Traverse City Travel Blog

(All photos courtesy of Lake Michigan Whale Migration Station. No claims are made for their accuracy.)

The volunteers at the Traverse City Visitor Center can almost always come up with advice for baffled tourists who need directions. However, one question consistently leaves them speechless.

It’s the one about whale-watching tours.

There’s a saying up here in the dune country. The sand gives, and the sand takes away.

There’s nothing wrong with enjoying the fall color from below – looking up from the seat of your bike or your car as you pass a blazing hillside of red, gold and orange maples. Hard-core foliage fans, however, won’t be content until they’ve climbed the summits of a few hills to enjoy the autumn display from above.

It’s beautiful winter weather this year -- wonderful weather for a few hours of Nordic skiing or snowshoeing on some of the Traverse City area’s many lovely trails.

It’s important to know where you should go to see the best display of fall color. After all, a true foliage connoisseur knows that it’s not just about finding a bunch of trees in full flame. It’s a matter of finding that perfect spot with just the right balance of tone and hue, with a proper framing and at least one interesting feature—a barn, perhaps, or a body of water—to add a little artistic flair to the scene.

There are advantages to taking a color tour by car. You can cover a lot of ground -- and you don’t have to worry that windy, cold or rainy weather will ruin your experience. (Although sometimes I think a little rain can actually make the colors look brighter.) But the best way to experience the full sensory overload of autumn -- the sound and smell of those new-fallen leaves, the feel of the breeze -- is to get out and spend some time hiking or cycling one of our many trails. 

I heard my first loon last night. Far out on the harbor, that strange wild, half-crazy laugh came out of the evening mist.  Back from the warm places where they spend their winters, back to join us in the uncertain Northern springtime. I love those big birds.