The route that US-2 follows along Lake Michigan between Escanaba and St. Ignace is one of the U.P.’s best autumn scenic drives. The true heart of U.P. lies here, with patches of pine or birch woodland followed by brief lakeshore, then a dormant ore-mine, a trailer park, or a long-abandoned fishing camp.
The first hint of anything special comes in tiny Blaney Park, 22-odd miles east of Manistique, which boasts two grand B&Bs: the Celibeth House B&B (906/283-3409), an 1895 mansion with eight rooms; and the posher Blaney Lodge B&B (906/283-3883), which June–October maintains one of the best dining rooms in the U.P.
East of here, as you approach St. Ignace, the scenery becomes increasingly gorgeous. Bay views give way only occasionally to small towns or groves of trees, but most of the way the lake breaks through fully as US-2 skims along a beachside causeway bordered by huge sand dunes with green tufts of mixed grasses.
