Leaves are beginning to change colors in Michigan and while you’re out enjoying some of the state’s best fall color drives this season, make sure to stop and check out some especially fantastic viewing sites for a panoramic display.
Across northern Michigan, the Upper Peninsula and even to the south, Michigan’s vast natural spaces provides ample opportunities to take in the red, orange and yellow foliage in all its glory this autumn.
While Michigan features dozens of places to take in fall color — including famous locations like Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and Brockway Mountain Drive — here’s a closer look at five of Michigan’s top scenic overlooks.
When do fall colors start in Michigan?
In Michigan, tree are already starting to change colors. In the UP, you’ll see a strong start to the color season by this weekend, Explore Fall’s color map says.
The change will move south throughout the Lower Peninsula, with moderate color in the UP by Sept. 27, the map predicts. High and peak colors will start appearing in the western UP by Oct. 6.
By later October, the UP will be mostly past peak colors, with peak fall colors spreading throughout the Lower Peninsula, according to the website. Parts of the southern Lower Peninsula will still be approaching peak colors.
A weekly foliage predictor map from SmokyMountains.com shows leaves begin changing colors in the UP in mid-September, reaching the southern Lower Peninsula by mid-October.
When does fall start in 2025?
The fall equinox — the end of summer and start of fall 2025 — takes place at 2:19 p.m. Sept. 22, 2025, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
Copper Peak near Ironwood offers 360-degree views
Located in the western UP, north of Bessemer off M-28, the ski jumping hill and tower offer visitors the chance to take in 2,500 square miles of forests spanning three states in prime fall colors. Copper Peak is open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sundays, weather permitting, due to construction. Tickets are available at the gift shop.
At Copper Peak, you can take the Adventure Ride, a chair lift to an 800-foot-tall hilltop and an 18-story elevator to the main observation deck, or climb eight more stories of stairs up to the starting gate for viewing, according to the website.
Tickets for the full adventure ride are $28 for adults, $23 for seniors, $15 for youth ages 14 and under and children ages 5 and under get in free; while tickets for the chairlift are $20 for adults and $10 for youth.
Traverse SkyBridge Michigan at Boyne Falls
Take a walk on SkyBridge Michigan for views of fall colors from 118 feet above Boyne Valley. The attraction at Boyne Mountain also features live music on weekends, a restaurant and food truck and family-friendly fall activities, per the website.
To get to the bridge, you’ll take the two-person Hemlock Lift or Mountain Express six-person chairlift to the top of the hill, the website says. Known as the world’s longest timber-towered suspension bridge, the bridge sways as you walk across, just above the treetops.
SkyBridge opened in 2022 at Boyne Mountain Resort. Walkers will ride a chairlift to the top and then stroll along the 1,203-foot long, 118-foot-high pedestrian bridge.
SkyBridge Michigan is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily until Oct. 2; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fridays to Sundays Oct. 3 to Oct. 16; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fridays to Sundays Oct. 17-23; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays Oct. 24-26.
Ticket prices vary and include fall color tickets starting at $29 for those 11 to 69, and window tickets starting at $30 for ages 11 to 69, the website says.
Take in vibrant views from Deadman’s Hill Overlook
Located around 10 miles south of Boyne Falls, Deadman’s Hill Overlook and Trail Loop provides views of fall foliage in the Jordan River Valley in northwest Michigan.
The site is named for a tragedy that took the life of 21-year-old Samuel Graczyk, known as “Big Sam.” A fun-loving lumberjack soon to be married, Sam became legend on May 20, 1910, when he was killed while driving a team and big wheels loaded with logs down a steep slope at this site. The high point, with its commanding view of the valley, has since been known as “Deadman’s Hill,” the Mancelona Chamber of Commerce explains.
To get to the overlook, you’ll take a short walk up a slight incline, the Petoskey Area Visitors Bureau says. The trail loop is a 3.1-mile hike along a wooded trail down and back up Deadman’s Hill, according to MichiganTrailMaps.com.
“The Jordan Valley below is an 18,000 acre block of state owned forest land, located in the northeast portion of Antrim County,” the Mancelona Chamber said. “While beautiful year-around, this is one location your fall color tours must include.”
Visit Lake of the Clouds in Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park
Nestled in Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in the western UP, Lake of the Clouds, a tranquil mountain lake, is surrounded by picturesque views of multi-colored forest in the fall with Lake Superior just behind you.
Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park features 60,000 acres of old-growth forest, roaring waterfalls, Lake Superior shoreline, rivers, trails and ridges.
Lake of the Clouds landscape in Michigan’s Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park.
You can view Lake of the Clouds from a fully-accessible overlook, the Big Carp River Trail or the Escarpment Trail, according to the Porcupine Mountains Ontonagon Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Other sites at the park include a chairlift ride to the top of the Porkies ski hill Saturdays and Sundays, Sept. 21-Oct. 12, 2025. Additionally, the Summit Peak Trail, a short but steep hike leads to the Summit Peak Observation Tower with views from nearly 2,000 feet above sea level, the highest point in the Porcupine Mountains. The total hike out and back is about 0.8 miles.
To visit the state park, you’ll need a Recreation Passport, an annual pass to state parks. You can visit the state park for a day for free with the Michigan Activity Pass through your local library.
If you buy the Recreation Passport when renewing your license plate via the Secretary of State, it costs $14 for motorized vehicles and $7 for motorcycles and your license plate will include the letter P, per the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. If you buy the passport at the park or a DNR customer service center, there will be a $5 convenience fee, except for a moped, and you’ll get a sticker to permanently keep on your lower passenger-side windshield, the DNR’s website says. The daily nonresident Recreation Passport fee costs $11.
Enjoy forest views and Lake Superior from Sugarloaf Mountain near Marquette
The iconic view atop Sugarloaf Mountain, a few miles north of downtown Marquette, provides stunning views of Lake Superior and bright fall colors in the surrounding forest, along with Little Presque Isle, Marquette and beyond.
You can hike to the mountain’s top, 470 feet above the lake, on one of two dirt trails leading to wooden stairs to the viewing area at the summit, according to Pure Michigan and Marquette County.
Contact Jenna Prestininzi: jprestininzi@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Fall colors nearing for 2025: Where to find stunning views in Northern Michigan, U.P.