Michigan
These are Michigan’s most treasured views: 16 stunning scenic spots to visit
Michigan is home to some of USA TODAY’s most treasured views
From Pictured Rocks to Torch Lake to Belle Isle in Michigan, discover some of USA TODAY’s Most Treasured Views in America for 2025.
Scenic views can be found all over Michigan. If you’re looking for a peaceful moment, an opportunity to be awed or even the perfect Instagram photo, Michigan is packed with beautiful places to take in with your eyes — or your camera.
This is part of a new USA TODAY network project showcasing breathtaking — and perhaps, underappreciated — views throughout the United States. These are some of the most beautiful landmarks, scenic vistas and hidden gems you can truly treasure in your area.
We’ve put together a list of 16 of the most treasured views in Michigan.
The selections are a mix of nature and architecture. Some locations are prime tourist attractions, while others are a little more out of the way. They are found throughout Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas with many highlighted by Michigan’s lakes and waterways. Others shine when surrounded by Michigan’s fall colors.
Michigan’s immense beauty can’t be completely captured in a short list, but these spots are some of the locations that stand out in the state.
[ Most Treasured Views in America: National | West | South | Middle America | Northeast ]
Tahquamenon Falls
Tahquamenon Falls is literally in Paradise … Michigan. The most recognizable images usually come from the waterfalls at either the Upper Falls or Lower Falls, but the state park is nearly 50,000 acres.
The Upper Falls is one of the largest waterfalls east of the Mississippi River, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and has a drop of nearly 50 feet. It’s more than 200 feet across and has a maximum water flow of more than 50,000 gallons per second. The Lower Falls is located 4 miles downstream and consists of a series of five smaller falls cascading around an island that can be reached by a rented rowboat.
Miners Castle at Pictured Rocks
Miners Castle is one of the most famous landmarks along the Pictured Rocks shores, according to the National Parks service.
The rock formation was named by Englishman Alexander Henry’s employee’s when they were exploring the area for minerals in 1771.
You can find it about 5 miles east of Munising on Alger County Road H-58, then 6 miles north on Miners Castle Road.
It’s the only cliff area in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore that’s accessible by vehicle.
Kitch-iti-kipi
Kitch-iti-kipi is known as one of Michigan’s more alluring attractions, according to the DNR.
Kitch-iti-kipi is that state’s largest freshwater spring and it’s name means “The Big Spring.” The spring in located in Palms Brook State Park in Manistique.
Visitors love the spring’s crystal-clear water with an emerald green bottom.
Porcupine Mountains
Among Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park’s 60,000 acres in Ontonagon is the stunning Lake of the Clouds. The mountain lake is one of the amazing views at Michigan’s largest state park.
It’s the most photographed feature in the park, according to the Porcupine Mountains Ontonagon Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.
When the leaves of the lush trees surrounding the lake change colors in the fall, visitors get a fresh take on the breathtaking view.
Lighthouses along the Great Lakes
Michigan has more than 120 lighthouses, more than any other state in the country. They protect the state’s coastline, allowing the Great Lakes to create a stunning backdrop when you’re viewing them. You can almost feel history when looking at them since many have reached or are nearing 200 years old.
Some favorites in the state to visit are the Grand Haven lighthouses, Big Sable Point Lighthouse in Ludington and Whitefish Point Light Station in Paradise.
Mackinac Bridge
Michigan’s Mackinac Bridge, one of the state’s most famous and iconic architectural marvels, connects the state’s Upper and Lower peninsulas. The ivory and green suspension bridge spans the Straits of Mackinac, connecting Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, over five miles.
Sightseers enjoy viewing the bridge from all angles. You’ll see visitor photos next to the bridge, while crossing the bridge and even traveling underneath by boat.
Arch Rock on Mackinac Island
Arch Rock is the most famous rock formation on Mackinac Island. The limestone rock forms an arch that is more than 50 feet wide. It’s believed to be about 4,000 years old and hollowed out by splashing waves when water levels were much higher, according to the Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau.
While the formation is stable for now, don’t wait a lifetime to see it. It’s predicted erosion from wind and water will one day probably cause it to fall down.
Visitors can find it on the east side of the island on the shores of Lake Huron. The formation can be viewed from both the interior and perimeter of the island.
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Looking down at the sand dunes and Lake Michigan at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Empire is basically a rite of passage in Michigan.
The national park features miles of sand beach and bluffs that tower 450 feet above the lake.
