Best Great Lakes Drives

[TheHighwayMan3561]

I'm a veteran of stuff like MN 61, WIS 13, and M-22/26, but I was curious about some other ones that I haven't done yet to see if they're worth the trip for.

-US 23 and M-25 along Lake Huron
-US 31 from Ludington to Traverse City

And I have to admit I know little about the best drives on Erie or Ontario, or any of the Canadian-side drives.

What else is good that I'm missing? I'm looking for underrated stuff, but I like obvious answers too.

[Flint1979]

I'm not sure on the Ontario side either but US-23 and M-25 along Lake Huron is a good drive. You'll probably find more along US-23 than M-25. One time within the last two years I was at a Culver's in Saginaw and was there was this family there that was from California and wanted to take a vacation so they decided to go to the Great Lakes. They were staying in Bay City and wanted to go to Port Huron, another guy suggested they take I-75 to I-475 to I-69 but I knew they were there for a scenic drive so I told them to take M-25 from Bay City to Port Huron and let them know that it was a longer drive but more scenic and rides along Lake Huron.

You also have US-31 that you mentioned between Ludington and Traverse City but I would go further north of Traverse City along US-31. You also have the tunnel of trees along M-119 that is a fun drive along Lake Michigan. US-2 along Lake Michigan from St. Ignace to Escanaba but there will be stretches that are more inland than Lake Michigan the closer you get to Escanaba. M-26 is another good route in the Keweenaw along Lake Superior. M-22 is another popular route between Manistee and Traverse City.

[Max Rockatansky]

I've always enjoyed Lake Shore Drive in Chicago.  The mix of urban atmosphere with lakeshore can be pretty neat.  About the most scenic road I can think of in Illinois even though it's flat.

I did like M-37 north of US 31 toward Mission Point.  A lot of the good ones have already been mentioned.

[kphoger]

I've always enjoyed Lake Shore Drive in Chicago.  The mix of urban atmosphere with lakeshore can be pretty neat.  About the most scenic road I can think of in Illinois even though it's flat.

Ooh, yeah, Lake Shore Drive is a really pretty drive, and it's one I wouldn't even have thought to mention.

Wait, wait, are we allowed to post any examples that aren't in Michigan?

[kphoger]

Has anyone done the north side of Lake Superior (Ontario side)?  I've considered that as part of a long-distance road trip.  I know the highway spends a lot of its miles away from the shoreline...

[7/8]

For the Ontario side:

Highways 17 and 61 on the North side of Superior are both among the best drives in the province. Old Woman Bay is a great stop on 17 north of the Soo.

Highway 26 from Meaford to Wasaga Beach follows Georgian Bay and has some good views of both the lake and the Niagara Escarpment. The best part is in Craigleith where you can see the Georgian Peaks Club ski hill and shortly to the east, the highway goes right up against the lake.

Highway 400/69 north of Waubashene is scenic with the large rock cuts and outcrops, though it doesn't offer any views of the lake.

The St. Clair Parkway south of Sarnia follows the St. Clair river (which connects Lake Huron to Lake St. Clair). Likewise, Essex CR 20 follows the Detroit River south of Windsor (which connects Lake St. Clair to Lake Erie). I haven't done either, but they look like nice drives).

I also like the portion of Norfolk CR 59 heading into Long Point on Lake Erie. It's cool the low-lying marsh on the point and the quaint cottages (some of which have inland canals for boats).

[GaryV]

Has anyone done the north side of Lake Superior (Ontario side)? 

We did it a few years back. A beautiful drive. You have to plan where you're going to stay, eat, get gas, etc. There's enough options, but not many, between the Soo and Thunder Bay.

There are some sections where you are near the lake. But the other scenery is just as good. Lots of waterfalls.

I'd recommend seeing the reconstruction of the NW Company trading fort near Thunder Bay. One of the best historical reenactments that we've ever been to. And absolutely historically accurate buildings (all reconstructed; I think the original site is a railyard now). They had the very detailed plans that the British Army drew up in case they needed to defend it against the US in the War of 1812.

