“Rugged and isolated, with hardwood forests blanketing 90% of its land, the Upper Peninsula (UP) is a Midwest highlight.“
lonely planet
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan, home to our Michigan Adventure, has a quiet kind of grandeur that’s hard to overstate: vast forests that seem to stretch endlessly; rugged shorelines shaped by the cold, powerful waters of Lake Superior; and a refreshing authenticity in a place that hasn’t been polished for mass tourism. Life there moves at a more deliberate pace, where outdoor beauty is not just scenery but a way of life, whether it’s hiking through dense pine woods, watching the northern lights ripple across a clear night sky, or standing at the edge of a waterfall tucked deep in the wilderness. It’s the kind of region that doesn’t try to impress, yet does exactly that.
The City of Marquette
The vast outdoor playground of the Upper Peninsula would not be as enjoyable without the gem of Marquette as our base. Set along the southern shore of Lake Superior, Marquette reflects all the wildness of the local area, with a dramatic black-rock shoreline on one side and forested hills on the other. The small-town feel (the population is only 22,000) is enhanced by the presence of Northern Michigan University, which infuses the community with youthful energy and cultural depth. The cozy downtown is filled with locally-owned shops, restaurants, breweries, and bars. We spend all our nights in Marquette and at the Landmark Inn, a centrally-located historic but refurbished hotel that has been welcoming guests since 1930.
Our Michigan Adventure Activities
We do a combination of hiking, biking, and kayaking on this Michigan Adventure. Almost all the activities take place within a very short drive of Marquette, meaning once you arrive there is very little time spent shuttling. The hiking includes trails to see waterfalls in the dense forests, up hills to viewpoints, and along the Lake Superior shoreline. Our biking is on paved paths, one day using the network of paths within Marquette and a second day riding from Marquette to the nearby town of Ishpeming. We do one day trip, with a drive of less than an hour to the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, 40 miles of coastline where we’ll have the opportunity to either kayak on the lake or take a glass-bottomed boat cruise to look at old ship wrecks. Most of the activities are quite manageable for those used to outdoor exercise, as the biking is relatively flat and the hiking trails do not have big elevation gains.
Your Guide and Local Zephyrites
This tour was inspired by Zephyr’s long-time traveler Susan and her friend Adrienne. (Adrienne even named her dog Zephyr after Zephyr Adventures!) Susan has been on eight different tours with us and always has great things to say about the Upper Peninsula and Marquette. When we told her we were interested in coming to check it out, she put together an entire itinerary for us that we adapted for this tour. Susan and Adrienne will be serving as our local hosts, joining us on many of the activities and some of the meals when we are in their hometown!
The tour will be guided by Allan Wright, Zephyr’s owner and founder. Allan has been running adventure vacations around the world since 1997. Allan is a native of Seattle and has lived in eleven cities in four countries on three continents. His visit list is up to 66 countries – as of this writing. He has never been to Michigan in his life!
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Allan’s passion for creating an active travel company that is centered around the participants’ wants and needs clearly shows.”
What is an Exploratory Adventure?
Our Exploratory Adventures are first-run tours in small groups to less-traveled destinations that we have not scouted out in person, generally led by our founder and owner Allan Wright. This type of adventure fits the bill perfectly, as the Upper Peninsula is a place many have heard about but few have visited. It is the sort of hidden gem we love to hear about from locals, like our friends Susan and Adrienne.
When we run an Exploratory Adventure, we have done a ton of research on the destination including activities, lodging, transportation, etc. These tours are fully set up and ready to run. However, they are also the first time we have run a tour in that specific location or even visited, which tends to make it more adventurous. On this tour we will have our lodging, breakfasts, dinners, and activities all pre-determined but we will be free to make our own decisions about where to stop, whether to take short detours, and what to do in the evenings. You will be essentially scouting this tour with Allan, enjoying the excitement of exploration that comes with our first-run tours.
Come join us on this Northern Michigan Exploratory Adventure in 2027!
Details
- Dates: August 2 - 6, 2027
- Cost Per Person: $3,075
- Single Supplement: $650
- Private Tour Minimum: 6
- Activities: Hiking, Biking, and Kayaking or Glass-Bottomed Boat Cruise
- Guide(s): Allan Wright
Difficulty
All Abilities
The biking is 20 to 40 miles per day on mostly flat trails. The hiking is 3 - 4 miles with uphill sections but nothing mountainous. The kayaking is with a professional guide. This tour is for all moderately active people.
Other Info
-> This tour can be run as a private tour with a group as small as six people.
Talk to Our Team: 888-758-8687
I Have QuestionsTrip Highlights
- Hike up Mount Marquette, a moderate three-mile hike that rewards with views over the city and Lake Superior shoreline below
- Take a guided walking tour of downtown Marquette to learn about the iron mining and port city's working-class past
- Explore Lake Superior's incredible seashore, from rocky cliffs to sandy beaches
- Kayak along the shoreline of Pictured Rocks National Seashore, including fun alcoves and small caves
- Bicycle from Marquette to Ishpeming on the Iron Ore Trail and optionally stop into the Cliff Shafts Mine Museum
- Visit the fun Third Street Social District - a designated section of downtown Marquette
Day One: We meet at Marquette Airport in the afternoon, with our meeting time scheduled to coincide with the limited number of arriving flights. We'll swing by the Landmark Hotel to pick up those who arrived earlier and then shuttle directly to the trailhead for a three-mile introductory hike up Mount Marquette. The trail winds through dense hardwood forest but our destination is an open, rocky overlook over the city and harbor below. We'll return to the hotel to check in and shower. Dinner this evening is at the Delft Bistro, which has one of the city's fancier menus.