While the park covers more than 71,000 acres and includes other unique natural features, it’s the sand dunes that get the most attention.
Tunnel of Trees
A scenic drive on M-119 in Emmet County is perhaps best taken in the fall as the autumn colors of tree leaves enveloping the route offer a breathtaking view.
The dense woods create a canopy that’s famous in the state.
The stretch is about 20 miles long and goes from Harbor Springs to Cross Village.
Tulip Time in Holland
Be immersed by millions of tulips when they’re in bloom during Tulip Time in Holland. The flowers are planted all around the city each year and generally begin blooming in late April and last through mid-May.
During that time, visitors can be surrounded by the brightly colored tulips.
Sunset Point on Detroit’s Belle Isle
Located on the west side of Detroit’s Belle Isle, Sunset Point is a favorite spot of photographers.
Visitors can catch the sunset while taking in the Detroit skyline and Detroit River. It’s a calming spot during both the evening and day.
Torch Lake
Torch Lake in the northwest Lower Peninsula of Michigan is known for its clear water that has a deep Caribbean blue color.
The lake is Michigan’s longest at 18 miles and the second largest at 29 square miles.
Visitors especially love viewing the lake in the fall when the leaves of the trees surrounding the lake turn colors.
Turnip Rock
Turnip Rock, located in Lake Huron in Port Austin, is a favorite stop for kayakers and boaters.
Wave erosion sculpted the limestone rock formation’s base and created a “unique, gravity-defying pillar,” according to the Greater Port Austin Area Chamber of Commerce.
Turnip Rock is surrounded by shallow waters, sea caves and dramatic cliffs.
Ledges at Fitzgerald Park
Famous sandstone ledges and ancient sedimentary rock outcroppings line the banks of the Grand River at Fitzgerald Park in Grand Ledge.
The rock formations are believed to be 300 million years old. The 78-acre park includes 3 miles of nature and hiking trails.
The park is located at 100 Fitzgerald Park Drive.
SkyBridge Michigan
Opened in 2022, SkyBridge Michigan is a suspension bridge at Boyne Mountain Resort in Boyne Falls.
Visitors take a chairlift and can then walk 118 feet above the Boyne Valley on the 1,200-foot timber-towered suspension bridge, which the Boyne Mountain website says is the world’s longest.
The experience is especially popular in the fall when Michigan’s fall colors are visible below the bridge.
Dow Gardens
Dow Gardens in Midland has 54 acres of woodlands, ponds, orchard and meadow.
Inside the forest is a 1,400-foot-long canopy walk that’s 40 feet above the ground.
The canopy walk includes views of a forest pond from 25 feet up, a large cargo net 25 feet up in a grove of spruce trees and an orchard view with a viewing platform that has a glass floor and railings at 40 feet high.
The canopy walk is popular when Michigan’s leaves change colors in the fall.
Michigan
Birmingham police say massive pool party should have been shut down sooner
Police in Birmingham, Michigan, say officers should have shut down a massive pool party in a residential neighborhood sooner last weekend.
More than 100 people showed up for a party in the 300 block of Westchester Way on June 13, when city officials say a private residential pool was rented out to a third party, violating zoning regulations.
“While officers shut the party down and issued multiple citations, the department acknowledges the party should have been shut down earlier,” said Birmingham police Chief Scott Grewe in a social media post. “Protecting public safety and preserving the quality of life in Birmingham neighborhoods remain top priorities. Should an event require intervention in the future, there will be police supervision to ensure the orderly and safe dispersal of attendees.
Homeowners on Westchester Way told CBS News Detroit that the street was filled with cars and some intoxicated partygoers.
“Women, I don’t even know if they were wearing anything, thong bikinis on top of vehicles, twerking,” said homeowner Brian Homer.
Birmingham police confirmed the individual who rented the backyard over the weekend was a promoter. Police say the homeowner and the person who rented the pool were among those who received citations.
Residents told CBS News Detroit that the house has been hosting parties for years and that its pool is listed on Swimply for rent.
“This isn’t the first time; this has been ongoing. This is just the first time he got caught,” said a resident who shares a fence with the homeowner who is renting their pool.
During a Birmingham City Commission meeting Monday night, Birmingham Mayor Clinton Baller said that the city had failed in this case.
Homeowners who spoke with CBS News Detroit said they are concerned about their safety, given that the neighborhood is filled with children.
In April, three men were arrested and later charged in connection with a shooting at a short-term rental in the 1400 block of East Lincoln Street. According to police, a party was advertised at the rental home, and three 18-year-old men drove up to the property, where other teens were gathering, when an argument ultimately led to a shooting.
