Community Forums

namwob · 07-24-2011, 07:31 AM

I am in Detroit and am considering traveling north and into Wisconsin... I have never been to this area and wondering if anyone can give me travel advice. I am retired traveling/living full time in my 34' motorhome with toad.

JimM68 · 07-24-2011, 08:07 AM

Well, it's totally beautiful up there, without a doubt.
Grand Traverse bay and Traverse City are nice.
Absolutely don't miss Mackinaw Island, you'll need to stay in Michigan and take a ferry to the island.

The UP is one big huge beautiful lonely place. Not much up there. The Lake Superior shore is awesome. Cool lighthouses on both coasts. Fire roads and trees in the middle.
Keep your fuel tank full. gas stations are few and far between.

Marquette is nice.

Escanaba is also very nice.

Not sure how they feel about motorhomes, but there are several ferry's if you keep going south into Wisconsin.

Another options is to continue west. Thunder Bay, Apostle Islands, Superior / Duluth.
Many cool lighthouses along the way.

WhiteEagle · 07-24-2011, 11:55 AM

Obviously there's a bunch of stuff to see and nice scenery throughout northern WI including the Door County area.... if you find your self headed into the northwoods, (north of Antigo) there's a very unique spot in Monico between Crandon and Rhinelander on hywy 8 .. "Kovac's Planitarium" one of a kind in the world and unbelieveable story to it ... check it out on web .. I've been there a few times before I got a MH so also check to see if parking lot is MH accessable...

Iron Man · 07-24-2011, 12:39 PM

The drive across the Mackinac Bridge can be exciting. Made the drive from
Oshkosh, Wisconsin to Michigan last year. It was a nice drive

wa8yxm · 07-24-2011, 03:25 PM

Gee you forgot Michigan's Best Waterfall.. NOTE: Upper Mi has a number of water falls, I've been to several of them including Munising falls if I've spelled it right, but Tahquemenon Falls State Park, just west of Paradise.. #2 in the nation in terms of Gallons over the edge and a beautiful setting,

I do plan on going back there.. One comment though you may run into a size restriction at the state park, there are private parks nearby.

jreyn114 · 07-25-2011, 05:43 AM

If you wanted to do something different there is a ferry that runs from Ludington MI across the lake to Wisconsin. It might be kinda pricey for an RV though. S.S. Badger: Big Ship, More Fun!

Any where you go in Michigan you'll find something. Gaylord has beautiful golf courses and a state park. You'll do well anywhere you go.

codgerbill · 07-25-2011, 06:17 AM

The SS Badger ferry between Luddington and Manitowoc is a great 4 hour trip. The cost if you take a Motorhome with a toad and your wife will be around $400.00-$500.00 depending on the length of the motorhome.

jreyn114 · 07-25-2011, 11:57 AM

Just for grins I figured out what it would cost me. Driving from Detroit to Manitowoc WI was 449 mi. Adding in my milage it would cost me 229.00 in gas. Taking the ferry based on my size (34' MH) plus my toad wife and 3 kids it would cost me 573.35 not including the gas to get to Ludington from Detroit.

But I think the experience would be worth it.

Lindsay Richards · 07-25-2011, 07:36 PM

We were there a month ago. The Northern Shore of the lake is beautiful. I Duluth, there was about about 5 miles of real knuckle busting construction with barriers on both sides right on the white lines. You can go South into Superior WI and then to the Apostle Islands. Very beautiful country. Roads are generally very good and scenery is excellent.

ahicks · 07-25-2011, 07:41 PM

A few weeks back we went across most of the top of the UP looking for waterfalls and lighthouses we hadn't been to yet. 1500 mile round trip from SE Mich. (plus another 250 miles on the toad!). Took us 10 days and we skipped over stuff we'd already done (Tahquemenon Falls, Whitefish Point Lighthouse, Brimley SP). You could easily spend another week without leaving the state!

I would head for Mackinaw Island for a first major destination if you haven't done that yet. You might consider doing that without running I75, sticking to the 2 lanes going up either coast, or right up the middle? Once to the Mackinaw City area, and your ready to go north after spending some time there, hit one of the tourist bureaus for more info. There's one right in Mackinaw, and another on the RH side on the far side of the bridge - right on 75. Munising has a county owned campground right on the water NW of town but still East of Christmas. We really enjoyed that. Close to Pictured Rocks and some waterfalls. Toured an old copper mine just south of Copper Harbor. Oh, if you're up there in the Copper Harbor area, you HAVE to take the toad on the Brockway Mountain scenic drive! That run itself may be worth the trip up there. I enjoyed the driving immensely, and the views available hard to beat anywhere else in the state. If you're going further West across 2, you'll need to go up to Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park for Lake of the Clouds and other sight seeing. That was as far as we made it. I hear Iron country, which is just a little further west, is a must do area as well. That'll be next time for us.... Hope this gives you some ideas!

codgerbill · 07-26-2011, 04:13 AM

In the U.P. there is also the Soo (Sault St Marie). You can visit the locks there and watch the freighters rise and fall (depending if they are inbound or outbound) or you can take the Soo locks boat tour. There is also a campground right on the river Home. We never stayed there so I cant give any opinions on it.

The campground in Munising is the Munising Tourist Park Campground. Munising Tourist Park Campground - Munising & Christmas, Michigan Campground. They had 7 sites, full hookup (maby more now) right on the water. It is a great park (We have stayed there several times).You can take the Pictured rocks tour or the glass bottom boat tour.

If you go to Copper Harbor you can stay at the state park Fort Wilkins Historic State Park Detail or at this one Lake Fanny Hooe Resort & Campground. Located at Keweenaw's Copper Harbor, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. I cant give an opinion on either one, but friends who have stayed at the State Park have recommended it. The highway leading up to Copper Harbor (M26) is a really beautiful drive, right along the lake Superior shoreline and as mentioned when you are camped take the toad to drive the Brockway mountain road. The state park (Fort Wilkens St Park) also has historic Fort Wilkens where the have Re-inactors dressed in the period (Civil War)clothing

namwob · 07-26-2011, 08:33 AM

Wow... so much information. Thank you all very much. I am planing my trip right now and will start heading north on Thursday.

**JohnRR** · 07-26-2011, 10:17 AM

For every bodies knowledge there is a free dump at the Marquette city municipal garage just off US41 by pass (UP). There is no water available for flushing.

phays · 07-26-2011, 03:37 PM

If you are near Madison, go to the House on The Rock. Not to be missed. It is Spring Green about 40 miles west of Madison. And, go by Baraboo and visit the circus museum.