Jodi and I have gotten pretty good at traveling together. We’ve tackled weekend getaways, day trips, and even survived two whole weeks in Europe together. Not to brag, but I’d say we’re practically professionals at this point. (It helps that Jodi makes a mean itinerary.)

So, naturally, when the fall colors started showing off in the Upper Peninsula, we decided it was time for another adventure. Our mission was to plan and test-drive what we think might be the perfect fall day trip from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. So obviously that includes coffee, LOTS of different views, waterfalls, and just enough chaos to make it a classic Lauren and Jodi adventure.

We did all the driving, exploring, and very important snack testing so you can steal our itinerary and enjoy the day for yourself. And let me tell you, it was a good one.

If you’re anything like us, a road trip doesn’t officially begin until there’s a local coffee shop involved. I don’t make the rules. I picked Jodi up at 8 a.m., and we headed from the Soo toward Brimley for our first stop: Dancing Crane Coffee House. We both ordered hot pumpkin spice lattes and decided to split a French toast muffin. Because nothing says fall adventure quite like a pumpkin spice latte in hand while you’re surrounded by changing leaves. The verdict? 10/10. No notes.

With our caffeine secured and our muffin demolished, we hopped back into the car (literally, in Jodi’s case) and headed toward our first scenic stop.

If you’ve never been to Mission Hill Lookout in the fall, consider this your sign to go. The overlook sits high above Monocle and Spectacle Lakes, with Lake Superior stretching out in the distance. On a clear day, you can even spot freighters making their way across the big lake if you look closely enough.

This time of year, the view is unreal. We would honestly probably both be content to sit there for a few hours and take it all in.  But we had an itinerary to follow, and Jodi doesn’t make those for decoration. So, after taking approximately a million photos and videos, we reluctantly headed back to the car.

On to the next stop!

Just down the road from Mission Hill is one of the area’s most beloved landmarks: Point Iroquois Lighthouse. And there’s a good reason it’s a fan favorite. The historic lighthouse sits right along the shore of Lake Superior, making it a beautiful stop any time of year. You’ll see why all of the people on Facebook talk about it so much.

Now, I should mention that while the sun was shinin’ bright, the wind was absolutely determined to steal the show. We’re not quite into November yet, but I’m pretty sure those famous November gales were warming up. Naturally, we decided this was the perfect time to get the drone out. Was it windy? Very. Did we question our decision? Probably not enough. Did we manage to get some pretty great shots anyway? I’d say so!

After battling the wind for a bit and getting the photos we wanted, we continued along Lake Shore Drive toward our next stop.

If you keep following Lake Shore Drive, you’ll come across Big Pine Picnic Area, one of my personal favorite spots along this stretch of Lake Superior.

In the summer, it’s one of my favorite places to swim. The beach is beautiful, the water is refreshing (that’s a generous word for Lake Superior), and it’s just a great place to spend an afternoon. In the fall, however, I probably wouldn’t recommend jumping in. Unless you’re into that sort of thing. No judgment. Even without swimming, it’s absolutely worth stopping to admire the shoreline and listen to the waves.

We got the drone out again to capture some of the scenery. And this is where I should probably confess. Don’t tell my boss, but I may have flown the drone directly into a tree branch. In my defense, there were a lot of branches. BUT! No damage. The drone survived, my career as an amateur drone pilot lives to see another day, and we got some pretty cool footage. So really, everything worked out.

Our next stop took us to Naomikong Overlook in Eckerman, another beautiful spot to take in the fall scenery!

Normally, this is where we’d lace up our hiking boots and head down the roughly three-mile trail toward the bridge. But here’s a fun fact: hiking several miles through the woods isn’t exactly ideal when someone in your group is on crutches. Who would’ve thought? So this time, instead of doing the full hike, we stayed near the overlook and enjoyed the scenery from the top. But you should do the hike.

We took some more photos, got the drone back in the air (see, I told you it was fine), and enjoyed the colors before continuing on our way. That’s one thing I love about exploring the U.P. You don’t always have to commit to a big hike to find a beautiful view. Sometimes, pulling over and taking a few minutes to look around is more than enough. And with plenty more stops ahead of us, we were happy to save a little energy.

