A Michigan Field Guide
Michigan, told one great day at a time.
One dad, an 11-year-old son, and a 19-year-old daughter, road-tripping Michigan’s waterfalls, shorelines and backroad detours — photographed as they happen, with the trip details you actually need before you go.
Recent Adventures
The latest places we've explored around Michigan.
Kitch-iti-kipi: Michigan's Big Spring by Hand-Cranked Raft
Manistique, Schoolcraft County
Michigan's largest spring: 10,000+ gallons a minute, 45 degrees, and clear enough to count trout from a free hand-cranked raft near Manistique.
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Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie: My Kids Said No, Then Loved It
Sault Ste. Marie, Chippewa County
My kids said no to the Soo Locks. Then they watched freighters rise and sink 21 feet for 90 minutes. Free, a little nerdy and genuinely amazing.
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Au Train Falls Near Munising: Full Blast Now, Iffy Access
Au Train, Alger County
With the old hydro plant shut down, this wide, ledgy waterfall near Munising now runs full blast. The catch: the road in may be posted closed. Check first.
Read the storyExplore Michigan
Find places worth the drive. 700 spots mapped across the state, from lighthouses to waterfalls to ghost towns.
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Browse by Interest
Jump straight to what your family's after.
Real Trips. Honest Details. Family Tested.
Every place here starts with an actual visit — me and my family testing the trip before we ever tell you to make it.
Real Trips
Every published story is based on an actual visit, not secondhand research or copied listings.
Family Perspective
Trail surface and distance, restrooms, water or cliff hazards, and whether it's realistically worth bringing kids — every time.
Honest Advice
We'll say plainly whether a place deserves a special trip, works better as a quick stop, or has something you should know before you go.
A note on the map above:published stories are real, family-tested trips. The interactive map goes further — it's a broader Michigan discovery database we're still researching, so not every pin has been personally visited yet.
