Michigan's Quiet Coast: Where Lake Huron Meets the Morning Sun

The Sunrise Shore Scenic Drive (also called the US-23 Heritage Route or simply the Sunrise Coast) traces 220 miles along the eastern shore of Michigan's Lower Peninsula on Lake Huron, the quieter and less-developed counterpart to the famous "Sunset Coast" of Lake Michigan on the opposite side of the state. Where Lake Michigan's western shore draws millions of summer visitors to Sleeping Bear Dunes, Traverse City, and the Mackinac ferry terminals, Lake Huron's eastern shore remains overlooked: small Victorian harbor towns, working family farms, dense forests, eight historic lighthouses (more than any comparable stretch of Great Lakes coast), the deepest concentration of shipwrecks of any US national marine sanctuary, and quiet beaches of fine pale sand. The Sunrise Coast name comes from the simple geographic fact that the east-facing shore receives the morning sun first (unlike Lake Michigan, where the sun sets dramatically over the water). The drive begins at Bay City on Saginaw Bay, the heart of Michigan's 19th-century lumber empire where European immigrants felled 150-foot white pines so dense that "a squirrel could travel from Bay City to Traverse City without touching the ground" (according to lumberjack legend). The road then follows US-23 north along the Lake Huron shore through Tawas City, Oscoda (with the spectacular Au Sable River valley inland), Harrisville, Alpena, Presque Isle, Rogers City, and Cheboygan, finishing at the Mackinac Bridge in Mackinaw City. Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary off Alpena (designated in 2000 and expanded to 4,300 square miles in 2014) preserves more than 200 documented shipwrecks in some of the clearest fresh water on Earth, viewable by glass-bottom boat, kayak, snorkel, or scuba dive. The waters' clarity (visibility often 50 feet or more), constant cold (40–55°F year-round), and absence of saltwater means many wrecks are preserved in nearly pristine condition more than 150 years after sinking. The drive's signature pace is slow: empty beaches, working harbors, weather-beaten lighthouses, ice-cream stands, antique stores, the smell of cedar swamps, and the lonely call of common loons over Lake Huron.

Key Stops

Bay City (Start) At the head of Saginaw Bay, Bay City was one of Michigan's great lumber boomtowns in the late 19th century, shipping more than 4 billion board feet of pine from the surrounding forests between 1860 and 1900. The lumber-baron wealth built the Center Avenue Historic District, one of the most concentrated collections of restored Victorian mansions in the Midwest (over 250 buildings on the National Register). Key sites:

• Center Avenue mansion district, with the chateau-style Sage Library (1882) and the Trombley/Centre House (1837, oldest house in Bay City)
• Bay City State Recreation Area, with sandy Saginaw Bay beaches and the Tobico Marsh (1,700-acre wetland with observation towers)
• Antique District along Midland Street
• Historic Webster House, an 1886 Queen Anne B&B
• Bay City Tall Ship Celebration (held every 3–4 years), bringing dozens of tall ships to the river
• Saginaw River Lighthouse at the bay's edge

Full services and good lodging at the head of the bay.

Tawas Point State Park and Lighthouse A 183-acre park on a sandy peninsula extending into Lake Huron, often called "the Cape Cod of the Midwest" for its sand-spit landscape. The Tawas Point Lighthouse (1876, still operating) is one of the most distinctive on the Great Lakes, with a brick keeper's quarters and 70-foot tower painted bright white. The Sandy Hook Nature Trail loops through the dunes and along the bay; the beach offers excellent swimming, agate-hunting, and shorebird viewing (the park is on the Atlantic Flyway and is one of Michigan's premier birding sites). The Tawas Point Birding Festival in May is a regional event. East Tawas and Tawas City offer full services, restaurants, and several lakeside resorts.

