Sometime last year while scrolling Pinterest for travel ideas, I came across Pins of the Lake Michigan Circle Tour. The tour follows state highways around Lake Michigan through Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan.
I was immediately intrigued and began countless research. I watched video after video on YouTube, did hashtag searches on social media, and did countless Google searches using a combination of keywords to find the best tips, stops, and hacks for a successful journey.
After compiling all of my information, I created my own Lake Michigan Circle Tour itinerary. The goal of this trip was to complete the tour within seven days and make it as unique and memorable as possible.
Unfortunately, we ran into some challenges and ended the tour after day four. Although a complete bummer, I am grateful for the time spent on our journey, the people we met, and my new skillset and knowledge base. Because, let me tell you; I learned so much!
With all of that said, in this post, I’ll share a few details of our journey and itinerary, but will break down everything in separate posts over the coming weeks, with tons of photos and tips.
So, if you are interested in creating a memorable Lake Michigan Circle Tour road trip and don’t know where to begin, you’ll enjoy this post.
If you have children, you’ll love this post even more because my teen and toddler came along and I’ll share tips for traveling with children, as well.
At this point, if you haven’t subscribed to the blog, you’ll want to now to keep up with all that I have to share about the Lake Michigan Circle Tour.
Day 1: Chicago, Illinois to Indiana Dunes National Park
- Chicago, Illinois
- Indiana Dunes National Park
- Quality Inn
I noticed from my research that many people begin the Lake Michigan Circle Tour in Chicago but then head toward Wisconsin or Indiana depending on their itinerary and preferences. Since I fell in love with Indiana Dunes National Park last month, I decided that we would begin our journey in Indiana after picking up our campervan rental in Chicago.
Feel free to browse rental cars on DiscoverCars.com
Although, it had stormed earlier in the day, making Indiana Dunes National Park the start of our journey was so beautiful. We spent our evening at West Beach and watched the sunset before heading to our hotel for the night.
Opting for a hotel room for the first night was a wise decision for us. We were covered in sand, needed showers, and I was unable to reserve a campsite at the campgrounds in the few weeks leading up to our trip. Checking into a hotel room allowed us to shower, organize the campervan, and get a good start on our journey.
Day 2: Indiana Dunes National Park to Montague, Michigan
- Indiana Dunes National Park
- Douglas Root Beer Barrel
- R & R Suris Alpaca Farm
On Day 2, we headed to Douglas Root Beer Barrel for lunch. It is located at 501 W. Center St. in Douglas, Michigan, about 100 miles from West Beach.
In almost every post that I read or watched about the Lake Michigan Circle Tour, Douglas Root Beer Barrel was mentioned as a must-top. I would have to agree that it is certainly worth the visit. It is unique and affordable, and the hot dogs are delicious. Lunch for the three of us was about $23. I even ordered my Diet Root Beer in a souvenir glass. How could I not?!
On the way out of the restroom, a young lady stopped me and asked me to take some pictures of her and her group. I was happy to do so. I took several photos with a few angles which made the entire group joyful.
I know how important it is for me to capture attractive photos and anytime I can do that for someone else, I want to. It simply makes me happy.
Feel free to browse other Things to Do on Trip Advisor
R & R Suris Alpaca Farm, Montague, Michigan
From there we headed to our final stop, R & R Suris Alpaca Farm in Montague, Michigan. Our total drive for the day was about 150 miles. Within those 150 miles, there were so many places along the way that I wanted to stop but we were behind in our journey, so I decided to table them for the next time.
A few desired stops along the way included Nelis’ Dutch Village Amusement Park and a few U-Pick Blueberry Farms – just to name a few. If you are traveling with children, these would be great stops along the Lake Michigan Circle Tour.
After about two hours, we arrived at our final destination of the day, R & R Suris Alpaca Farm where I scheduled ahead of time and used my Harvest Host membership. This was my first time using the membership and it was such a wonderful experience. We were greeted warmly by our hosts, got parked, and enjoyed our evening.
We sat outside, grazed on a veggie tray, and played around with my daughter flying a kite and playing with a camping activity board that was made specifically for this trip. I also had the opportunity to use my new blooming floral camping table for the first time. It’s so adorable!
The following morning, we learned about alpacas on our alpaca tour and browsed the store. It was such a great experience and made for a unique road trip experience.
I mean, really – how often will you hear of someone staying overnight at an alpaca farm?! I wouldn’t change anything about the experience. Look our for more details in a future post.
