Our Dog-Friendly Trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan 

Fun fact: I’m from Michigan and had never been to the Upper Peninsula (UP). Also, when we went to Mackinac Island with the boys in 2022, that was my first time there too! I had some friends who lived in the UP after high school/during college and it is just so beautiful so it has been on my list of places I wanted to visit. It is also pretty dog-friendly.

Before the trip, I of course had to do some research on where we were going to go, where we were going to stay, what was/wasn’t dog-friendly, etc. The Bring Fido app was very helpful in seeing what the boys were able to come to and even helped us find a hotel to stay at in Marquette. 

We enjoyed our week up in the UP and can’t wait to go back in the future!

A few helpful tips:

• Going in September was perfect! Weather wise and bug wise. My cousin told me when they went earlier in the summer that there were so many mosquitos and there weren’t any when we went. 10/10 recommend.
• Always be sure to check if places are dog-friendly!
• Prepare to walk (a lot) and be sure to have water for both you and your doggos!

Tahquamenon Falls State Park

Tahquamenon Falls is just shy of 4.5 hours from Grand Rapids and has one of the largest waterfalls east of the Mississippi River (Upper Falls). The park is dog-friendly but they aren’t allowed in the buildings or swimming areas. 

You don’t have to walk the entire trail to get from the Lower Falls to the Upper Falls but you can if you are up to walking. We walked in to see the Lower Falls and walked back out and drove to see the Upper Falls. We always keep our old boys in mind when there is a lot of walking involved. To get to the Upper Falls, there are a decent amount of stairs with metal grates so be prepared for that as well.

There was a visitors center on the Lower Falls side for bathroom/water before getting going.

You can see our visit at Tahquamenon Falls on Instagram and TikTok!

Stayed at Northland Outfitters Campground in Germfask

After we visited Tahquamenon Falls, we drove to Germfask (about an hour) where I saw the cutest Airbnb cabin. It is the perfect midpoint before going to Pictured Rocks. Located on the Manistique River, they are a campground that also offers other outdoor activities like canoeing and kayaking. We were just there for the night but definitely want to come back and explore all the other offerings!

The cabin was perfect and the grounds were gorgeous. The staff was extremely friendly, helpful and even suggested a couple different options for us to eat dinner at.

There is also a troll by @thomasdambo to check out while you’re there!

You can see our visit at Northland Outfitters on Instagram and TikTok!

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore 

We stopped at a welcome center before driving the shore where they gave us information on what is dog-friendly and what wasn’t. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much but we did stop at a few places and it sure was beautiful! 

📍Miners Falls, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Stayed at @northernbarn in Houghton

We weren’t even sure if we’d make the trek to Houghton but when I saw this Airbnb, it was happening. I wish we had more time there but wow was it the perfect, cozy place for an evening of being unplugged and enjoying each other’s company. We played Uno for hours! Wish we had more time and better weather to enjoy all they offered (sauna, beach on Lake Superior) but that just means we have to go back! The next morning, they had fresh cinnamon rolls and coffee (that they roast onsite) for us before we were off on our next adventure. We loved every second of our time here and can’t recommend it enough. 

You can see our visit at Northern Barn on Instagram and TikTok!

Copper Harbor

Since we already were in Houghton, we figured why not visit the northernmost point of the state of Michigan! It was gorgeous (despite the cloudy weather ☁️). It was about an hour drive from Houghton to Copper Harbor.

You can see our visit at Copper Harbor on Instagram and TikTok!

Marquette 

We found our dog-friendly hotel in Marquette on Bring Fido! The Quality Inn in Marquette was so welcoming and even had goodie bags for the boys with treats and 💩 bags. It was only about 5 minutes from downtown too! We just so happened to be in Marquette to watch the Lions on Thursday Night Football (100% planned) so we dropped the boys off to relax and we found a local sports bar nearby.

Kitch-iti-kipi in Manistique

Kitch-iti-kipi is Michigan’s largest natural freshwater spring. This was recommended by a few people and while it was very cool to see, I wouldn’t say it is a must see. We did wait to go on the raft which was pretty cool but also pretty slow. 

We enjoyed our time so much and look forward to when we get to go back! 

I saved my Instagram stories from our trip in a highlight on my Instagram called ‘UP trip’. Do you have any places we should check out next time? Let us know!