Michigan
Skateboarding legend conquers California, revisits Michigan roots
Meet Michigan’s own Skateboard Hall of Famer Bill Danforth
Grosse Pointe native and legendary skateboarder Bill Danforth talks about how it all began for him and how it continues across the country.
Warren — Skateboarders flew through the air at Macomb County’s Eckstein Skatepark, launching off concrete ramps as spectators looked on from the surrounding rows of vendor tents.
Punk rock music from a band on the Creative Grind Fest stage echoed across the park as veteran skateboarders — and a legend in the sport — stood alongside the youngest, offering help and encouragement. Among them was 4-year-old Nikky Bukobich, who said the first thing he learned on a skateboard was “to fall.”
Bill Danforth, a Grosse Pointe South High School graduate, surveyed the scene. With buzzed silver hair, limited edition Danforth Vans sneakers and a white T-shirt, the 60-year-old skateboarding trailblazer talked with fans and signed boards.
“Young skateboarders are the future of the sport, and will be able to carry it on long after we are not,” Danforth told The Detroit News. “You’re never done with skateboarding. But after we slow down, they got to keep that tradition going.”
Danforth returned to Metro Detroit last weekend as one of the newest inductees into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame, making appearances at Royal Oak’s Modern Skate & Surf — which Danforth credits with keeping skateboarding alive in Michigan — and Warren’s Creative Grind Fest. As the skateboarding industry continues to grow, Danforth’s induction offers a look back at the figures who helped shape the sport’s early years.
Grosse Pointe meets California
Danforth was drawn to skateboarding as a Grosse Pointe youth when he realized it allowed him to express his creativity like no other sport did.
“I played organized sports when I was a kid. I played hockey, I played baseball, I played golf,” he said. “Skateboarding was unique, and it had no rules. We created our own groove.”
Danforth started skating wherever he could: “Most of it was at schoolyards or loading docks. This is before we were even building ramps.”
Then, in 1978, Detroit’s Endless Summer Skatepark opened in Roseville and Danforth began competing through the Great Lakes Skateboarding Association. These competitions drew attention to Danforth and other Midwest skaters from some of the largest industry groups on the West Coast, earning Danforth a sponsorship from Madrid Skateboards.
“We started getting recognized by California,” Danforth said. “All of a sudden we were sponsored by California companies — we’re getting free skateboards, we’re getting free wheels and we’re getting free components.”
‘Style is faster, more charged’
Art director and brand manager for Madrid Skateboards, Eagle Barber, said that Danforth stood out from others in the way he skated.
“His style is faster, it’s more charged. He was never an apprehensive, laid-back skater,” Barber said. “He was always going faster and bigger, and he had a very certain air of intimidation about him.”
Michigan professional skateboarder Garold Vallie, a close friend, added that Danforth was known for skating anything and everything.
“He could skate big halfpipes, but he could skate street,” Vallie said. “He could skate anything. He had his own style, and people gravitated towards that.”
Jerry Shirts, a skater and artist selling his spraypainted road signs at the festival, had often been inspired by Danforth’s tricks on the board, he said: “He was a big influence on me when I first started skating. I had seen him in the mags and such, and then realized he was from Michigan, so he was my favorite local skater. I copied all his tricks.”
Danforth was also unique simply for being a Michiganian. Todd Huber, founder and CEO of the Skateboarding Hall of Fame, said Danforth emerged from a region rarely associated with professional skateboarding.
“He wasn’t from California, and California kind of got the spotlight. He was from Detroit, no spotlight was on him,” Huber said. “He was cut from a different cloth, and he did things differently.”
Growing up in Michigan forced skaters like Danforth to be resourceful: “We had to fight a lot of issues just to be a skateboarder in Michigan. Nothing was given to us; we earned it out of our own blood, sweat and tears. We were skateboarders without attitudes in the Midwest. California was a bunch of attitudes with skateboards.”
‘The American Nomad’
The same determination that helped Danforth break into the sport also took him far beyond Michigan. Danforth flew, drove and hitchhiked across the world, skating any terrain he could find and earning him the nickname “The American Nomad.”
His journeys included a trip to Tahiti in the 1980s. Intended as a skateboarding clinic and demonstration tour, the trip turned into what Danforth called an unexpected adventure when political unrest erupted on the island. Danforth evacuated before continuing his travels through New Zealand and Australia.