River Road National Forest Scenic Byway A 22-mile sylvan detour west from Oscoda along the Au Sable River, one of America's premier blue-ribbon trout streams. The byway runs through the Huron National Forest (established 1909 as part of the response to the lumber-era devastation) and passes:

• Lumberman's Monument, an 1932 bronze statue dedicated to the lumberjacks of the pine era, standing on a 14-foot pedestal overlooking the river
• Lumberman's Monument Visitor Center with extensive logging-era exhibits
• Iargo Springs, a series of natural springs accessed by a 294-step boardwalk descending to the river
• Foote Dam and Cooke Dam, hydroelectric facilities turning the Au Sable into a chain of lakes
• Largest Eastern White Pine in Michigan (Monument Pine, 155 feet tall, near Cooke Dam)

The byway is particularly spectacular in fall foliage (mid-to-late October).

Sturgeon Point Lighthouse North of Harrisville, the 1869 white brick Sturgeon Point Lighthouse stands above Lake Huron and now operates as a maritime museum with antique furnishings and salvaged artifacts from local shipwrecks. The lighthouse is staffed by the Alcona Historical Society in summer.

Negwegon State Park A 3,738-acre wilderness state park with seven miles of undeveloped Lake Huron beach and minimal facilities (no campground; reached by a primitive 2-mile gravel road). One of Michigan's most remote and least-visited state parks, perfect for solitude seekers. Bald eagles, common loons, and (occasionally) sandhill cranes are seen here. No services; pack everything in and out.

Alpena and Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary The largest city on the Sunrise Coast (population approximately 10,000) and the gateway to one of the most extraordinary maritime preserves in the world. Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary (designated 2000, expanded 2014 to 4,300 square miles) preserves more than 200 documented shipwrecks (and an estimated 100 more yet to be discovered) in waters so cold, fresh, and clear that wrecks dating to the 1840s remain in nearly pristine condition. Key sanctuary experiences:

• Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center in Alpena (free), with full-scale reconstructions of historic ships, interactive exhibits on shipwrecks, and a research aquarium
• Lady Michigan Glass Bottom Boat Tours (2 hours, $50 per adult; depart from Alpena City Marina), passing directly over multiple shipwrecks in 12 to 30 feet of clear water
• Kayak tours with several outfitters paddling over shallower wrecks
• Scuba diving is world-class for cold-water divers (drysuit recommended); multiple dive charters operate from Alpena
• Snorkeling at the shallow Shamrock wreck, sitting in just 12 feet of water offshore from Alpena City Marina

Alpena itself, known as "The Town That Wouldn't Die" for surviving two devastating downtown fires, has a historic waterfront, the Besser Museum for Northeast Michigan (regional history and culture), and the Alpena Boat Harbor with the eastward views the Sunrise Coast is named for.

Presque Isle Peninsula A 4-mile-long peninsula separating Grand Lake (whose limestone-floored water sparkles emerald-green) from Lake Huron, with two famous historic lighthouses:

• Old Presque Isle Light (1840), Michigan's oldest still-standing lighthouse, deactivated in 1871 when its replacement was built. Now a museum with sweeping views from the top. Reputedly haunted.
• New Presque Isle Light (1871), one of the tallest lighthouses on the Great Lakes at 109 feet, still operational. Open for climbing (130 steps) with panoramic views.

The peninsula's Lighthouse Park offers beaches, picnic areas, and trails. Grand Lake is a popular fishing destination.

Rogers City and the Limestone Quarry Rogers City is home to the Calcite Quarry, one of the largest open-pit limestone quarries in the world (3 miles long, 2 miles wide, employing approximately 350 workers). The Quarry View overlook lets visitors watch the working operation. The town has a historic waterfront, the 40 Mile Point Lighthouse with its restored fog signal building and pilothouse of the wrecked ship Joseph S. Fay (1905), and the Nautical Heritage Society Museum.

