Hoping to find smooth motoring.

[jbhobbs54]

If you visit the Air Force museum in Dayton make sure you take time to go to the annex. You need to sign up and get a ticket for the short bus ride over there. It is well worth the extra time to walk thru some of the presidential planes as well as be up close and personal to a few other planes that are there.

[hamm2018]

Originally Posted by TB673

If you worry about road conditions, when you leave Cleveland, I would take the Ohio Turnpike west to where ever you decide to head North into Mich.
The Ohio Turnpike is one of the best maintained toll road that I've driven.

A couple of other POIs on your route:

The Prison where the Shawshank Redemption was filmed is in Mansfield (North of Columbus just off of I71):
https://www.mrps.org/

There is a Great Lakes Ore Freighter William G. Mather:
https://greatscience.com/explore/exh...ther-steamship

There is a WWII Submarine the USS Cod:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attracti...land_Ohio.html
Both the Mather and the Cod are within a short walk to the Rock Hall.

This is more out of the way:
If you follow the NFL, the Pro Football Hall of Fame is in Canton, Ohio

Safe Travels

Tim

You are forgetting the prison scenes in Air Force One was filmed at OSR (Mansfield, Ohio) as well.

[WJorgensen]

Originally Posted by Tilted Kilt

I will be travelling from north Georgia to Michigan's Northern Peninsular. I'm driving a class A motorhome. I'm hoping to get good advice from someone with experience on the best highways to travel or what roads and highways to avoid on this trip.

Thank you in advance:

If you are going through Wisconsin, on your trio to the UP, you may want to consider the Manitowac, WI to/from Ludington, MI Car Ferry. They also take RV’s.
It’s not cheap but it’s for the adventure. We haven’t taken it yet, but made reservations for our trip to Machinaw Island.

[RETPS]

We made our first trip in our new Super C to the Upper Peninsula last September and really enjoyed it. We stayed at the St. Ignace KOA just west of the north end of the Mackinac bridge and drove to quite a few places of interest in our toad. All of the two lane roads we traveled on were MH friendly. If you plan on driving your Motor home around the UP, I would suggest doing some research as to fuel stops as there seemed to be a dearth of truck stops, at least in the areas we went to. BTW, crossing the 'Big Mac" bridge was the highlight of the drive up and back! If you decide to go that route, you can text “MacBridge” to 67283 for the latest conditions and closures.

[Dukedog1010]

Living in Northern Michigan, near the bridge, my only recommendation is to avoid Detroit. Stay west of it by heading up 23 through Ann Arbor. I think 131 sucks... But staying on I-75 as much as possible will make for a smoother, fuel efficient trip...

[kschneider]

Originally Posted by Tilted Kilt

I will be travelling from north Georgia to Michigan's Northern Peninsular. I'm driving a class A motorhome. I'm hoping to get good advice from someone with experience on the best highways to travel or what roads and highways to avoid on this trip.

Thank you in advance:

I’ve traveled between Florida and Michigan for 8 years. The best I found was I-75 N to NW Ohio and take US23 north until it reconnects with I-75 (near Flint) which will take into the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Roads are good all the way especially since 23 has been replaced.

[Tom Blawn]

Avoid Cincinnati.
We have driven from Fl. to the UP and back twice.
Not a fan of the I 75 route through Louisville. this is the route we took the first time.

Much better to go to Nashville and then north through Indianapolis.
Michigan roads in the southern half of the state are beat up.

The second time we went to Memphis to see Graceland and north thru Wisc. to western UP much better route especially if you want to explore the UP -Porcupine Mts. Lighthouses etc.

Definitely worth going over the Mackinac Bridge (wet palms the first time) and visiting the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. Make sure you book the horse and carriage ride to the north side of the Island

Don't miss the locks at Sault St. Marie And make sure you try the Lake Superior White fish.

We are going back again this year. No crowds. 55' in the mornng and 75 in the afternoon.

[spcorvette]

SE Michigan is a construction mess.
23 is under construction in the Ann Arbor area and is rough all the way to Flint. I-75 is under construction from the Ohio border to Pontiac. I275 and I 96 are both going through major rebuilds.
I 69 may be ok. You can take that to Lansing then 127 north. Or west on 96 to 131.
Check your GPS for the construction as it varies week to week.
Where in the UP do you plan to visit?

[DJ in Mich.]

Once you cross the bridge, you can stop, rest, and take in the view at Bridgeview Park. It’s on the west side of the bridge. This is a visitors stop mostly for rest, not for spending the night. But it’s a beautiful spot to take in the majestic Mackinac Bridge.

(As a side note driving across the bridge, the inside lane goes over grates that allow air flow through the bridge structure, and the outside land is over pavement but next to the “low” railing. I prefer the inside lane because I’m a wimp when it comes to being in the outside lane and seeing the water when you are so high over it. But you really have to grip the wheel driving over the grates, or I have to because the height freaks me out. I drive with my eyes straight ahead and rarely look at the scenery. If the height does not bother you, it will be amazing driving over lakes Michigan and Huron.)

