Peak color usually hits the second or third week of October. This route covers the Leelanau Peninsula, Sleeping Bear, and M-22.
M-22 is the coastal highway that runs the Leelanau Peninsula — one of the best fall color drives in the Midwest. Do it the evening you arrive while the light is golden.
Start the M-22 color drive at the very tip of the Leelanau Peninsula — Northport Point at sunrise offers unobstructed views of Lake Michigan with early light on birch and maple canopy. The drive north from Suttons Bay to Northport on M-22 is 18 miles through orchard country with color peaking on either side of the road. Northport village is small (a marina, one coffee shop, a bookstore) — grab coffee at the Painted Bird and start south. This section of M-22 is the least driven on the full loop and has the most concentrated foliage.
Between Northport and Empire on M-22 southbound: (1) Sugar Loaf Mountain Road off-ramp — 3-minute walk to an open hilltop with valley views; (2) Leland River bridge — color reflects in the dark water; (3) Fishtown dock looking east; (4) Lake Michigan beach at Good Harbor Bay — beach grass + color backdrop; (5) the S-curve south of Glen Arbor where M-22 dips to bay level — pull off on the shoulder and shoot back north. The full M-22 loop from Traverse City to Northport and back via Leland is 110 miles and takes 3.5–4 hours with stops.
A brewery and cidery right on M-22 with large outdoor grounds and a food truck on site. Great stop mid-drive. The ciders use local apples; the IPAs are well-made. Very dog-friendly.
Drive M-22 north from Traverse City through Suttons Bay, Northport, and back down the west side of the peninsula through Glen Arbor. Peak color usually hits the second or third week of October. The maples near Leland and the sugar bushes near Northport are spectacular.
Bowers Harbor Vineyards sits midway up Old Mission Peninsula with a Victorian farmhouse tasting room and a terrace that catches the last afternoon light in October. The fall harvest season tasting menu typically features barrel samples and unreleased wines not available in retail — worth the extra $5 for the harvest flight if they're offering it. Their Pinot Noir is the best on the peninsula for the price. Open until 6pm daily in October. 2896 Bowers Harbor Rd, Traverse City.
The dunes in fall are a different experience — no crowds, cool air, yellow and orange hardwoods backing the sand. Empire Bluff Trail is better than the main Dune Climb in fall.
Empire is the small village at the southern entry to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore — 30 miles west of Traverse City. The Empire Bakery on Front Street opens at 7am and is the legitimate breakfast option before hitting the dunes or Pyramid Point. Good scones, drip coffee, and a simple egg menu. It's also adjacent to the Empire Visitor Center where you buy your national park pass. Park entry: $25/vehicle, valid 7 days.
The Dune Climb in October is a completely different experience from summer — almost no one is there. The 150-foot sand face is the same brutal ascent either way, but reaching the top without a crowd and looking out over Lake Michigan with birch-gold color on either side of the dune bowl is one of the more striking views in the Midwest. The hike continues 1.5 miles beyond the top to the Lake Michigan beach overlook — add 45 minutes for the full out-and-back. Bring water; the sand reflects significant heat even in fall.
Most visitors bypass Glen Lake entirely in favor of Lake Michigan, but in October Glen Lake reflects fall color on both shores in a way the open lake doesn't. The public launch area off M-22 has a gravel beach and open-water view of the Sleeping Bear bluffs on the far shore with maple color running right down to the waterline. No crowds, no facilities — just one of the better photography compositions in northern Michigan. Free, 2-minute stop off M-22 between Glen Arbor and Empire.
Casual but good — wood-fired pizzas and a full bar. Good fallback when Art's Tavern has a wait. Outdoor seating with a view of the fall color.
1.5-mile round trip to an overlook with Lake Michigan on one side and fall forest on the other. Better foliage views than the main Dune Climb — and far fewer people in fall. The trail starts just south of the village of Empire.
Art's Tavern in Glen Arbor is the classic après-hike stop after Sleeping Bear — burgers, whitefish, solid local beer selection, unpretentious room. Boone's Long Lake Inn outside Traverse City is a hidden gem for an October dinner: a genuine supper-club-era lodge with walleye and perch caught from Long Lake, wood-paneled walls, and a bar that's been running since 1945. For a full fall day, Boone's is the more memorable finish. Reservations strongly recommended on October weekends — call ahead.
A final morning on Old Mission Peninsula before heading home. Late October means the vineyards are in their red and gold harvest colors.
Right Brain Brewery on Seventh Street does a weekend brunch that pairs well with a final-morning leisurely start — house-brewed coffee stout and a breakfast sandwich before hitting the road. If you want something lighter, Patisserie Amie on Union Street has the best croissants in town. Front Street itself is worth one last walk on a clear October morning when the bay is flat and the marina is quiet with all the summer boats gone.
Chateau Chantal sits at the highest elevation on Old Mission Peninsula with 360-degree views from its Mediterranean-style estate building — a rare architectural statement in a region where most wineries lean rustic-barn. October is harvest season: the Riesling and Pinot Grigio grapes are typically coming in during the third week of the month. The harvest flight ($20) includes barrel samples. The view from the terrace looking north over the bay toward the tip of the peninsula, with color on the vineyard rows, is one of the signature visual moments of a Traverse City fall trip.
If you have a few hours before driving home, the Suttons Bay corridor on the Leelanau Peninsula offers two strong final-afternoon stops: Shady Lane Cellars (9580 Shady Lane, Suttons Bay) is a small, low-key operation with excellent Pinot Noir and a quiet room that feels miles away from the commercial wine trail. Ciccone Vineyard & Winery (10343 E Hilltop Rd, Suttons Bay) is family-owned by Madonna's father, Pete Ciccone, and makes genuinely good Dolcetto and Cabernet Franc — the most interesting red varieties in the region. Both are low-volume operations worth supporting.
Old Mission winery with a French chateau aesthetic and one of the best bay views. In fall, the vines are turning and harvesting is often underway. Barrel tastings and harvest events run through October.
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