Ultimate Fall Bucket List For Michigan
As the weather begins to drop, Pumpkin Spice Lattes return, crockpots start prepping soup, and Michigan puts on a show of color. Michigan trees light up throughout the state with hardwood forests igniting in stunning reds and yellows, evergreens keeping a hint of green, and the lakes or waterfalls turn a deep turquoise blue. Fall is also prime U-pick time for farms across the state! Although you can pick summer fruit at some, many begin their season with apples, apple cider, and pumpkin patches. Michigan cities often host fall festivities to celebrate the season too. Use this bucket list to plan a trip or make the most out of your fall here in Michigan!
check out my Ultimate Spring Bucket List for Michigan
Photo from our Tahquamenon hike back in 2017
Go for a Nature Hike
If you aren’t a year-round explorer like us, then this may be your last opportunity to hit the trails, whether its by foot, bike, AV, or paddle. Any hike in Michigan will be beautiful, but here are a few of our most breath-taking hikes:
Porcupine Mountains
Difficulty: Moderate
If you want to overlook Lake of the Clouds, Lake Superior, and the Carp River Valley in one trip, then head to the Porcupine Mountains for a weekend! You can hike the Escarpment Trail (4 miles with changing elevation) for this stunning view. Or you can choose to hike the many other trails, maybe book a rustic cabin at the park, or check out the restaurants in the area! You can drive up to the Lake of the Clouds overlook for a handicap accessible view as well.
Sleeping Bear Dunes
Difficulty: Moderate
The Empire Bluff Trail at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park is a 1.5-mile roundtrip hike full of foliage and views of the water. Or you can just stick to the scenic loop and stop at the popular viewing spots for easier viewing spots. Many of the popular spots are handicap accessible.
Mackinac Island
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
With over 140 miles of trails and roads, Mackinac Island is a biker or walkers paradise! You can rent a bike on the island or bring your own. The perimeter of the island is the most popular trail, being an 8.2-mile road. If you head inland, you can find several trails that lead to views & vantage points such as: Sugar Loaf, Mort Mackinac, Skull Cave, or Arch Rock.
Ludington State Park
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Ludington State Park is one of our favorite state parks! It has a wonderful array of sand dunes, marshlands, forests, three campgrounds, playscapes, waterways, Big Sable Point Lighthouse, and a multitude of trails. If you just want to venture out to the lighthouse, you can take the 1.8-mile hard-packed sand and gravel road from the park main entrance.
Sugarloaf Mountain
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
The Sugarloaf Mountain Trail in Marquette is a popular fall viewing hike. There are actually two different ways to reach the viewing area: an easy hike and a difficult one. When you get closer to the summit, there will be intermittent stairs on the route to help with elevation changes.
Port Crescent State Park
Difficulty: Easy
You can head to Michigan’s “Thumb” for a great family trip along Lake Huron’s Saginaw Bay shoreline. This park offers fishing, canoeing, birding, and so much more! It’s also a wonderful place to stargaze, which is why we recommend camping overnight. You can find 7 miles of easy trails, including a loop and a nature trail. While you’re in the area, don’t forget to kayak to Turnip Rock - one of the most famous spots in the state and it’s only accessible by water!
Chase Waterfalls
With more than 300 waterfalls in the state, there are plenty to visit and see this fall! Due to the cooling weather, many of the popular waterfalls will be on the quieter side, leaving you to take in the gorgeous colors & scenery. Each autumn, the colorful foliage frames the waterfalls making for extraordinary views and wonderful hikes.
Here are just a few:
Bond Falls State Scenic Site
Tahquamenon Water Falls
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Sable Falls
Munising Falls
Cascade Falls
Visit a pumpkin patch
You can find pumpkin patches all over the state of Michigan, and it’s a popular fall activity! Shoppers scout their favorite fields for the biggest, fattest, roundest, tallest, or oddest pumpkins to carve or decorate their homes. Some pumpkin patches will even host fall festivals, corn mazes, maybe the farm also has a cider mill, climbing activities and fun for the kids, so get out and scavenge through a pumpkin patch!
Take A Scenic Drive
Whether you grab your bicycle, motorcycle, or pack into the car, Michigan has extraordinary scenic drives that truly show off come autumn. You can find scenic by-ways all over the state from the coastlines of Lake Michigan, the peninsula of Leelanau, the heart of Detroit, all the way the Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (our personal favorite come autumn).
M-22
Michigan’s M-22 highway follows the Lake Michigan shoreline of the Leelanau Peninsula, making up a portion of the Lake Michigan Circle Tour. It also passes through the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and many other tourist areas.
Upper Peninsula’s M-26
Running from Rockland, all the way to Copper Harbor, this Michigan Highway is sure to be a beautiful drive this fall. The northernmost section parallels the shore of Lake Superior on the west side of the Keweenaw Peninsula. Don’t forget to take a small detour up and over Brockway Mountain for a beautiful view, or to watch the sunset!
Tunnel Of Trees
Michigan’s tunnel of trees is ranked among the most scenic roads in the nation. M-119 begins at the north end of Petoskey, but it doesn’t officially become the Tunnel of Trees until north of Harbor Springs. This state highway can be very narrow, running 20 miles along Lake Michigan. In the autumn, the hardwoods and evergreens knit a ceiling of electrifying fall colors.
