So, you’re coming to Newberry this fall, eh? Fantastic choice. No matter where you stay here, you will be within minutes of some of the U.P.’s “Best in the USA” fall colors. Just drive M-123 north from Newberry and stop at Tahquamenon Falls State Park to see what jaw-dropping leaf-peeping is about in Tahquamenon Country.
But making Newberry your base camp is also the perfect jump-off point to five of the Upper Peninsula’s top fall attractions. They are so close together you can easily see two to three in a day trip, with lots of vistas and tunnels of trees to keep your camera clicking along the way. Wherever you go, you can be back for dinner in Newberry.
Two Hearted River | Point Iroquois Lighthouse | Whitefish Point | Seney National Wildlife Refuge | Cut River Bridge
You have to admit, the name of this river is cooler than most. It gained national fame when author Ernest Hemingway penned his two-part short story “The Big Two-Hearted River” in 1925, and it acquired a new set of fans when Michigan’s Bell’s Two Hearted IPA claimed the Best Beer in America title for multiple years in a row. On its own, this is Michigan’s only “wilderness” river, which makes the drive out to the river mouth a pure U.P. adventure.
Take the scenic route from Newberry along Northwestern Road, left on CR-414 and right on Mouth Two Hearted Road. If you are a paddler, rack your kayak or canoe; an angler, come ready to outwit the river’s feisty salmon, brook and rainbow trout; and if you like birding, there’s plenty of migration action with the eagles and songbirds.
Lake Superior is the pot of gold at the end of this trip. You may be the only ones on the beach. It’s that remote, that untouched. If the Biggest Lake is raging wild, you will thrill at the crashing, roaring, frothing waves. If it’s quiet, close your eyes, breathe in the untainted air or read a good story. “The Big Two-Hearted River” could be a start.
This historic lighthouse dates to 1855, but its story takes you to 1662 when the Ojibwa and Iroquois Confederacy battled on this spot, one of the most significant moments in Great Lakes Native American History. A large Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) war party was wiped out by Ojibwa and blocked the Iroquois from taking over the region. It secured the Upper Peninsula for the Ojibwa (also known as the Anishinaabeg).
The lighthouse stands high above Lake Superior at the mouth of the St. Marys River, the busy shipping lane between the big lake and the Soo Locks. Over its century-plus years, it has safely guided plus watched the tragic wrecking and brave rescues of many ships through the treacherous Whitefish Bay.
To get there from Newberry, we recommend taking the slightly longer route. You will see plenty of the Hiawatha National Forest foliage as well as some of the most spectacular views of Lake Superior’s coast. Take M-123 south, left on M-128 then right on Lake Superior Shoreline to the lighthouse.
There you can climb the spiral staircase to the top of the 65-foot tower, look across the lake to Canada and watch for the giant ocean-going and Great Lakes freighters coming and going from the Soo Locks. A museum tells the story of the lighthouse keepers. If you have grandparents or are one, read the sign about the dual meaning of "rock" in the Anishinaabeg language. It will inspire you to fill a bucket with the most beautiful beach stones to share with your loved ones.
This is one of those places in the U.P. that is incredibly beautiful and tragically sad. The point jutting into Whitefish Bay is the site of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, Whitefish Point Lighthouse, a beach for rockhounding and the Great Lakes Bird Observatory for seeing hundreds of fall migrating birds, including raptors and shorebirds. The museum houses the bronze bell recovered from the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald that lies at the bottom of Lake Superior, 17 miles north-northwest of Whitefish Point.
This woods-and-water route from Newberry is one of our fall favorites. Take M-123 to Tahquamenon Falls State Park. We highly recommend stopping at the Upper and Lower Falls. Catch lunch and souvenirs at the Tahquamenon Falls Brewery & Camp 33 Gift Shop. Then continue on M-123 to Paradise, turn left on Whitefish Point Road along Whitefish Bay, stopping to take photos of our freshwater sea before you reach the historic site.
The lighthouse (circa 1861) is the longest continuously operating light station on Lake Superior — guiding ships since President Abraham Lincoln took office! You will easily spend two or more hours exploring the exhibits and the historic buildings, combing the rock-strewn beach, hiking and birdwatching. It will, however, take a day or more for Gordon Lightfoot’s 1976 ballad, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” to leave your head.
This national treasure is proof that sometimes the Earth wins. Established in 1935, this refuge is a breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife. Before that, it was heavily logged, burned, ditched, drained and cultivated. But this untamable land laughed at any attempts to settle it. So, it returned to nature. Luckily for you, us and future generations.
Getting here from Newberry is an easy drive west on M-128 and south on M-77. Once in the refuge, stop by the visitor center. Then decide whether your vehicle can handle the narrow, one-way Marsh Drive and Fishing Loop or if you hike or bike the trails.
Besides watching the landscape transform to fall hues, this is the place to do a silent vacation. It will increase your chances of seeing an impressive number of migrating sandhill cranes, eagles, osprey, owls, swans and many other bird species. Tougher to spot, but possible, are the resident wolves, deer, otter, bear, coyote and moose.
If you are an artist, at every turn there’s a new landscape or wild plant or animal to paint or draw. Photographers rarely put their cameras down. We encourage you to pack a picnic and leave no trace behind.
This is another quick, but gorgeous trip that will extend into hours with all your pull-overs to catch this photo, then the next and the next. Seeing the bridge will leave you awestruck by its engineering feat of rising 147 feet above the gorge and spanning 161 feet. However, it is the roadside park’s tree-top view of hundreds of hardwood trees painted in wide swashes of deep reds, oranges and yellows that will make you speechless. Beneath the bridge are hiking trails that give an entirely different perspective, luring you to Lake Michigan at the river’s mouth. The contrast of the azure water against the forest ablaze with colors is spellbinding.
There are quicker ways to reach the bridge than this route, but this one showcases miles of coastal views. From Newberry, turn right on M-128, then left on M-117 and left on US-2. Enjoy every minute amid the trees and along the dune-lined Lake Michigan shore.
Drive to Naubinway and visit the Top of the Lake Snowmobile Museum and see vintage sleds and learn more about this favorite winter sport’s history. You can then say you have been at the northernmost point of Lake Michigan.
Another side trip is the GarLyn Zoo Wildlife Park. The Cut River Inn serves homemade pasties, whitefish specialties, daily specials, made-from-scratch apple dumplings and a menu filled with American favorites. Linger for a Lake Michigan sunset before returning to your base camp in Newberry. We will wait up for you.