Day Two: Today we depart at 8:30 AM for the Pictured Rocks National Seashore. Our destination is actually the base town of Munising, which houses our local tour operators. You will have two options this morning. One is a two-hour glass-bottomed boat ride to view Lake Superior from the water, including looking at area shipwrecks. Your other option is to join a guided kayak tour where we can paddle along the shoreline, exploring coves and even a few rocky caves. Lunch is then on your own in this small town, which because of its proximity to the national seashore has a nice selection of local restaurants. In the afternoon, we'll visit Lakanenland, Tom Lakanen's 37-acre sculpture park with over 100 metal structures strung out along a one-mile walking path. We'll then head back to Marquette for a guided walking tour of downtown Marquette, where we'll learn about the iron ore mining and shipping port history of the area. Dinner tonight is at the Lagniappe Creole Eatery.
Day Three: This morning we will walk to our local rental bike provider to pick up bikes for our next two days of riding. Our first ride is from Marquette on the Iron Ore Heritage Trail, a 47-mile hard-packed dirt trail, although we'll only use a portion of it. We'll ride 12 miles from Marquette to the small town of Negaunee, where you can choose to visit the Iron Industry Museum or just hit a local eatery for lunch. Those wanting a short route can head back for 26 miles of riding, while those wishing to do more can continue west to the town of Ishpeming and back to Marquette for a total of 45 miles. Back in town, we'll have time to relax before meeting for an optional happy hour at Iron Ore Brewing, followed by dinner at El Santo Tacos.
Day Four: We ride again this morning, this time north along the Lake Superior waterfront on the city of Marquette's paved multi-use path. This trail is smooth and flat, so inline skaters can choose to bring their skates for this day. The path heads to Presque Isle, a peninsula jutting out into the lake. There is an optional two-mile road around the island (although there can be traffic on the road) and the round trip is a total of 16 miles. For a longer route of 24 miles, we'll take a circle route back through the town of Marquette on a different paved path. After lunch on your own in Marquette, you can choose to wander the Third Street Social District or shops such as the Donckers chocolate shop and Zero Degrees Artist Gallery. Or we'll do an optional one-mile or three-mile roundtrip hike along the rocky beach shore of Lake Superior and up Sugarloaf Mountain, a small hill with a viewing platform looking over the lake. For our final dinner, we'll head to Vierling Restaurant, which specializes in lake-caught local white fish.
Day Five: If you have an early flight, you can catch a shuttle to the airport. If you have an afternoon flight, we'll first check out of our hotel early and head to a nearby trailhead for a quick trailhead breakfast. It is then onto the trail to hike up a dirt trail that winds next to the Carp River with our destination first Morgan Falls and then, optionally, Carp River Falls. We'll return down a gravel road closed to most vehicles for a total round trip distance of 3.3 or 4.3 miles. Finally, we'll drop you at the airport where you can catch your flight home.
Book this TourTrip Accommodations
Landmark Inn in Marquette: We spend all four nights of this tour in the historic Landmark Inn in the center of Marquette. The hotel first started operating almost 100 years ago - in 1930, right at the start of the Great Depression. The rooms are individually decorated in historic style. You might choose to eat lunch at the Northland Gastropub or have a drink in the 6th floor Crow's Nest cocktail lounge. The excellent location means we are only a short stroll from the many great venues of the Third Street Social District. (Photo courtesy of the Landmark Inn)
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Arrival & Departures
If you are flying to the tour location, you will be using Marquette Sawyer Regional Airport. Marquette is fortunate to have its own airport but it is small, with just one flight per day from Minneapolis, one from Detroit, and five from Chicago (with United service starting in October 2026). So if you are flying, you will likely connect through Chicago. Flight schedules change but we will meet in the afternoon to coincide with incoming flights, so that you can arrive that day. On the last day of the tour, we'll coincide our schedule with an airport shuttle for an early afternoon flight.
If you fly in early or drive to the tour, you can meet us at the Landmark Inn.
What's Included?
- One or two Zephyr guides, depending on group size.
- Double occupancy lodging is included. If you are coming on a trip solo, you have two options: 1) Pay the single supplement to receive your own room. 2) Ask us to try to find you a roommate of the same gender to share a room with; if we are not successful you will be charged the single supplement and receive your own room.
- All of your dinners are included. Gratuity for these meals is also included. We have left lunches open so that you have time to explore and enjoy the local flavors en route. We have also left breakfasts open because our hotel does not serve breakfast and we know people want to eat different foods and different times for the morning meal.
- All your transportation is included once you meet your guides on the first day.
- NOT INCLUDED Beverages, desserts, breakfasts, lunches, gratuities to your guides, personal expenses and travel to and from the destination.
Weather
July through mid-September is ideal for consistent weather, minimal bugs, and good lake conditions. In early August during the height of summer, high temperatures average in the mid-70s and low temperatures around 60s - very nice for an active vacation. Note that in this area there is always a chance of rain, so be prepared.
Changes to Your Itinerary
While everything under “What is Included” will remain the same, the actual restaurants, hotels, and activities listed in our itineraries are subject to modifications. Changes that are out of our control are common – a restaurant closes or loses its awesome chef, a winery changes its visiting hours, a hotel gets remodeled, a road or trail undergoes construction. You are entrusting us to create an outstanding vacation for you and so it is possible we may take the liberty of making necessary changes (even at the last minute, during the guides’ scout trip) to the itinerary that will improve your overall trip experience. If there is any one experience that is going to make or break your trip, please discuss this with us in advance! We will attempt to keep our website itinerary as current as possible and communicate any major changes with you in the weeks prior to the tour.
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