Next up was the Tahquamenon River Mouth, where the Tahquamenon River meets Lake Superior.

Now, I could tell you we spent our time here exploring every inch of the shoreline, studying the landscape, and discovering all sorts of hidden treasures. But that would be a lie. We sat on benches. That’s it. 

Highly recommend.

After our very productive bench-sitting session, it was time for one of the biggest highlights of the day: Tahquamenon Falls State Park.

A quick heads-up if you’re planning your own trip: you’ll need a Michigan Recreation Passport for vehicle entry, or you’ll need to pay the applicable entrance fee. It’s worth checking the current rates before you go. 

We started at the Lower Falls. The Lower Falls area has a gift shop, viewing areas, and a boardwalk that leads toward the waterfalls. The boardwalk is easy to navigate, and there were several benches along the way if you need to stop and rest.  Once we reached the viewing platform, we had plenty of room to take pictures and admire the waterfalls from different angles.

We took our time enjoying the views, snapped plenty of pictures, and eventually made our way back toward the car. By this point, we were both starving. Thankfully, Jodi’s itinerary allowed us a lunch break.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about planning a full day of sightseeing, it’s that you should never underestimate the importance of lunch. Especially when you’ve been running on pumpkin spice lattes and half a muffin since 8 a.m.

We headed over to the Upper Falls area, where the Tahquamenon Falls Brewery & Pub was waiting for us. The brewery is conveniently located near the Upper Falls, making it a great place to stop and refuel before exploring the park! And after spending the entire morning outside, sitting down for a proper meal felt pretty darn good. With full stomachs and a little more energy, we were ready for the grand finale of our fall adventure.

There’s a reason Upper Tahquamenon Falls is one of the most iconic sights in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. It’s HUGE. The Upper Falls stretch about 200 feet across and drop nearly 50 feet, sending an incredible amount of water rushing over the edge. In fact, they say as much as 50,000 gallons of water can flow over the falls every second during peak flow. Now, I was unable to personally confirm this statistic, as they don’t let you get close enough to measure the water with a bucket. Rude, honestly. But standing there listening to the roar of the falls, I’d believe it.

One of my favorite things about Tahquamenon Falls is the water’s famous root beer color. The brownish-gold hue comes from natural tannins in the surrounding vegetation, giving the falls a look you don’t see in most places. The park also has an accessible route leading down to a lower observation area, which made it possible for us to enjoy a closer view without tackling the stairs. Getting that close to the falls is an experience in itself. We spent some time admiring the view, taking pictures, and, of course, adding even more videos to our already struggling phone storage. Eventually, we made our way back toward the car, stopping a few more times along the way to soak in the scenery.

Here’s where I admit that our perfectly planned itinerary didn’t go quite according to plan. Originally, we were going to continue north to Whitefish Point after visiting the falls. It would’ve been a great addition to the day.

But somewhere between the coffee, scenic overlooks, drone adventures, waterfall photos, and our very important bench-sitting break, we lost track of time. Apparently, we’re better at making itineraries than following them. Whoops. By the time we finished exploring the Upper Falls, we decided it was probably best to start heading home rather than squeeze in one more stop. So, Whitefish Point is officially going into our back pocket for the next adventure. Which really is just a great excuse to plan another day trip.

I’d say we came pretty darn close. We started the morning with pumpkin spice lattes, took in some of the best fall views around Lake Superior, visited a historic lighthouse, survived a minor drone incident, enjoyed a peaceful break by the water, and ended the day with one of the U.P.’s most beautiful waterfalls. Not bad for one day.

The best part is that every stop was within day-trip distance of Sault Ste. Marie. If you’re hoping to catch the fall colors, spend some time outdoors, or just get out of town for a day, this route is a pretty great way to do it.

My advice is to start early, bring your camera, dress for whatever weather Lake Superior decides to throw at you, and don’t be afraid to spend a little longer at the places you love. Even if that means skipping something on your itinerary. We came home tired, happy, and with significantly less storage space on our phones. I’d call that a successful day trip.

Want to recreate our adventure? Click here for our full fall day trip itinerary!

And if you make it all the way to Whitefish Point, let us know how it goes. Apparently, we still have some unfinished business up there.

This blog was written by Lauren Mulder