only one way to enjoy it.

Depending on conditions, you can spend part of the day fishing, float a calm stretch in a tube, launch a kayak, or simply head down to the water and explore. Kids can spend a surprising amount of time along the riverbank with a dip net, looking under rocks, catching crayfish and seeing what else they can find.

You don't need to turn the river into a big excursion. Sometimes the best afternoons are the simple ones — a fishing rod, a tube, a dip net and nowhere else you need to be.

PLAN DINNER AT THE LODGE

Going out every night sounds good when you're planning a vacation, but it can feel very different after a full day of hiking or exploring.

Sometimes nobody wants to get cleaned up, pile back into the car and drive somewhere for dinner. The family in the video figured that out pretty quickly, and dinner outside followed by time around the fire became part of the experience rather than a backup plan.

The Kingfisher Lodge has a full kitchen, large deck and outdoor spaces that make staying in feel like part of the vacation.

Before arriving, consider grabbing:

• Something easy for the grill

• Breakfast food

• Sandwich supplies for adventure days

• Snacks for the car

• Drinks

• S'mores supplies

• A couple of easy dinners for nights nobody wants to leave

There are grocery options in the Escanaba area, so you can also stock up once you're here.

GIVE YOURSELF A LODGE DAY

This might be the most important part of your Upper Peninsula itinerary: don't schedule something every day.

Toward the end of their trip, the family in the video decided they weren't going anywhere. The boys went fishing, lunch was made at the house and everyone simply slowed down and spent the day together.

That kind of day is easy to eliminate when you're planning a U.P. vacation because there is always another waterfall, beach or trail you could go see. But sometimes the better choice is to stay put.

Sleep in, make breakfast, fish, float the river, play shuffleboard, take the bikes out, sit on the deck, use the hot tub, cook dinner and build a fire. A vacation doesn't have to become a checklist.

PACK FOR U.P. WEATHER — NOT JUST THE FORECAST

Upper Peninsula weather can change quickly, especially near the water, so bring layers even when the forecast looks good.

A sunny afternoon can turn into a cool evening, and Lake Superior can feel like a completely different season from wherever you started that morning.

Even during summer, it's smart to bring:

• Sweatshirts or light jackets

• Comfortable hiking shoes

• Rain gear

• Extra socks

• Swimsuits

• Towels for adventure days

• Bug spray

• Sunscreen

• Refillable water bottles

• A small daypack

In spring and fall, bring another layer.

A SIMPLE 4-DAY UPPER PENINSULA ITINERARY

You don't need a minute-by-minute itinerary. A loose structure usually works better.

DAY 1 — ARRIVE + SETTLE IN

Check in, explore The Kingfisher Lodge, walk down to the river, unpack and make an easy dinner. Spend the evening in the hot tub or around the fire and give yourself a chance to settle in before heading out on a bigger adventure.

DAY 2 — BIG U.P. ADVENTURE

Make this your long day. Choose Pictured Rocks, Marquette, a major hike or another Upper Peninsula destination you've really wanted to see. Pack food and water, leave early enough that you don't have to rush and plan on a quiet evening back at the lodge afterward.

DAY 3 — EXPLORE ESCANABA + STAY LOCAL

Sleep in and spend part of the day around Escanaba or Gladstone. Visit the waterfront, grab lunch, pick up groceries or spend some time at the beach, then head back early enough to enjoy the river.

If conditions are right, this is a great day to grab a tube and float a short stretch.

DAY 4 — DON'T GO ANYWHERE

Make this day intentional. Fish, float the river, play games, take a bike ride, sit on the deck, fire up the grill, soak in the hot tub and enjoy having nowhere else you're supposed to be.

THE SECRET TO A GREAT U.P. VACATION

The best Upper Peninsula trips usually have a plan, but not too much of one.

Choose a couple of places you really want to see, give yourself enough time to enjoy them and leave room for roadside discoveries, weather changes and the occasional idea nobody had before the trip started.

Most importantly, leave some time for doing absolutely nothing.

People often arrive at The Kingfisher Lodge excited about everything they're going to see in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Then they get here, hear the river, settle onto the deck and realize they might not need to go quite as far as they thought.