Northern Michigan may be known for our summers, but the fall is also a favorite season for locals and tourists.
Some areas in the region are already past peak color, while others are finally reaching their peak.
It’s an opportunity to welcome visitors to experience our colors first hand.
“We’ve got beautiful rolling hills, a lot of the land is undeveloped, so it’s really beautiful to escape from more metro areas and get to this space,” said Traverse City Tourism President and CEO Trevor Tkach
Tkach says each year there are more people traveling to the region to experience peak fall colors.
“You’ve got a lot of very mature trees that have really grown over the roads and around,” he said. “You’re completely surrounded by all this wonderful color.”
Not only are there tourists that come to the area, a lot of locals like to get out and enjoy the beauty.
“We embrace outdoor recreation here, and it’s so easy to access wonderful colors and see them contrast the water and the sunsets,” Tkach said. “It’s really a special place to come in the fall.”
One place to enjoy that outdoor recreation, and take in the views, is Crystal Mountain.
“Our chairlifts are very unique opportunity to get up and see colors, and it’s an opportunity for people who don’t ski to get on the chairlift,” said Crystal Mountain Bike and Race Manager Chris Remy. “We have our hiking trails, and we have 14 miles of mountain bike trails that they can take in. We also have a bike park and, if they have the gravity enthusiast in them, they can take their mountain bikes up on the hill and ride down, check out the colors at high speed.”
They’re one of several local businesses that benefit from the fall surge in visitors.
“We’ve worked really hard to tell a broader story about the region, so it really helps our businesses be able to sustain through the wintertime when it gets more difficult to stay in business,” said Tkach.
And it’s a perfect time to get out and enjoy those colors.
“You get such a 360 view of Benzie County and all the way out to Lake Michigan,” said Remy. “You can just see for miles and take in that whole breath of color and the panorama.”
To find out more about Crystal Mountain’s fall color chairlift rides, click .
Crystal Mountain recommended filling out the waiver online before riding the chairlift.
Michigan Legacy Art Park will also have a fall color tour. That information can be found .
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