M-22 and Door County

Often, when you talk about dream vacations, people lay out elaborate trips. They plan to save up to travel halfway across the world and see this one location they have read about or extensively scrolled through looking at pictures on the internet. These trips are great, but what can they do while they are saving up for this trip of a lifetime? People often don't realize that you don't need to travel halfway across the world to find a fantastic adventure. Sometimes a four or five-hour car ride will do. This is what I have experienced exploring northern Michigan and door county Wisconsin with my girlfriend Olivia and some of our friends.

The first time I visited Michigan with Olivia was after my senior year of high school. I had been to friends lake houses before and always thought they were fun, but I quickly realized the Traverse City area and Leelanau peninsula landscape was different. The Northeast Michigan coastline has unbelievable bluffs and dunes scattered along the shoreline, mixed with little towns full of rich maritime history and plenty of local shops and restaurants. It wasn't just a lake with a boat; it was a getaway destination, and only 5 hours from my house no less. That same summer, visiting door county Wisconsin with my high school buddies gave me the same impression. Since then, I have visited both places a couple of times and always find something new and exciting each visit. My most recent trip to the Traverse City area introduced the many impressive hiking trails along the M-22 highway known to be one of Michigans' pretties roads to drive. Similarly, the last trip to Door County, my friend Michael showed us some great lookouts and scenic bays. Check out some of the amazing views below and watch the video of our recent trip to Door County!