The landscapes of Northern Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota are beautiful to explore in all four seasons, and offer hiking, paddling, cycling, farm-fresh foods, and soulful small towns. 

Along the coast of Lake Michigan you will discover the Leelanau Peninsula, which is home to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (towering sand dunes overlooking the freshwater sea), and vast riverways and hiking trails through pristine forests untouched (thanks in large part to local conservation efforts.) There is a diversity of flora and wildlife, including many species of protected birds and native plants. Sleepy heritage farms exude charm along every curve of the peninsula’s country roads. In the winter, it’s sometimes possible to view the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights.

The original stewards of this land are descendants of the Anishinaabe people, of Ottawa and Ojibwe/Chippewa tribes. You will likely feel the native soul of the land here, and there are opportunities to learn of the Anishinaabe people’s local history in Peshawbestown.

Further north along Michigan’s Upper Peninsula coast along with Wisconsin and Minnesota sits the largest of the Great Lakes: Lake Superior. Superior is also the coldest and wildest of the lakes, and the coastal landscape depicts this activity. The Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore offers views that could compete with the Mediterranean or Carribean, and visiting in the off-season will have you see it come to life with Fall colors or with icy, snowy, cave-like water formations.

We’ve selected the Great Lakes for its under-appreciated beauty, access to fresh water, and year-round recreation unique to each of the four seasons.

In the Great Lakes region, we support the conservation efforts of the Leelanau Conservancy. The Leelanau Conservancy was founded in 1988 by a small group of individuals and since then has permanently preserved over 16,000 acres of land.