
Little Traverse Conservancy in Harbor Springs
Little Traverse Conservancy protects land and scenic areas and provides opportunities for all of us to appreciate the environment.
Northern Michigan Guides Stock Photo
We have many Up North Specialties that indeed make us special. From a planked whitefish dinner to Blissfest Music Festival to the historic Bay View Association to Bay Harbor to the Little Traverse Wheelway, Northern Michigan is filled with so many wonderful opportunities.
Victorian architecture is prevalent here. Drive through the Bay View Association or along the waterfront in Harbor Springs and marvel at the Victorian ‘cottages.’
What makes Up North special? Castle Farms in Charlevoix is a gorgeous setting for an art fair, celebration or garden tour. How about a festival devoted just to spring’s morel mushroom, Boyne City’s Morel Mushroom Festival. Or a tasty cookie baked in Harbor Springs but known country wide, Tom’s Mom’s Cookies.
What else makes Northern Michigan special? The Heritage Highway between Harbor Springs and Cross Village is spectacular and the Tunnel of Trees is not to be missed. The fall color in Northern Michigan and along the Tunnel of Trees is gorgeous so bring along the camera to capture photos of our Fall Foliage. The newly completed Little Traverse Wheelway connects Charlevoix through Petoskeky to Harbor Springs, a 26 mile bike path, that is drawing bikers from around the country to this scenic part of Michigan.
A huge part of what makes Northern Michigan unique–the people who live here. Local residents love Northern Michigan and have chosen it as a place to live, play, work, and enjoy. Customer service is indeed a specialty in Northern Michigan and you will find it at the golf course, ski resort, restaurant, hotel, and our many fine shops.
Speaking of shopping, it’s often a reason many visitors head Up North! Shopping in Northern Michigan is a wonderful activity.
And, of course, we wouldn’t be unique without our visitors! Our visitors and seasonal residents love Northern Michigan and it is such a delight to hear someone exclaim “I love it up north!”

Little Traverse Conservancy protects land and scenic areas and provides opportunities for all of us to appreciate the environment.

The North Country Trail is the longest trail in the U.S. and stretches from North Dakota to New York, passing through Northern Michigan.

The history Northern Michigan’s Inland Water Route is preserved at the Inland Water Route Historical Museum in Alanson.

It’s just for kids–a fishing pond in Petoskey! Kids can throw a line in this one acre pond stocked with trout.

Historic Mill Creek has 625 acres along Lake Huron, 3.5 miles of hiking trails, a reconstructed saw mill, mill dam, and more.

Take a beautiful color tour as you travel under a tunnel of colorful trees along M-119 from Harbor Springs to Cross Village.

The history Northern Michigan’s Inland Water Route is preserved at the Inland Water Route Historical Museum in Alanson.

The National Shrine of the Cross in the Woods is a 55′ x 22′ redwood cross cut from one redwood tree and with a 28′ tall bronze crucifix.

Just a short drive from Harbor Springs or Petoskey are more than a dozen Northern Michigan cross country ski trails in Emmet County.