Mid-October on M-22 is the reason people drive five hours from Detroit. The Lake Michigan side of the Leelanau Peninsula turns first; the maples and beeches start to color in late September and stay that way through mid-October. From Glen Arbor, you can spend one day driving the color, another day hiking it, and a long weekend doing both. What follows is the route we’d give a guest if they asked at breakfast.
When does Leelanau Peninsula fall color peak?
The Lake Michigan side of the peninsula colors first. Maples and beeches start turning in late September. Peak color along M-22 runs from the last week of September through about October 15, depending on rainfall and the first cold snap. The inland routes (M-72 toward Traverse City, the back roads through Maple City and Cedar) come a week or two later because the inland air stays warmer at night. If you’re driving up from Detroit or Chicago, target the first weekend of October as the safer bet for a peak weekend.
Drive the Leelanau Peninsula fall color routes
M-22
M-22 is the obvious one. The highway runs about 116 miles between Manistee in the south and a junction with M-72 near Traverse City, threading through Frankfort, Empire, Glen Arbor, Leland, Northport, and Suttons Bay. The Lake Michigan side colors first. You can drive the whole loop in a long day or pick a stretch. From the inn, the run north to Northport and back south through Suttons Bay is the move if you only have an afternoon.
M-72 inland
If you’d rather skip lake views and see the inland turn, take M-72 east from Empire toward Traverse City. The route runs through farmland and second-growth woods, and the colors come a week or two later than on M-22 because the inland temperatures stay warmer longer. Stop at Rove Estate Vineyard along the way. The vineyard sits on one of the higher points on the peninsula, with a long sightline north over the colors and a patio worth a flight.
Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive
Inside Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive is a 7.4-mile paved loop. You’ll need a park pass. Plan an hour with stops. The Lake Michigan Overlook is the one most people stand at the longest, looking 450 feet down to the water. The beech and birch sections of the drive carry the color; the dunes themselves stay tan.
Stops along the way
Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate in Empire is the hot chocolate stop on the M-22 stretch. Drink it on the porch. If you’ve turned east on M-72 toward Traverse City instead, Jacob’s Farm has the corn maze, apple picking, and pumpkin patch crowd in fall. Forty acres, kids run free.
Take a trail
Three trails are worth the drive in fall, all within thirty-five minutes of the inn. Ask us at breakfast which is best this week; conditions change fast in October.
Pyramid Point
Just north of Glen Arbor. A 2.8-mile loop with about 500 feet of elevation gain to a high overlook. The contrast between Lake Michigan blue and the turning maples is the photo people take here. Crowded on weekends in peak color. Go on a weekday morning if you can.
Empire Bluff
The easy one. A 1.5-mile out-and-back through beech-maple forest to a coastal bluff. The lookout faces south over Lake Michigan and back at the town of Empire and South Bar Lake behind it. Good first hike of the day, or the one to bring kids on.
Houdek Dunes Loop
The quietest of the three. Halfway between Leland and Northport, about thirty-five minutes from Glen Arbor. Less foot traffic than Pyramid Point, longer drive, but the trade is solitude in peak color and a trail that runs through old dunes covered in hardwood forest.
Eat well after
The wineries
The Leelanau Peninsula wineries hit their second-best month after summer in October. Harvest is happening or just finished, the tasting rooms have fires going, and the colors are out the window. See our two-day winery route or just pick three and pace yourself.
La Bécasse
The French country restaurant on the road between Glen Arbor and Burdickville. Worth dressing up for. The menu shifts with what’s local that week, which in October means root vegetables, game, mushrooms, and squash done seriously. Make a reservation.
Breakfast back at the inn
Breakfast at Glen Arbor Bed & Breakfast and Condos comes before any of this. Laura cooks every morning. Eat on the front porch if the morning’s warm enough, or in the dining room when October decides to remind you it’s October.
Booking your visit
Fall color on the Leelanau Peninsula moves faster than people expect. Late September through mid-October on the Lake Michigan side; a week or two later inland. Book a room or condo at Glen Arbor Bed & Breakfast and Condos and we’ll point you at whichever drive, hike, or table fits the day.
FAQs
Q1. When is the best time to see Leelanau Peninsula fall color? Late September through about October 15 on the Lake Michigan side along M-22; a week or two later inland. The first weekend of October is the safest peak-color bet for trip planning.
Q2. How long is the M-22 fall color tour? M-22 runs about 116 miles between Manistee and a junction with M-72 near Traverse City. You can drive the full loop in a long day, or pick a stretch. From Glen Arbor, the run north through Leland and Northport and back south through Suttons Bay is the move if you only have an afternoon.
Q3. What’s the best hike for fall color near Glen Arbor? Pyramid Point if you want the photo-of-the-year (a 2.8-mile loop with 500 feet of elevation gain and an overlook of Lake Michigan framed by turning maples). Empire Bluff if you want an easy 1.5-mile out-and-back. Houdek Dunes if you want quiet and don’t mind the longer drive.
Q4. Is the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive good for fall color? Yes. The 7.4-mile paved loop inside Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore runs through beech and birch sections that color well, and the Lake Michigan Overlook is the standout stop. A park pass is required. Plan an hour with stops.
Q5. Where should I eat after a day of fall color? La Bécasse for a French country dinner on the road between Glen Arbor and Burdickville. Any of the Leelanau Peninsula wineries for a tasting with fires going. Breakfast at the inn before any of it.