Stories like these helped make him one of skateboarding’s most recognizable figures during the 1980s.
“He had the number one-selling board in the United Kingdom. He had one of the number one-selling boards in America,” said George Leichtweis, founder of Royal Oak’s Modern Skate & Surf. “And he would go anywhere with anybody in skating, and that’s a level of respect to the core of skateboarding.”
Memorabilia, renewed demand
Today, one of Danforth’s signature boards is part of the Smithsonian’s collection, alongside a copy of “Street Survival,” an instructional VHS video starring Danforth that helped teach a generation of skateboarders.
“He was definitely a really influential skater of the ’80s,” said Jane Rogers, a curator with the Smithsonian. “His board had a lot of cool elements — the graphic and the way the board was shaped. The circle of skulls definitely represents that time.”
Madrid Skateboards recently reissued several of his signature boards as part of a limited-edition collection. Only 200 of each design were produced, and the company said Danforth’s boards were the strongest sellers in its Gold Reissue Series.
Danforth has his own board company, American Nomad, where boards cost upwards of $95. Reissues or originals of Danforth’s signature boards can sell for hundreds or thousands of dollars, according to industry experts.
Such demand was visible during Creative Grind Fest. There, the Modern Skate & Surf tent reported strong interest in Danforth’s Hall of Fame commemorative deck, selling for $119, and his Madrid Misfit reissue boards, priced at $84.
“A big percentage of people are buying these things for the collectability aspect of it,” Barber said.
For many collectors, the boards represent more than a piece of equipment, skateboarding industry expert Iain Borden said: “To some extent, people are buying back the youth that they had.
“A lot of people in their 40s, 50s, 60s who can’t skate anymore, they’ve got injuries, they’re too heavy, they’re out of practice, but they still have this relationship to skateboarding that’s been a central part of their life. Board collecting is a way of keeping up that relationship.”
‘People can relate to Bill’
Danforth’s influence isn’t measured solely by the value of his memorabilia. Those who know him often point to his impact off the board as his most lasting contribution.
Danforth has spent decades mentoring younger skaters and supporting Native American skateboarding programs and Michigan skateparks, saying it is important to “share our knowledge with everybody”.
“People love Bill because people can relate to Bill,” said Creative Grind Fest organizer Bridget Harrington Renteria. “He’s great with kids, and he’ll talk to anybody. He’s got time for everybody.”
Among those eager to meet Danforth was 9-year-old Junior Wilie, whose admiration for the skateboarding pioneer was evident. With a photo of Danforth hanging on his bedroom wall, Wilie was excited to get his skateboard signed by him and other Michigan professionals. Wilie toted his skateboard around the park, darting in and out of vendor tents with his parents to find the perfect items.
Wilie wasn’t the only one eager to attend. Miguel Lynn rode his skateboard down into the concrete bowl before accelerating back up and over the rim. Lynn, who has been skateboarding for more than 20 years, said he was excited to learn Danforth would be attending the festival.
“He’s awesome. I look up to that guy,” Lynn said. “He’s been skating for so long, being that old, being able to skate, it’s amazing.”
Vallie was among the skateboarders mentored by Danforth. What began with drawing pictures of Danforth in class as a child eventually led to years of skateboarding and traveling alongside him.
“I think the term legend gets thrown around too much,” Vallie said. “But I do think he embodies every part of what that word encompasses — not only from his skateboarding accomplishments, but bringing skateboarding back to Michigan and helping kids.”
atisch@detroitnews.com
Michigan
Detroit Bar Misses James Beard Award, Leaving MI Without Any Winners
Chartreuse Kitchen and Cocktails is best known for its farm-to-table American cuisine. It has earned numerous accolades, including Yelp’s No. 1 Detroit restaurant in 2017 and 2018.
Freya, known for its prix fixe tasting menus typically served with wine, has also earned high praise, including a spot in the New York Times’ most exciting restaurants list.
The 20 chefs will headline events in their hometowns as part of the foundation’s Taste America culinary tour, which begins Sept. 16 in New Orleans and continues in cities across the country through March 2027.
The foundation said the chefs were selected not only for culinary talent but also for their work beyond the kitchen, including efforts such as supporting sustainable agriculture, investing in restaurant teams, elevating quality ingredients and advocating for a stronger food system.
Chefs in Houston, New York, Detroit, Washington, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Atlanta, Miami, Phoenix, Los Angeles and New Orleans are among the 20 to watch.
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