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Day 3: Montague, Michigan to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Shoreline
- R&R Suris Alpaca Farm Tour
- Sleeping Bear Dunes National Shoreline
- Philip A. Hart Visitor Center
- Platte River Campground & Ranger Station
After our alpaca tour, we gassed up and headed to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Shoreline where I was excited about all of us completing the Junior Ranger program and receiving our badges. Only it didn’t exactly happen that way. And, that’s okay.
After about a three-hour drive, we arrived at the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center. We took photos at the entrance sign because no National Park visit is complete without a photo at the entrance sign. Right!?
After a handful of photos, we headed over to the ranger demonstration outside and learned about sea lampreys (also known as vampire fish) and the best things to do while at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Shoreline.
After wrapping up activities outside, we headed inside the Visitor Center. We picked up our Junior Ranger books, stamped my Letterfolk National Park Passport Journal and the Junior Ranger books, explored the exhibit room while completing some of the activities in the Junior Ranger book, and bought a few postcards and stickers.
After spending about an hour in the Visitor Center before closing, we headed to Platte River Campground to get settled for the evening. Once at the campground, we didn’t explore or do much. We used our time to cook, eat, relax, talk, and laugh. Talk about family memories made.
As a brief note, you will need your National Park pass to stay overnight at the campground in addition to paying for your reservation. This year alone, I have visited five National Parks using my National Park Pass, and it has already paid for itself. It has been one of my best recreational purchases this year.
Earning My Junior Ranger Patch and Badge as a 40-something
In addition to this, my son and I worked on the Junior Ranger book. I was so serious about getting my 11 activities done so that I could say the pledge the next morning and earn my badge – as a grown adult. Ha!
As I worked through my activities, I noticed that I could do the Service Project and earn my patch and that’s exactly what I did. I picked up trash around our campground on the way to the restroom to earn my patch.
Although it was the easiest of the service projects, it was the most difficult because the campground was vastly clean. I had to work hard to find small pieces of paper to pick up.
The next morning before checking out, I went to the Ranger Station to turn in my booklet, say my pledge, and earn my goodies because my children didn’t want to. Ha!
So, here I am, a 40-something-year-old woman, earning her first Junior Ranger badge and patch at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Shoreline. What a way to heal your inner child! I am so proud of myself!
I’m not going to lie, I was a bit embarrassed to do it at first because I was grown, but the ranger told me that she enjoys doing the Junior Ranger activities because they are fun and you learn so much. I agree!
In fact, I was able to write about the sea lamprey demonstration in the book under the Ranger-led Activities and also make sense of one of the activities in the book that I was clueless about called, Texting the old-fashioned way using signal flags.
Since we didn’t visit the Sleeping Bear Point Coast Guard Station Maritime Museum just west of Glen Haven, I wasn’t able to complete the activity.
However, one of the activity rooms at the Children’s Museum later that day was dedicated to this niche and I was able to make sense of it. I can’t recommend the Junior Ranger programs enough for families of all ages!
Day 4: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Shoreline to Traverse City, Michigan & Home
- Platte River Campground & Ranger Station
- Discovery Pier along West Grand Traverse Bay
- Great Lakes Children’s Museum
On our final day out, we left Sleeping Bear Dunes National Shoreline and headed to Traverse City, Michigan to the Great Lakes Children’s Museum making a pit stop across the street at the Discovery Pier. I always love including fun stops for my toddler daughter on our road trips.
*Did you see the pit stop at Kidsville in Cornersville, Tennessee on our way to Florida?
The Great Lakes Children’s Museum located at 3240 S. W. Bay Shore Drive in Traverse City, Michigan was a great stop for my daughter to run around and play before we continued with our road trip.
After some playtime at the museum, we took a scenic drive through Traverse City. From what we saw, it seems to be a beautiful town that I would love to return to and spend a weekend at.
After that drive, I decided that it would be best for us to end our trip and head home. It was certainly a tough decision to make because we were originally headed to Tahquamenon Falls State Park (Root Beer Falls) and staying at the Tahquamenon Falls State Park Campground which would have put us halfway through the Lake Michigan Circle Tour.
Nevertheless, it was a wonderful experience and I am looking forward to picking up where we left off and finishing the trip (kidless).
Final Thoughts
This is just a snippet. I look forward to including details and photos in future posts over the next few weeks. I’m also looking forward to completing the tour later in July over the course of a few days. I can’t wait to share more!
Feel free to leave any comments or tips that you have for completing the circle!
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