top of page
Search

Upper Peninsula of Michigan, A Fall Retreat to See the Leaves Change

Writer: Hannah Nietfeld
Hannah Nietfeld
Mar 29
7 min read

Updated: May 13

Wednesday, October 15th

My trip to the UP is unlike any I've taken this year! For a few reasons. One, it was drivable. Two, I didn't pay a cent! Three, I found out I was going the day before I left.


I'm curious what you are guessing for this mysterious trip of mine, but let me help you a bit. It was a work trip! On Tuesday, I was assigned an inventory count, a task specific to the associates as it can be a bit tedious and always requires travel. Usually, they stay local because there's Deloitte offices all around the country, but apparently, the Minneapolis office was the closest to the UP of Michigan.


Pictured Rocks in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan

While I was in school at Madison, there were a handful of things on my "graduation bucket list". Some that I checked off were going to Door County, Milwaukee, Chicago. The few I missed were going to a Packer Game and hiking in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Crazy enough, those two I missed, I got to experience this fall! Green Bay blog to come. So, you could imagine, I jumped on this opportunity because that meant I could see a place I've wanted to visit for years, and not on my dime. You can't get a more perfect situation than that.


I was scheduled for three days on this team. Wednesday, I would take the day to drive up to Michigan. Thursday, I would do the inventory count. Friday, I would drive back. It was perfect. Because I went alone on this trip, the timing was all on me. So, you bet I left early Wednesday morning and stayed as late Friday night as I could to maximize my time there.


Fun life update, I just got a new car! My car broke down this summer, it happened after my Greece trip but declared its time of death while I was in Oregon. So, I was car shopping all fall. I was unsure what I wanted to buy, I knew I didn't want to spend too much. I was hoping I could get another few years out of my current car because I really wanted to purchase an EV as my next car, but didn't think now would be good timing for it. But, if I've learned one thing, there is no better time than the present, so when my car broke down, and I saw I qualified for the soon to expire EV tax credit, I took the leap of faith and purchased a Tesla. At first, I sulked at the idea of having to take all of my hard earned money I saved to dump it into a vehicle, but I am grateful that I was able to take advantage of the EV credit before it expired (literal days after I bought my car) and get a $4k coupon toward my car buy. Anyways, long story short, I did not want to put those miles on my new car and was fearful of the charging situation in the UP as I myself wasn't used to do charging outside of work and home because I only had the car for a few weeks, so thankfully the team let me expense a rental car.


Rental car I got to travel up to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan

Come early Wednesday morning, I picked up my rental car, and made the great expedition to the UP. Not short into my trip I stopped to pick up a quality, healthy, vegan breakfast and lunch, knowing the options for a good vegan lunch would be sparse in the middle of Wisconsin. The drive is exactly what you would expect, a good 6+ hours in the car.


When choosing what hotel to stay in, I had to think through my options. The city the count was in did not have any hotels, and the closest larger city was Houghton, still about a 30 minute drive to the count but closer to Minnesota. However, there weren't a lot of great vegan food places, so it wasn't ideal. On the other side, about an hour further was Marquette. When I imagined myself taking the UP trip in college, I thought best to stay in this city. It was set up for the tourist, in a good way, because there was a lot to do, a lot of stores/shops available to choose from for food or if you needed anything. And, it was closer to Pictured Rocks. Yes, it would be a little extra time in the car, but I thought it was worth it, and I think I was right.


sunset in Marquette on my trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan

So, I pulled into my hotel around 4pm. I stayed at the Hampton Inn, Waterfront. A very affordable hotel and I thought I must enjoy the beautiful views of this destination by staying here. As I approached my hotel room, praying that I got a view of the water, to be slightly, no actually very disappointed when the curtains opened to a view of the parking lot. But, it's alright because I didn't spend a lot of time at my hotel, per my usual travel preference, especially not during times of daylight so it wasn't the worst thing.


