Great Lakes Circle Tours

[seadaddler]

Has anyone done the Great Lakes Circle Tours,I live in Fl.
but will most likely be starting out from LI,NY in the month
of Sept and than back to Fl.
Is it possible to do all 5 lakes in a month or less.
Nick

[t55watson]

I don't think you could do a circle of all 5 lakes, and enjoy it, in that time frame.
Come down the US side of Lake Ontario and Huron, up the MI thumb and North to the Straits of Mackinaw along lake Huron then up to Lake Superior , go West along Superior up and down the Kewinaw Peninsula then South to the North shore of Lake Michigan and follow the West shore to Chicago. That might fit your time frame a little better.
Michigan has more lighthouses than any other state in the country. The UP of Michigan has over 200 waterfalls. If those things are of interest to you.

[twogypsies]

I assume you've seen the web site:

Great Lakes Circle Tour

I think you'll have to pick and choose what you can fit in. You won't be able to do it all.

We're partial to Michigan.

[seadaddler]

Thanks for your input and now I know I will need to pick and choose
what lakes to visit.
I do have a lot of info on the Lake Tours and hopefully will make the trip next year and will have time to plan out and what to stop and see.
I thought of doing 2 different trips but there is much of this Great USA
we want to visit and hard to decide where to start and which trips we want to
put on the beginning of our to see list.
We leave Fl. during the Months of July,August and Sept and like to travel
from our base of LI,NY in the Month of Sept when school is back and less
crowds.
Nick

[nothermark]

Can you do it? No problem. Is it what you want? Maybe. In the month of September you can see a lot of interesting fall sites with touristy things. It really depends what you want. How many days of looking at rocky wooded vistas? How much do you want to see the big cities? Have you been to Niagara Falls? I paddled Huron, Ontario and Erie in one day once for giggles. I have spent weeks on one lake just enjoying the area. I'd skip the cities, do the Falls if you have not been, and enjoy the drive. You can head back another time if there are places where you want to spend weeks. Head for the north Shore of Superior first as it gets cold there soonest. ;-)

[In Pursuit]

Right now we are on the north shore of Superior up from Sault Ste Marie and have over a week of travel. Too beautiful to rush through. We want to enjoy this.

[skigramp]

The North shore of Lake Superior is two different world in my estimation ... between Sault St Marie and Wawa is interesting and beautiful ... between Wawa and Thunder Bay the road is away from the lake (uninteresting timber growth).

The South Shore of Superior is much more interesting ... waterfalls, painted seashore, historical forts, beautiful inland lakes and hiking trails. Just sayin.

There is a spectacular state park, McLain, in the Keweenaw peninsula ... we have stayed there twice ... once we had a site that faced directly into the lake ... sunsets and waves rolling in from a small storm were fantastic

And while there make sure that you buy some Pasties ... buy them in bakeries and take them back to your campsite to bake and enjoy ...


The north shore of Lake Superior between Duluth and the Thunder Bay is beautiful, too ... large cliffs, state parks,

[F76Marion]

Nick,

I think you can grab the consensus here that the answer is NO.
If you did nothing other than drive, you might manage it, but even that will be tight as a lot of the travel will not be at interstate speed. Then there is the issue that not all of it is worth seeing. With the exception of industry and cities, Erie is flat farm land most of the way around. I suggest you do a little more reading and decide what you want to see.

Lake Superior is great most of the way around. Michigan and Huron, not so much. All of them have some great places and the museums in Erie, Cleveland, Toledo, Detroit, Chicago and Milwaukee are worthwhile stops, but I think your general plan needs to be more concise.

Frank

[Stripe34]

Whoa hey Erie has lots to see outside of cities!!!

Maumee Bay - world class birding destination
Islands - put-in-bay, Kelly island, etc
Wineries - between CLE & Erie PA
Presque Isle st pk outside of Erie PA & racetrack also
There's more, honest!

That said, we are from N Ohio and we LOVE upper MI & the UP.

[nothermark]

FWIW Why not break the trip into a couple of years and sections. From LI do the north side of Ontario, Canadian Falls, N side of Erie, Then up the Georgian Bay and around Huron or cross over to the MI lower penninsula. Next year south side of Ontario and Erie and pick up where you left off. That also positions you for a different way south each year following the fall line down and gives you time to look around when you find places that look interesting.

[seadaddler]

Thank You all so much and yes will be checking all my lakes info for sure and
I do have a ton of info and do also get a monthly magazine with tons of info
and that is the problem,so much to see and we are retired and trying to make up
for all those years work work in NY.
I do go back to LI,NY every year to help my sisters take care of my 92 year old MOM and usually plan traveling around the US in our MH during Sept on my way back to Florida.
Nick

[ShinySideUp]

Hi seadaddler
We have done all 5 Great Lakes via Harley.
We used a week for each lake. We always went the 1st week of Sept to avoid crowds & traffic because school has started. A few of the places do close because they are only open for summer tourist season. Not a deal breaker at all. The other businesses are happy to see the extra business before winter.

The most scenic is Lake Superior. Madeline Island has a great state park, you ferry from Bayside, WI. We really loved the Canadian side also. North from Duluth is the best cliff scenery of all the lakes. We had one morning of snow flakes on this trip, but nothing major. We still laugh about that.

Our 2nd & 3rd favorites would be Lake Michigan & Lake Huron. Lots of scenery and things to do. Don't miss Mackinaw Island. No vehicle island so ferry over for the day or get a room & stay a night or two. The Porcupine Mtns are really beautiful and Copper Harbor, MI well worth the drive up the tip. Gorgeous.

Personally we didn't like Lake Erie & Lake Ontario as much. Nice but much more traffic & people. Some of it intense on a cycle, like Cleveland. Nice R&R museum to not miss though.

Niagara Falls is a must of course. The Canadian side is great, the US side, a disgraceful, embarrassing, boarded up mess...unless it's changed in 5 years.
We were just shocked & dismayed at "our" side.