The north shore of MN also has good scenery.

[7/8]

Has anyone done the north side of Lake Superior (Ontario side)?  I've considered that as part of a long-distance road trip.  I know the highway spends a lot of its miles away from the shoreline...

I've only done Highway 17 east of Nipigon, but it's a great drive! Very hilly for Ontario, and there's several good spots to view the lake. Lots of good provincial/national parks to go for a hike. The Wawa goose is also a must.

[froggie]

Surprised nobody's mentioned M-35 south of Escanaba yet.

[thenetwork]

As far as driving around Lake Erie, from Toledo to Cleveland, SR-2 & US-6 does a great job of covering the shoreline.  East of Cleveland, following the Lake Erie Circle Trail signs are easier to follow than keeping track of changing route numbers.

In fact, Ohio seems to put you closest to the shoreline on numbered highways than any other state/providence that touches Lake Erie. Traveling through Ontario is underwhelming, PA and NY has their own unique areas, and MI is meh, since the bulk of the area abutting Lake Erie is really only accessible via I-75, the rest mostly parallels the Detroit River.

[webny99]

Surprised nobody's mentioned M-35 south of Escanaba yet.

That would definitely be top-5 for me. I did it in the early morning in 2017 and it was spectacular. I would also include M 28 between Marquette and Munising (too bad there's no state route closer to Pictured Rocks), and all of MN 61.

I'm not sure there's any truly great scenic drives along the Great Lakes in NY despite the presence of the Seaway Trail. Western NY's Lake Ontario shoreline is remote even by Great Lakes standards, but in a very different way than the northern shores of Superior, Michigan, etc. It's not particularly scenic, though, as it's also very flat.

[vdeane]

Western NY's Lake Ontario shoreline is remote even by Great Lakes standards, but in a very different way than the northern shores of Superior, Michigan, etc. It's not particularly scenic, though, as it's also very flat.

It is not flat.

Even if I do call this part of the state "Flatlandia" when driving on the Thruway.

[thenetwork]

Western NY's Lake Ontario shoreline is remote even by Great Lakes standards, but in a very different way than the northern shores of Superior, Michigan, etc. It's not particularly scenic, though, as it's also very flat.

It is not flat.

Even if I do call this part of the state "Flatlandia" when driving on the Thruway.

But as I recall, it is a big area for grape and wine production, so it is somewhat scenic.  Then you pass through the Seneca Reservation then approach the Metro Buffalo area with the drive over the Skyway to wrap things up.

[Flint1979]

Surprised nobody's mentioned M-35 south of Escanaba yet.

Well ya just did

[vdeane]

Western NY's Lake Ontario shoreline is remote even by Great Lakes standards, but in a very different way than the northern shores of Superior, Michigan, etc. It's not particularly scenic, though, as it's also very flat.

It is not flat.

Even if I do call this part of the state "Flatlandia" when driving on the Thruway.

But as I recall, it is a big area for grape and wine production, so it is somewhat scenic.  Then you pass through the Seneca Reservation then approach the Metro Buffalo area with the drive over the Skyway to wrap things up.

The Seneca Nation and the Skyway are both Lake Erie rather than Ontario, but NY 18 Lake Ontario is decently scenic.  The Thruway south of there less so.

[Flint1979]

For an Interstate highway this is a pretty nice view of Lake Erie.
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.5368055,-81.6425147,3a,75y,22.88h,88.55t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sWfoEDnHiQHXMvNs9azypOQ!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DWfoEDnHiQHXMvNs9azypOQ%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D342.91663%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192

and a view of the Cleveland skyline going the other direction
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.5368055,-81.6425147,3a,15y,225.65h,88.86t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sWfoEDnHiQHXMvNs9azypOQ!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DWfoEDnHiQHXMvNs9azypOQ%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D342.91663%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192

[webny99]

Western NY's Lake Ontario shoreline is remote even by Great Lakes standards, but in a very different way than the northern shores of Superior, Michigan, etc. It's not particularly scenic, though, as it's also very flat.

It is not flat.