If you are interested in seeing Mackinac Island, which is a fabulous experience where horses pull carriages and people walk and ride bicycles, you can take a ferry from St. Ignace, which is on the Upper Peninsula (U.P.) side of the bridge or from Mackinaw City, which is on the Lower Peninsula (L.P.) side of the bridge.

There are several campgrounds around Mackinaw City and a few around St. Ignace, but … the camping season in Michigan can be challenging to get a reservation if it’s not booked in the first week of January or 6 months to the day for a state campground. Make sure to call ahead or look online to see if any reservations are available. Some campgrounds will put you on a cancellation list, and they will call you if a date opens up.

If you are coming from Cleveland or Dayton and want a direct route to the bridge, I suggest Interstate 75 from Detroit to Flint to Grayling to Mackinaw City. That’s probably the shortest / quickest path through the L.P.

If you choose U.S. 23 to Ann Arbor to Interstate 75 in Flint, that’s doable. But 23 will be more congested than 75 in southern Michigan. But you also don’t have to navigate around Detroit, depending on how comfortable you are driving around big cities. (75 in Detroit and the suburbs has been recently repaired and is very nice and smooth. Parts of 23 have recently been repaired and are smooth from Ann Arbor north, and other spots are rough and need repair.)

If you choose to see the sand dunes in the northwest LP, you may want to check out Indigo Bluffs campground, which is in Empire at the dunes. If you do choose to see the dunes, you will thoroughly enjoy it. It’s absolutely beautiful and quite a wonder detailing how ice flows created the Great Lakes and the dunes along the western Michigan shoreline.

We camp in Manistique in the U.P. in the summer. It’s beautiful there along the northern shores of Lake Michigan, but many of the campgrounds have already booked up for the summer. (We tried to get reservations for a week in August in Houghton, which is on the southern side of Lake Superior, and I called to make the reservations for people who wanted one week exactly at 9 a.m. the day the reservations opened — by the way, this campground only takes reservations on the phone. Anyway, it took 20 minutes for my calls to get answered. And … the campground was already sold out for August. I was put on a cancellation list.)

I’m not trying to dissuade you from camping in Michigan this summer, but I highly suggest you try to get some reservations as soon as you can. If you make it to Michigan, especially the northern L.P. and the U.P., you will be rewarded with the splendor of the Great Lakes.

Good luck and safe travels!

[AndyinLex]

The west coast of Michigan is beautiful. Grand Haven State Park is right on the beach and it's a great town to visit. North from there, Ludington state park is close to the water and very nice, Traverse City is beautiful. Boyne City, Charlevoix, Petoskey, and Harbour Sprints are all worth a side trip. Mackinac Island is a great day trip also. The Sault Ste. Marie Locks are interesting and there is a great boat tour through the locks. The Lock View Restaurant has fantastic food. Lots of stuff on youtube about the Upper Peninsula. My family is from there and I never tire of going.

[jacwjames]

Originally Posted by Tilted Kilt

I will be crossing the bridge. Is there a place to pull over and spend some time there?

I'd suggest either stopping before and after the bridge.



If you have enough time taking a boat ride out to the island is well worth it but it would take a day to take it all in. There are campgrounds on either side but depending on time of year they can get full.

[Scooter363y]

If you’re following I-75 through Cincinnati do yourself a favor and take the outer belt to the west around the greater Cincinnati area. I go through there twice a year well worth it

RV safe
Scooter

[MStarr]

Live in SW Michigan and love camping in the UP. In Michigan construction season is in bloom, so can be delays. Worst one currently in our area is I-196 eastbound beginning at Exit 52 - Zeeland, MI exit and going to Hudsonville, MI exit. At certain times of the day, from what I've observed on occasion, rush hour - early morning and around 2:30-3:00 p.m. tends to be quite the back up and slow down in this area. MDOT-MI Drive Map has construction/traffic info, which you may find helpful. Love the UP to camp but reservations can be tricky to come by at times - would suggest making reservations ahead of time when you can. Sault Ste. Marie - Aune Osborn Campground - sits on St. Mary's River and you can watch freighters as they approach the Soo Locks. Tahquamenon Falls is a beautiful area, around Whitefish Point. Munising Tourist City Campground is a great little campground on Lake Superior - Picture Rocks for boating/hiking. Marquette City Campground - Houghton - great state park just north of Hancock - Escanaba and Manistique - could go on and on about the UP. Have fun! FYI - Mackinac is pronounced Mackinaw - I'm not particularly fond of big bridges but Mighty Mac is pretty awesome - I prefer getting in the inside lane and I do just fine. Michigan has a number of state parks that have campgrounds as well. Enjoy and safe travels.

[aribert]

It’s long (5 miles) and high. The inner lane is metal grate, so they make trucks and large RV’s travel on outside lane which is asphalt. I won’t lie…..it’s intimidating.

Attachment 393393

Bridge (or at least one lane, can't remember the details anymore) is closed every Labor Day morning - for bridge walkers and a bicycle tour. I've crossed it twice by bicycle.