Great Lakes travel guide: Find your
north shore.
Coastal towns, lighthouses, beaches and road trips on Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. A thoughtful field guide to five extraordinary lakes.
Photo: MichaelDPhotos · CC BY-SA 4.0
Split Rock Light Station.jpg by MichaelDPhotos · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Start with the water
Five lakes, five different moods.
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.
01
Lake Superior
Big water, rocky shorelines and the wild heart of the Great Lakes.
Photo: MichaelDPhotos · CC BY-SA 4.0
Split Rock Light Station.jpg by MichaelDPhotos · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
02
Lake Michigan
Freshwater beaches, dune country and vibrant lakeside cities.
Photo: NorbertNagel · CC BY-SA 4.0
Chicago Skyline Sunrise March 15 2026 - 02.jpg by NorbertNagel · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
03
Lake Huron
Island passages, clear water and storied Georgian Bay.
Photo: Michael Barera · CC BY-SA 4.0
Mackinac Island July 2010 02 (downtown from harbor).JPG by Michael Barera · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
04
Lake Erie
Island escapes, waterfront cities and a lively southern shore.
Photo: Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0
Presque Isle State Park, Millcreek Twp, Erie County, Pennsylvania - 20210904 - 08 - Lake Erie seen from Leslie Beach.jpg by Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
05
Lake Ontario
Harbor towns, big-city shorelines and the gateway to the St. Lawrence.
Photo: ImagePerson · CC BY 4.0
Toronto West Humber Bay Mimico Stonegate, Lake Ontario Waterfront.jpg by ImagePerson · CC BY 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Choose your kind of coast
What brings you to the water?
Lighthouses
Keepers' stories, cliff-top towers and pierhead beacons.
Explore 02Beaches & dunes
National lakeshores, provincial parks and places to swim.
Explore 03Shipwrecks
Storms, sanctuaries and the history of the inland seas.
Explore 04Harbor towns
Waterfront cities, island villages and fishing ports.
Explore 05Road trips
Circle tours and shoreline drives with day-by-day stops.
Explore 06Festivals
Tall ships, cherry harvests, art fairs and migration.
ExploreWorth the detour
Places that stay with you.
National Lakeshore
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
A Lake Superior archipelago of forests, beaches, sea caves and lighthouses.
Explore place
Photo: Sharon Mollerus · CC BY 2.0
Devil's Island Sea Caves (28462731415).jpg by Sharon Mollerus · CC BY 2.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Coastal town
Bayfield
A small harbor town and gateway to the Apostle Islands.
Explore place
Photo: Dls4832 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Bayfield Wisconsin.jpg by Dls4832 · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Coastal town
Chicago
A world-class city with a miles-long Lake Michigan waterfront.
Explore place
Photo: NorbertNagel · CC BY-SA 4.0
Chicago Skyline Sunrise March 15 2026 - 02.jpg by NorbertNagel · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Coastal town
Duluth
A working harbor city at the western tip of Lake Superior.
Explore place
Photo: Bspor.88 · CC0
Duluth, MN - Aerial Lift Bridge and harbor, aerial, August 2024.jpg by Bspor.88 · CC0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Coastal town
Erie
Pennsylvania's Great Lakes city beside Presque Isle Bay.
Explore place
Photo: Tomdonohue1 at English Wikipedia · Public domain
Bicentennial Tower.jpg by Tomdonohue1 at English Wikipedia · Public domain. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Coastal town
Mackinac Island
A car-free island where Lake Huron meets the Straits of Mackinac.
Explore place
Photo: Michael Barera · CC BY-SA 4.0
Mackinac Island July 2010 02 (downtown from harbor).JPG by Michael Barera · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
The coast right now · Fall
Color, harvest and the gales of November.
September often brings the warmest water of the year and calmer crowds. Color sweeps south from the Superior shore in late September to the lower lakes in October, followed by harvest festivals and dramatic November storms.
- Fall color typically peaks in late September along Superior and in October farther south.
- Apple, grape and harvest festivals fill weekends from Bayfield to Niagara.
- Storm-watching and shipwreck history come alive at Whitefish Point.
November gales can bring huge waves; stay off piers, breakwalls and shoreline rocks.
Find your season & plan aheadHarbor towns & beach towns
Great Lakes coastal towns, lake by lake.
Lake Superior towns
- Bayfield, WI
- Duluth, MN
- Grand Marais, MN
- Marquette, MI
- Munising, MI
- Thunder Bay, ON
- Two Harbors, MN
Lake Michigan towns
- Chicago, IL
- Ludington, MI
- Michigan City, IN
- Milwaukee, WI
- New Buffalo, MI
- Petoskey, MI
- Sheboygan, WI
- Sturgeon Bay, WI
- Traverse City, MI
Lake Huron towns
- Alpena, MI
- Goderich, ON
- Mackinac Island, MI
- Port Austin, MI
- Tobermory, ON
Lake Erie towns
- Buffalo, NY
- Cleveland, OH
- Erie, PA
- Port Dover, ON
- Put-in-Bay, OH
- Sandusky, OH
Lake Ontario towns
- Kingston, ON
- Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON
- Oswego, NY
- Rochester, NY
- Toronto, ON
The long way is the right way
Make the shoreline
your itinerary.
Circle a lake, chase a lighthouse, or take the scenic route between harbor towns. Every route comes with stops in order, good bases and honest timing.
Find your next road trip