Even if I do call this part of the state "Flatlandia" when driving on the Thruway.

But as I recall, it is a big area for grape and wine production, so it is somewhat scenic.  Then you pass through the Seneca Reservation then approach the Metro Buffalo area with the drive over the Skyway to wrap things up.

The Seneca Nation and the Skyway are both Lake Erie rather than Ontario, but NY 18 Lake Ontario is decently scenic.  The Thruway south of there less so.

Yes, I was referring to Lake Ontario, not Erie. There is some wine country along Lake Erie, but the main wine-producing region in NY is the Finger Lakes, particularly around Keuka, Seneca, and Cayuga Lakes, which are well south of Lake Ontario. East of Buffalo there aren't many vineyards/wineries north of the Thruway - there's Casa Larga and maybe a few others, but most are further south.

NY 18 along Lake Ontario is OK, but I don't think I'd call it scenic when compared to some of the other roads mentioned in this thread. It's a completely different world from the rocky landscapes with pine trees common in Minnesota and Ontario - and I assumed the comment about it not being flat was sarcastic, so hopefully that's how it was meant. 

[vdeane]

and I assumed the comment about it not being flat was sarcastic, so hopefully that's how it was meant. 

It's Lake Ontario, not Illinois... but yes, it was meant in jest.  It was actually quite hard to find something with anything resembling a hill there.  There's a reason why I call most of the area between Rochester and Buffalo (north of US 20 or so, west of here on the Thruway) Flatlandia.  It's the type of place where the main indication of a change of elevation is the trucks slowing down for seemingly no reason.

[webny99]

and I assumed the comment about it not being flat was sarcastic, so hopefully that's how it was meant. 

It's Lake Ontario, not Illinois... but yes, it was meant in jest.  It was actually quite hard to find something with anything resembling a hill there.  There's a reason why I call most of the area between Rochester and Buffalo (north of US 20 or so, west of here on the Thruway) Flatlandia.  It's the type of place where the main indication of a change of elevation is the trucks slowing down for seemingly no reason.

I'm struggling to even think of any significant inclines/declines in that region that would slow down truck traffic, so I suppose that proves your point.

Come to think of it, it's kind of a gradual shift that happens in the Rochester area. If anything west of NY 237 is "Flatlandia" as you call it, most of the Rochester area is kind of a transition zone. It's notable how flat areas of Greece, Parma and Hamlin are when compared to Webster and Ontario, for example, and it's notable further south, too, where Pittsford/Perinton are quite hilly while Gates and Chili (and especially anything west of Churchville) are comparatively flat.

[vdeane]

^ I suspect that the area is so flat that the trucks are caught by surprise by what small inclines there are on the Thruway, so they don't give it as much gas as they would a more obvious hill.  I know I tend not to notice them unless I'm right next to or behind a truck.

[SEWIGuy]

In Door County, WI, driving up the lake side on WI-57, then driving down the bay side on WI-42, is something we do regularly. 

[Flint1979]

In Door County, WI, driving up the lake side on WI-57, then driving down the bay side on WI-42, is something we do regularly.

Kind of reminds me of how I drove up to Copper Harbor. I took US-41 going up all the way to it's northern terminus and turned around in the cul-de-sac and then took M-26 back to Houghton.

[andrepoiy]

Unfortunately, most of Lake Ontario's shoreline in the Greater Toronto Area is private property. However, if you like looking at mansions, Lakeshore Road between Burlington and Mississauga is just that - endless mansions and rich people.

[paulthemapguy]

The road between Ontonagon and the Porcupine Mountains to the east runs right along the shores of Lake Superior.  This road is M-64 until it turns to the south at Silver City; continuing west from there, the road is former M-107.  M-26 from Eagle River to Copper Harbor (in particular) looks like a great pick as well.  People would have to have mentioned M-22 by now (edit: I see it in the OP).

[VetteDriver16]

US-2 hugs the south shore of Lake Superior and is a nice easy drive.  M-119 (Tunnel of Trees) in NW Michigan is delightful year round.  M-185 (no cars) on Mackinac Island is gorgeous.