I had only a couple hours of daylight Wednesday evening so I hastily interrogated the front desk worker for the best hike given the time I have tonight. I was wondering if I'd have time to see the Porcupine Mountains, but they were a far drive away and the hike itself was probably many hours. But, she gave me a great, local recommendation, so I quickly dropped my stuff at the hotel, changed into hiking clothes, grabbed my camera and backpack, and went on my way. I was so excited to dive into some nature in a new place with my camera and music. This was my perfect evening.


I went to Sugarloaf Mountain. And it was beautiful! The hiking portion was not challenging whatsoever, if anything, it was a manicured trail with wooden stairs that lead to the viewpoint up top. Once I reached the top, I stayed there for a long while. Taking in the view, taking a call from my cousin who had good news to share, and taking a deep breath in of joy and a breath out of stress. It was a blissful evening with beauty surrounding me. Here are my favorite photos from Sugarloaf, just a 15 minute drive from downtown Marquette.


That evening, I went to dinner at The Delft Bistro and I could not recommend it more. It was not only the perfect place for its lively atmosphere, but perfect for the solo traveler because there was a movie on! One of the walls had Frankenstein projected, making for a great replacement for the 'bored reach for the phone' activity. I felt so present, with the movie, the food, and the enjoyment of the experience. I went back twice so I could try more items on their menu. My favorite being the sourdough and hummus.



Thursday, October 16th

Today was the day of my inventory count! I lifted in the hotel gym in the morning, watched the sunrise while eating some fruit from the hotel breakfast, and stopped for coffee before heading on the hour long drive west. The drive was so beautiful and I didn't have to arrive until 10am so I had some time to enjoy my morning and make my way there. I was at my count from 10-3pm. I thought best to just head back to Marquette after work, to rest a bit and maybe do one more task before it got dark.



That activity was touring the city of Marquette. Yes, I saw Sugarloaf yesterday, but I didn't explore downtown Marquette in the day. So, to get both some exercise and exploration in, I went on a run around the city. I ran almost three miles and got acquainted with this adorable city. I already knew I wanted to come back. I was grateful to have three days in Michigan, and I tried my hardest to fit in activities when I didn't have to work, but it still wasn't enough. Thankfully, it's pretty close to home and I have many more years to make my way back. I ran along the water, through the city, up some of the hills, and found the best view that overlooked the city. Great success, especially with the limited time I had this evening to fit something in. Like I said earlier, back to Delft Bistro for dinner and I was so very happy I did! Fitting with the Halloween theme, Goosebumps was the movie this evening, another I haven't seen before. Another great spread. Another amazing day in a place I am so excited to be in.



Friday, October 17th

Today I was to be driving home from Michigan. But, before doing so, I wanted to get in a hike. I woke up as early as I could, packed up, checked out, grabbed breakfast and coffee, and drove to Pictured Rocks National Park. If you head to the UP and don't stay in Marquette, my other recommendation would be to check out the city of Munising. Just outside of Pictured Rocks and another cutesy town, it felt so dreamy driving through with the leaves changing, so much so that I am at a loss of words to describe it. Same with driving to the trailhead, I was in my own little heaven.


The hike I went on was Chapel Loop. It was an 11 mile loop that took me about 5 hours with all of the stopping to take photos, enjoying the view, and to eat lunch. I loved this hike and would highly recommend including this one among others during your visit to the UP. Here are all the beautiful sights I saw and captured.



And here are my favorite landscape photos, all taken while on the hike. As you can see, the colors were incredible and I feel so lucky to have caught it during its peak!



After the hike, I was ready to make my way home. A successful short trip to the UP, it was a pleasure to be able to see so much nature, on an unexpected but wildly fun trip. But, I couldn't stop the fun here. I had a long drive back because I ventured another 2 hours east and further from home, but, that route had me returning through Green Bay. One of my best friends Izzy (real fans would know her well as she joined me for my first three weeks in Asia), recently moved to Green Bay for her internship at the Packers, and it would be a crime driving through the city without letting her know I was in the area. So, it worked out perfectly with the time she got off of work and when I would be pulling into the city to get to give her a hug and catch up before finishing the final leg of the drive. Another unexpected joy! Seeing your best friend! Lucky? Beyond so.


Comments

bottom of page