This 20-Mile Scenic Highway in Michigan Is Called the ‘Tunnel of Trees’—and It’s Spectacular in the Fall

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Growing up with household ties to Michigan, I realized early on that you just don’t should battle the chaotic crowds of New England to witness a world-class fall.

When the heavy summer season humidity lastly breaks, the finest seasonal drive in the nation is ready proper alongside the steep bluffs of Lake Michigan.

Fall is my favourite season in the U.S.

There’s magic in grabbing a heavy flannel, throwing my digicam gear in the truck, and heading north. The air will get sharp, the lakes flip a deep blue, and the whole shoreline explodes with colour.

The M-119—recognized universally as the “Tunnel of Trees”—is a legendary 20-mile stretch of two-lane asphalt that utterly transforms by the second week of October. It is the final Midwest autumn escape, delivering uninterrupted colour, historic coastal hamlets, and world-class consolation meals with out the East Coast price ticket.

The Route: 20 Miles of Uninterrupted Color

The magic of M-119 is that it forces you to decelerate and really experience the landscape. You can’t velocity by this route, and also you wouldn’t need to anyway.

• The Starting Line: The official scenic route begins proper at the edge of Harbor Springs, an extremely charming, upscale coastal city filled with sailboats and historic Victorian summer season properties.
• The Geography: The freeway snakes its approach northwest alongside the shoreline towards Cross Village. It is famously slender—there may be zero shoulder, no heart line, and over 130 sharp, winding curves.
• The Canopy Effect: Because the old-growth oaks, maples, and birches develop straight on the edge of the asphalt, their huge branches attain throughout the highway and bodily interlock. The daylight dapples by the vibrant orange leaves, making a glowing, kaleidoscopic impact inside your automobile.
• The Lake Views: Through the breaks in the heavy timber on the western facet of the highway, you get staggering, elevated views wanting straight down the steep bluffs into the crashing, crystal-clear waves of Lake Michigan.

The Stops: Cider, Pot Pies, and History

Driving the Tunnel of Trees is barely half the expertise. The route is dotted with iconic, hidden-gem stops that seize the actual essence of a Midwest autumn.

• Pond Hill Farm: Located only a few miles north of Harbor Springs, this sprawling working farm is obligatory. You can seize a pint of their very own craft beer or onerous cider, stroll by the huge pumpkin patches, and hike the terraced winery trails straight behind the huge pink barn.
• Good Hart General Store: About midway up the tunnel, you’ll hit the tiny, historic hamlet of Good Hart. The centerpiece is the genuine Nineteen Twenties normal retailer, which capabilities as a put up workplace, bakery, and deli. You should cease and seize one of their world-famous, made-from-scratch hen pot pies and a bag of native smoked whitefish unfold.
• The Scenic Turnouts: The state has carved out just a few small, unpaved pull-offs alongside the cliffside. You can minimize the engine, step out into the freezing, crisp air, and take heed to the lake winds ripping by the hardwood cover.

The Destination: Legs Inn at Cross Village

The scenic route formally ends in Cross Village, however the journey culminates at one of the most eccentric, wildly beloved eating places in Michigan.

• The Architecture: Legs Inn is a large, historic stone-and-timber lodge constructed completely by hand in the Nineteen Twenties by a Polish immigrant. The exterior is famously lined with upside-down cast-iron range legs, giving the constructing its identify.
• The Feast: The kitchen serves extremely genuine, heavy Polish consolation meals. After driving by the crisp autumn air, sitting down to an enormous plate of sizzling potato pierogies, slow-cooked hunter’s stew (bigos), and grilled smoked sausage is a religious expertise.
• The Vibe: The inside is darkish, cozy, and lined in weird, intricate wooden carvings and classic taxidermy. If you’re fortunate sufficient to catch a heat afternoon, their expansive out of doors beer backyard sits proper on the edge of the bluff, providing panoramic views of the lake and the distant Beaver Island archipelago.

Essential Logistics For Your Drive

Because this route is now not a whole secret, it’s good to be strategic about when and the way you deal with it for the absolute best expertise.

• The Timing: The peak foliage window often falls between the first and third weeks of October, although it shifts every year barely relying on rain and in a single day frosts.
• The Traffic Hack: Weekends in October can flip the slender freeway right into a slow-moving parade of RVs and bikes. If you need the highway to your self, drive it on a Tuesday or Wednesday morning proper after the solar comes up.
• Where to Basecamp: Petoskey and Harbor Springs make good launchpads. They provide unbelievable boutique resorts, high-end eating, and their very own spectacular views over Little Traverse Bay.

Tip From The Editor (me): Drive the route from North to South (Cross Village right down to Harbor Springs) quite than the conventional South to North. Because Lake Michigan sits to the west, driving southbound places your automobile in the right-hand lane, holding you closest to the steep bluffs and providing you with a very unobstructed view of the water by the timber.

You don’t have to fly into Boston and struggle 1000’s of different vacationers to get a world-class autumn expertise. By pointing your compass towards northern Michigan, you get a pristine, dramatic shoreline exploding with colour. Are you mapping out a cease at Pond Hill Farm, or driving straight to Cross Village for a plate of pierogies?

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Tyler Fox

Tyler is our Managing Editor and Writer. After spending years studying, writing, and obsessing over journey (whereas taking journeys as usually as doable of course!), he goals to offer readers the finest and most balanced expertise doable when exploring the web site.