Lake Superior Circle Tour Itinerary

Going on a Lake Superior Circle tour is one of the best ways to experience all of the beauty this unique part of North America offers. On top of exploring breathtaking wilderness areas and shorelines, you’ll also get the chance to dive into the rich history of the many amazing cities you’ll visit.

As you travel along the more than 13,000 miles of exciting scenery, you’ll be able to cross through Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Ontario, Canada. Since the whole tour is a circle, you have your choice of which Upper Peninsula towns you want to start and end in, along with which ones you want to spend the most time in along the way.

While you can add a few personalized touches to this itinerary, reading through this general guide on making the perfect loop around Lake Superior will help you start planning one of the most iconic road trips everyone should experience at least once in their life.

where to visit in the upper peninsula

Start in Ironwood and Head to Duluth

Technically, you can start the Lake Superior Circle tour in any town. Mackinaw City, Marquette, and Thunder Bay are all other potential places to start, and you might find it hard to narrow down where to visit the Upper Peninsula first. But, Ironwood has a few key characteristics that help you kick your tour off right. Since the town is smaller than some of the others, you’ll enjoy beginning your trip in an area where you can take in the local sights without dealing with too many crowds.

Ironwood hosts several historic sites and museums and is close to the Copper Peak Ski Hill, so you can start seeing some amazing places immediately. Plus, the town gives you a fun, family-friendly place to refuel and rest up at the end of your loop when you’re tired from crossing through the Porcupine Mountains.

Going from Ironwood to Duluth takes between two to three hours, depending upon the route that you take. Along the way, you can stop in Ashland, where you can explore the murals downtown. If you opt to go through Bayfield, then you can take a ferry to Madeline Island, which is the largest of the Apostle Islands. Or, you might choose to spend some time in Amnicon Falls State Park, where you can take in the awe-inspiring rapids that flow through the area.

Move Through Duluth to Thunder Bay

This portion of your drive is around 189 miles, and the first 150 before you arrive at the Canadian border is a gorgeous scenic byway that gives you a chance to check out waterfalls and wildlife that will take your breath away. For this part of your route, you’ll want to avoid taking the Expressway and instead travel along Scenic 61 to get to Two Harbors. There, you can check out the lighthouse and stretch your legs along the Sonju Trail.

On your way to Grand Marais, you should be able to see Gooseberry Falls somewhere between mile marker 40 and 60, and you’ll be in close proximity to another lighthouse and Tettegouche State Park if you’re ready for a picnic or up for a hike. Once you hit Grand Marais, you can visit the Grand Portage National Monument, which houses a re-created fur trading post that lets you learn more about the industry. You’ll encounter another state park just before you arrive at the Canadian border. The Grand Portage State Park offers you a short hike to see the 120-foot falls, or you can choose to see it from the top once you move over the Canadian border.

Travel from Thunder Bay to Wawa

Thunder Bay is a fun place to spend several hours, especially if you love learning from costume-loving history interpreters that can tell you all about the history of the fur trading in the area. For waterfall chasers, the town also brings you close to Kakabeka Falls. If the thought of driving from Thunder Bay to Wawa is overwhelming, then consider stopping mid-way in Rossport, where you might choose to go kayaking or view the waterfalls at the Rainbow Falls Provincial Park. As you leave Wawa, try to make sure you have time in your schedule to visit the Lake Superior Provincial Park, where you can view pictographs on Agawa Rock.

Explore the Beauty of Wawa Through Munising

The drive back into the United States and around the other side of Lake Superior is just as full of fun-filled adventures as the previous part of your journey. After venturing through Wawa, you’ll come into Sault Ste. Marie, where it’s worth planning to spend some time watching the boats in the harbor. If you’ve got some extra time on your trip, then you may also want to drive an hour south to St. Ignace, where you can take a ferry to Mackinac Island, which feels like stepping back in time since bicycles and horse-drawn carriages are the primary way to get around.

Lake Superior Circle Tour

If you find yourself feeling tired as you get close to Paradise, then you can choose to stay in one of the many local hotels overnight. Or, you could head to the Tahquamenon Falls State Park, where you can enjoy seeing some wildlife in the Upper Peninsula as you camp or spend the night in a lodge.

Keep Going to Copper Harbor and the Porcupine Mountains

If you have time as you move through Munising, taking a Pictured Rocks cruise is an idyllic way to spend some time before heading through some of the most scenic parts of your trip. If the time of year is right, Copper Harbor offers a chance to burn off some energy on more than 25 miles of mountain biking trails. Or, you might opt to go kayaking.

upper peninsula towns

Whatever you do, make sure to plan for plenty of time to stay in the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, where you can see three famous Upper Peninsula waterfalls if you take the Presque Isle River hiking loop. The State Park also has yurts, cabins, lodges, and traditional camping spots that you can use to spend a night or two before returning to your modern lodging options in Ironwood, where you can finish your trip by dining in style at one of the local restaurants.

The Lake Superior Circle Tour can be accomplished in as few as four to five days, or you can extend it to two weeks or more when you have enough time to fully explore all of the best Upper Peninsula towns on your itinerary. Now that you’ve got this basic outline of how to make your way around the loop and where to visit in the Upper Peninsula, be sure to fill it in with festivals, events, and longer stops where you can mingle with the locals and discover more about the rich history of the area.