Michigan's Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park Offers A Picturesque Fall Color Tour

In temperate climates, late summer and early fall marks a fleeting, beautiful period of transition. Bathing suits are replaced with sweaters, while beach towels are swapped out for cozy blankets. And of course, the trees offer their own curtain call, going from vibrant green to all the colors of the sunset. 

Beyond pumpkin spice lattes and hayrides at the farm, a favorite autumn activity is taking a fall color tour to admire the leaves in those few weeks before they drift to the ground. America is blessed with many stunning autumn locales, like these must-visit upstate New York mountains or the underrated fall foliage of Utah. One lesser-known spot for a picturesque color tour is the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park.

Way up in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, this 60,000-acre park is full of rolling hills, tucked-away waterfalls, and an ancient forest that meets the picturesque shores of Lake Superior. Take in the views from an expansive lookout above a river valley, explore 90 miles of hiking trails, or enjoy a chairlift ride above the treetops. The best time to visit the Porkies for a fall color tour is from the final week of September to the first week of October, and there are plenty of ways to take it all in.

As a remote nook in the Upper Midwest, it's a bit of a road trip to get to the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. From Minneapolis, the drive takes about five hours, and it'll take you around four coming from Green Bay. An essential hack for a leaf-peeping fall vacation is having a base camp, and the park offers 18 walk-in cabins and yurts as well as 63 backcountry campsites. Or, you can get a small hotel or quaint cabin rental in a nearby village. Ontonagon is located a few miles away, while Houghton, a historic and charming college town, is just over an hour's drive down the road.

Once in the area, it's all about enjoying the fall vibes by diving deep into one of America's most impressive old-growth northern hardwood forests. The first stop should be the Porcupine Mountains Visitor Center near the eastern entrance, where you can pick up maps and information about trails and seasonal road conditions. Remember, though, that the center closes for the season in mid-October. There's a roadside park nearby on the shores of Lake Superior, perfect for a midday picnic. The Porcupine Mountain Ski Area is also close by, so you can jump on a chair lift for a ride above the forest, with the largest of the Great Lakes looming on the horizon.

A short drive into the park will take you to the Lake of the Clouds overlook. It's a must-visit spot for up to 25-mile sweeping vistas of the lake and leafy valley below. For hiking, there are miles of mapped out trails for all levels, and the 8.6-mile Escarpment Trail is close by. For more laid-back adventures, jump in the car and loop around to the Presque Isle Scenic Area, or take a trip out to the Abbaye Peninsula — home to stunning views, white sand beaches, and some of the best leaf-peeping opportunities in the United States.

It's very easy to spend a day exploring the Porkies, taking in the beautiful fall colors with Lake Superior as a backdrop. But if you're traveling all the way to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, you could take the opportunity to do even more touring.

There are numerous fall color routes through the untouched forests that straddle Lake Michigan and Lake Superior, taking you across bridges, along cliffs, and beside gorgeous waterfalls. Just west of the Porcupine Mountains State Park is the Black River National Scenic Byway, a 14-mile road that features shorts hikes and access to five waterfalls, ending on the shores of Lake Superior. To the north, there's the Keweenaw Peninsula, a large rocky thumb that reaches out into the lake and offers a 100-mile loop along remote, two-lane county roads, passing through quaint villages and dense forests as it weaves along the jagged lakeshore.

A visit to the Porkies could also be tied into a drive from a city like Duluth, Minnesota, stopping at natural wonders such as the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore along the way. Or, this could be part of a nature escape to Upper Michigan from northern Wisconsin. The Porcupine Mountains are five hours north of Madison, and both states are full of homey small towns with family farms, rural back roads lined with trees, and plenty of Great Lakes fall action.