Run a 5k
Fall is my absolute favorite time to participate in a 5k (not to mention the cute fall gear included in the ticket). If you are up for anything between a walk, 5k, or a marathon, then check out the calendar for all the 5ks in Michigan and find one that best suits you!
Go on a hay ride
Go Apple-Picking or Grab Fresh Cider
Many farms are opening up and preparing for the fall season! Whether you want to load up a basket and make your own cider or enjoy freshly made cider from a mill, fall is the best time to find handmade goodies and U-pick orchards. They also bring back the nostalgia of playing in leaves, climbing haystacks, eating donuts, or spending the day with the family - making supporting local farmers a top priority on your fall bucket list! Top 5 orchards in Michigan:
Uncle John’s Cider Mill
The state’s top family-fun destination come fall! Acres of apple trees, a cider mill, a tap barn, a pie bar, and beautiful rolling hills make Uncle John’s a must-see spot this season. If you are planning a trip, be sure to plan for plenty of time at the mill. There will be fresh-baked donuts, pies, carmel-dipped apples, fun-filled activities, a corn-maze, a wide open pumpkin patch, award-winning hard cider, wine, and vodka from distilled apples in the tasting room, and a Cider Yard with bonfire pits, yard games, food trucks, music, and more!
Sunny G Orchard
Michigan’s Upper Peninsula’s up-and-coming Apple Orchard! With 10 varieties of apples, hay rides, and maybe a chance to see the animals on the working farm! They also frequent farmers markets so be sure to stay up-to-date with their Facebook.
Knaebe’s Apple Farm and Ciderworks
If fall colors are on your bucket list this season, then this stunning family-owned apple orchard needs to be on your itinerary. With 50 varieties of dwarf and semi-dwarf apple trees and acres and acres of hardwood forest, a-blaze in fall colors surrounding the farm, let’s not even mention all the baked goods, hard ciders, U-Pick apples, farm animals, playground, corn maze (Thursday through Sunday), and the Mac ‘n’ Squasher apple slingshot - how is this not the perfect fall spot to see this year?
Wiard’s Orchards
Wiard’s is the oldest still-operating apple orchard in the state of Michigan! Wiard’s opened their wildly popular “Country Fair,” a fun festival featuring a corn maze, wagon rides, an animal farm, mini golf, play areas, and so so so much more. They host festivities throughout the season, including a spooky 5k run/walk and haunted forest. You can also find an apple cannon, giant inflatables, Straw Mountain, Hunted Barn, the Country Market and Bakery, birthday parties, school field trips, college groups, themed weekends, have I convinced you to visit yet?
Spicer Orchards
Fenton has some wonderful experiences to offer, so it’s no surprise that their orchards are making the list. Among the usual apple-picking, donuts, corn maze, wagon and train rides, fresh baked goods and picnic tables, they also offer bounce houses, zip line fun, face painting, and so much more! Aside from the farm market & bakery, they also have a Spicer Winery, where you can sample both wines and hard ciders.
Go to a drive-in Movie theater
Visit a haunted house
Attend/watch a football game
Visit a corn maze
Go for a bike ride
Donate to the food bank
Visit the farmers markets
The days may be getting shorter, and maybe colder, but fresh, local, produce doesn’t end until Michigan starts to see snow. Each farmers market or farm state will vary on hours, days, and when their season ends, so be sure to check with the farmers marking you are looking to visit. Need a few ideas?
Eastern Market
A historic site in Detroit since 1841. This farmers market covers six city blocks with stalls of root vegetables, fall-blooming flowers, locally-made pierogis and sausages in autumn. Occasionally, you can find themed events and locally made art vendors too.
Kerry Town Market & Shops
This farmers market in Ann Arbor, and the surrounding streets, feature vendors offering locally-sourced produce, cheese, and meats year-round!
Flint Farmers’ Market
Flints own farmers market features more than 50 vendors! They sell local produce, meat and poultry, cheese and bread indoors year-round.
Take a scenic train ride
Visit a brewery
Rent a cabin up north
Enjoy a fall festival
Visit Frankenmuth
Nicknamed “Michigan’s Little Bavaria,” Frankenmuth introduces German traditions during many festivals, but is well known for their Oktoberfest! Enjoy live polka music, dancing, traditional food, wiener dog races, and a glass of beer from Frankenmuth Brewery all in Heritage Park. This September event was even declared the first to operate with the blessing of Munich’s original Oktoberfest in 1996!
Thanksgiving Buffet at the Grand Traverse Resort
Thanksgiving is a time to reflect with loved ones. But have you ever let someone else prepare Thanksgiving dinner, entertain the family, and do the dishes? Ever since most of our family started migrating to their warmer homes early, we started a tradition of turning our Thanksgiving into a relaxing vacation. The Grand Traverse Resort has boutique shops, a spa, indoor tennis courts, a myriad of trees & fireplaces to relax in front of, events for kids hosted on the weekend, and so much more.
Play a zombie themed laser tag game with Mid-Michigan Laser Combat
Looking for something that is not normally shared about? Mid-Michigan Laser Combat teams up with local parks during October to host some spooky themed games! But, what is laser combat? By incorporating video games, multi-environment operations, strategic gameplay, teamwork, and laser tag equipment, Mid-Michigan Laser Combat takes laser tag to the next level! Keep up to date for local events on their Facebook page.
