Circle tour planner

Plan a Great Lakes circle tour, day by day.

Choose a lake, how many days you have and where you're starting. We'll split the loop into even days of driving, pick a town for every night and hand the plan to the trip builder for directions, a calendar and a GPS file.

Lake Erie Circle Tour

3 days from Buffalo, clockwise.

Total driving15 h 5 min
Distance723 mi (1,163 km)
Stops17
Longest dayDay 1, 5 h 15 min
Ferries40 min included

This loop crosses the U.S.–Canada border. Everyone needs a passport, passport card or NEXUS card, and border waits can add an hour on summer weekends.

Open in the trip builder Lake Erie Circle Tour

  1. Day 1

    Buffalo to Sandusky

    5 h 15 min driving277 mi (445 km)

    1. 01

      54 min · 48 mi (76 km) from Buffalo

      Dunkirk Lighthouse NY · Lighthouse
    2. 02

      1 h 1 min · 50 mi (81 km) from Dunkirk Lighthouse

      Erie PA
    3. 03

      16 min · 7.5 mi (12 km) from Erie

      Presque Isle State Park PA · Park & beach
    4. 04

      1 h 25 min · 80 mi (128 km) from Presque Isle State Park

      Headlands Beach State Park OH · Park & beach
    5. 05

      34 min · 30 mi (47 km) from Headlands Beach State Park

      Cleveland OH
    6. 06

      1 h 4 min · 62 mi (100 km) from Cleveland

      Sandusky OH
    Directions in Google Maps Overnight in or near Sandusky

  2. Day 2

    Sandusky to Leamington

    4 h 50 min driving194 mi (312 km)

    1. 07

      27 min · 19 mi (30 km) from Sandusky

      Marblehead Lighthouse OH · Lighthouse
    2. 08

      40 min · 13 mi (21 km) from Marblehead Lighthouse, including about 20 min of ferry

      Put-in-Bay OH

      Miller Ferry carries cars and walk-on passengers to South Bass Island in about 20 minutes; Jet Express sails from Port Clinton and Sandusky.

    3. 09

      33 min · 9.3 mi (15 km) from Put-in-Bay, including about 20 min of ferry

      Port Clinton OH
    4. 10

      47 min · 38 mi (61 km) from Port Clinton

      Toledo OH
    5. 11

      57 min · 58 mi (94 km) from Toledo

      Detroit MI
    6. 12

      4 min · 1.7 mi (3 km) from Detroit

      Windsor ON
    7. 13

      1 h 1 min · 44 mi (71 km) from Windsor

      Point Pelee National Park ON · Park & beach
    8. 14

      19 min · 11 mi (17 km) from Point Pelee National Park

      Leamington ON
    Directions in Google Maps Overnight in or near Leamington

  3. Day 3

    Leamington to Buffalo

    5 h 5 min driving252 mi (406 km)

    1. 15

      1 h 42 min · 100 mi (161 km) from Leamington

      Port Stanley ON
    2. 16

      1 h 28 min · 62 mi (101 km) from Port Stanley

      Port Dover ON
    3. 17

      1 h 30 min · 66 mi (106 km) from Port Dover

      Niagara Falls ON

    Back to Buffalo: 25 min · 24 mi (38 km)

    Directions in Google Maps

Your loop

The circle tour on the map.

Loading the map. The links and itinerary below are always available.

Lines join stops in visiting order; they are not roads. Use the Google Maps links for turn-by-turn directions.

Black-and-white basemap by OpenStreetMap. Great Lakes highlighted in color. Hold Ctrl (or Command) while scrolling to zoom. Use two fingers on touch screens.

Lake outlines: Natural Earth (public domain). Town centers: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Not for navigation.

All five loops

The Great Lakes circle tours at a glance.

Distances and driving time for the full loop from each tour's usual starting city, stopping at every town, lighthouse and park on our route.

Circle tourStarts inDistanceDrivingRelaxedBrisk
Lake Superior Circle Tour Duluth, MN 1,296 mi (2,085 km) 25 h 50 min 10 days 6 days
Lake Michigan Circle Tour Chicago, IL 1,103 mi (1,776 km) 22 h 40 min 8 days 5 days
Lake Huron Circle Tour Port Huron, MI 1,178 mi (1,895 km) 24 h 45 min 8 days 5 days
Lake Erie Circle Tour Buffalo, NY 723 mi (1,163 km) 15 h 5 min 5 days 3 days
Lake Ontario Circle Tour Toronto, ON 617 mi (993 km) 12 h 35 min 5 days 3 days

Good to know

Circle tour questions.

What is a Great Lakes circle tour?
Each of the five Great Lakes has a signed scenic route that loops all the way around its shore, crossing state and provincial lines (Lake Ontario's is the Seaway Trail in New York and the Waterfront Trail in Ontario). Following one is a classic North American road trip, with lighthouses, beaches, harbor towns and big-water views the whole way.
How long does the Lake Superior Circle Tour take?
Our route around Lake Superior covers about 1,296 mi (2,085 km) and 25 h 50 min of driving, before any stops. At a relaxed pace of no more than 3½ hours a day it takes 10 days; with up to 6 hours a day you can do it in 6. Bring a passport: about half the loop is in Ontario.
How many days do you need for the Lake Michigan Circle Tour?
Allow 5 to 8 days. The loop through Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana is about 1,103 mi (1,776 km) with 22 h 40 min of driving. Cut a day or two by taking the S.S. Badger or Lake Express ferry across the lake.
Which way should I drive a circle tour?
Clockwise keeps the lake on your right, which in the U.S. and Canada puts you in the lane next to the water and makes it easier to pull off at viewpoints. Counterclockwise works just as well if it suits your starting point or the weather.
How does the planner choose overnight stops?
It walks the loop in order and splits it into the number of days you choose so the daily driving is as even as possible, always ending each day in a town with places to stay. Lighthouses, parks and waterfalls along the way are included as stops unless you choose towns only.

Drive times and distances: OSRM routing over OpenStreetMap data (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), calibrated to typical travel times. Times are estimates for planning, not navigation. Check road, border and ferry conditions before you travel.

More planning tools: trip builder, ferry or drive calculator, northern lights forecast, water temperatures and the ship watcher.