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 Michigan Circle Tour
4 days from Chicago, clockwise.
- Relaxed 8 days No more than 3½ hours of driving a day
- Brisk 5 days Up to about 6 hours behind the wheel a day
- Fastest 4 days Long days, with little time to stop
Day 2 has more than 6 hours of driving before any stops. Add days
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Day 1
Chicago to Sturgeon Bay
5 h 20 min driving243 mi (391 km)
- 01
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02
23 min · 12 mi (19 km) from Illinois Beach State Park
Kenosha WI - 03
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- 06
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07
30 min · 28 mi (45 km) from Sheboygan
Manitowoc WI - 08
Directions for day 1 in Google Maps Overnight in or near Sturgeon Bay -
Day 2
Sturgeon Bay to Mackinac Island
7 h 30 min driving374 mi (602 km)
- 09
- 10
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11
1 h 21 min · 70 mi (113 km) from Peninsula State Park
Green Bay WI -
12
59 min · 58 mi (93 km) from Green Bay
Menominee MI -
13
58 min · 55 mi (88 km) from Menominee
Escanaba MI -
14
56 min · 54 mi (87 km) from Escanaba
Manistique MI -
15
1 h 27 min · 88 mi (141 km) from Manistique
St. Ignace MI -
16
32 min · 7.3 mi (12 km) from St. Ignace, including about 20 min of ferry
Mackinac Island MIMackinac Island is car-free: park in Mackinaw City or St. Ignace and allow about 20 minutes on the passenger ferry.
Directions for day 2 in Google Maps Overnight in or near Mackinac Island -
Day 3
Mackinac Island to Ludington
5 h 15 min driving231 mi (371 km)
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17
22 min · 0.6 mi (1 km) from Mackinac Island, including about 20 min of ferry
Mackinaw City MI - 18
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19
21 min · 17 mi (27 km) from Petoskey
Charlevoix MI - 20
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22
30 min · 24 mi (38 km) from Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Point Betsie Lighthouse MI · Lighthouse -
23
8 min · 4.8 mi (8 km) from Point Betsie Lighthouse
Frankfort MI -
24
45 min · 35 mi (57 km) from Frankfort
Manistee MI -
25
36 min · 29 mi (46 km) from Manistee
Big Sable Point Lighthouse MI · LighthouseThere is no road to the lighthouse: park in Ludington State Park and walk about 1.8 miles each way along the beach or the sandy service road.
- 26
Directions for day 3 in Google Maps Overnight in or near Ludington -
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Day 4
Ludington to Chicago
4 h 40 min driving256 mi (412 km)
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27
54 min · 58 mi (94 km) from Ludington
Muskegon MI -
28
17 min · 14 mi (23 km) from Muskegon
Grand Haven MI - 29
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30
11 min · 7.1 mi (11 km) from Holland Harbor Lighthouse
Holland MI -
31
30 min · 30 mi (48 km) from Holland
South Haven MI -
32
26 min · 25 mi (40 km) from South Haven
St. Joseph MI - 33
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Back to Chicago: 52 min · 47 mi (76 km)
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Loading the map. The links and itinerary below are always available.
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. Selecting Live ships loads an external VesselFinder map for this area. Privacy details.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 tour | Starts in | Distance | Driving | Relaxed | Brisk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.