Ocqueoc Falls West of Rogers City on M-68, Ocqueoc Falls (pronounced AHK-ee-ock) is the largest waterfall in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan: a 6-foot terraced cascade through limestone rock. Michigan's first universally accessible waterfall (a paved trail and a wheelchair-accessible water-entry point allow everyone to experience the falls). The surrounding Ocqueoc Falls Bicentennial Pathway offers 6 miles of trails through cedar forest.

P.H. Hoeft State Park A 300-acre park with a mile-long Lake Huron beach. The pebbly shore is excellent for rockhounding (look for Petoskey stones and small fossils). Excellent views of freighters traveling to and from the Calcite Quarry; the ships' lights are particularly beautiful at night.

Cheboygan The drive's last major town before Mackinaw City, sitting on the Cheboygan River and the eastern end of Michigan's Inland Waterway (a chain of three lakes and three rivers spanning northeastern Michigan, navigable by recreational boats for 40 miles inland). Key sites:

• Cheboygan Opera House (1877, restored), one of the oldest theaters in Michigan, still operating with live productions
• Cheboygan Crib Light (1884) on the harbor pier
• Mackinaw State Forest trails along the Black River
• Ferry departures to Bois Blanc Island, a quiet, lightly developed island in Lake Huron (year-round population approximately 70; a rural Mackinac without the tourism)

Mackinaw City (End) The drive's northern terminus at the Mackinac Bridge. Mackinaw City is the only place in the United States where you can watch the sun rise over Lake Huron and set over Lake Michigan from the same town. Key sites:

• Colonial Michilimackinac State Park, a reconstructed 1715 French fur-trading fort
• Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse (1892, in a striking Norman château style)
• Mackinac Bridge (the "Mighty Mac," 5 miles long, the third-longest suspension bridge in the world when opened in 1957)
• Ferry services to Mackinac Island (no cars allowed; horse and bicycle only; Grand Hotel, Fort Mackinac, Victorian streets)
• Historic Mill Creek Discovery Park (a working sawmill recreation)
• Multiple fudge shops (Mackinac fudge is a regional tradition)

Driving Tips

• Allow 3 to 4 days to drive the route with stops. Major overnight bases: Bay City (start), Tawas City or Oscoda (1 night), Alpena (1–2 nights for the marine sanctuary), Mackinaw City or Mackinac Island (1 night).
• The Sunrise Coast is dramatically quieter than the Sunset Coast (Lake Michigan side), making it ideal for travelers seeking authentic small-town Michigan without the tourist crowds and chain-store sprawl of Traverse City or Petoskey.
• US-23 is fully paved two-lane highway throughout, with gentle curves and minimal traffic. Easy driving for any vehicle.
• Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary experiences (glass-bottom boat, kayak tours) sell out in summer; reserve in advance. The Maritime Heritage Center is free and worth at least 2 hours.
• Mackinac Island is best as an overnight: take the ferry from Mackinaw City or St. Ignace, leave your car, stay at the Grand Hotel or another island inn. Day trips are possible but you miss the magic of the island after the day-tripper ferries leave.
• Fall foliage peaks mid-to-late October on the Sunrise Coast. The Au Sable River valley is spectacular at peak.
• The lighthouses along the route are open for climbing at varying schedules; check websites before arrival. Tawas Point, Presque Isle (both old and new), Sturgeon Point, and 40 Mile Point are the highlights.
• Beach safety: Lake Huron is generally calmer than Lake Michigan but can produce dangerous waves and rip currents during storms. Lake water is cold year-round (peaks at 68°F in mid-August).
• Cell coverage is reliable along most of US-23 but spotty in Negwegon State Park, on the River Road byway, and in the deep forest sections. Download offline maps.
• Fuel up in Bay City, Tawas City, Alpena, and Cheboygan. Long stretches have limited services.
• The Sunrise Coast is also one of Michigan's best dark-sky destinations (the Headlands International Dark Sky Park near Mackinaw City is one of only a few certified dark-sky parks in the eastern United States). The Milky Way is visible on clear nights from much of the route.
• For more information visit: Sunrise Coast: US-23 Heritage Route