A new collection of 10best.com Reader’s Choice polls has hit the internet, and this time the focus is on fall. Contests include Best Pumpkin Patch, Best Place to Visit for Fall, Best Oktoberfest, Best Corn Maze, Best Fall Seasonal Beer, Best Apple Orchard, and Best Destination for Fall Foliage. Michigan was well-represented in several of these polls, including the Upper Peninsula nominated for Best Destination for Fall Foliage. If you’ve ever been to the U.P. in the fall then you know it is a truly breathtaking sight to see the blanket of colors as a backdrop for waterfalls, Lake Superior shoreline, trails, mountains, and more. The Upper Peninsula has won this award three times before (2018, 2020, 2022 and 2nd place in 2021) and we think it has a pretty good chance at another title this year.

From 10best: “With around 7 million acres of forest abutting the shores of three different Great Lakes, changing leaves are the main event each fall in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. With 10 fall color routes that cover a total of nearly 1,500 miles, there are endless opportunities for a peaceful autumn drive to soak in the scenery.” Figuring out peak color can be tricky some years but if you pull off a successful visit you can be treated to orange, red, and yellow leaves filling the landscape at places like Lake of the Clouds, Tahquamenon Falls, Marquette, Mackinac Island, and Seney National Widlife Refuge.

We certainly have our favorite spots for fall color and we’ve shared them in many of of our previous posts. You can check out our Best of the Western Upper Peninsula: 30 Great Fall Color Spots and Best of the Eastern Upper Peninsula: 25 Great Fall Color Spots posts for more ideas and photos. This year we offer four more tips to enhance a fall foliage excursion in the Upper Peninsula. There are 10 fall color drive routes available on the UP Travel website and conditions are updated weekly during the season.

Enjoy the view from the top of a lighthouse tower – One of the best ways to see all the color is to get up above it, and the U.P. has a handful of lighthouses that offer great views. Seul Choix Pointe Lighthouse, Point Iroquois Lighthouse, Crisp Point Lighthouse, and Sand Point Lighthouse (Escanaba) are a few of the lighthouse with towers open to the public.

Chase the waterfalls – We love visiting Michigan’s waterfalls, and when you get to add a bright colored mosaic to the background when photographing them it becomes a fantastic experience! Tahquamenon Falls, Eagle River Falls, Bond Falls, Canyon Falls, the many falls on the Black River, the Presque Isle waterfalls at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, and Sable Falls are a few that we’d recommend visiting.

Explore nature preserves – The Upper Peninsula is home to many nature preserves that offer trails through the woods during peak fall color. A few we enjoy visiting are Estivant Pines Nature Sanctuary, DeTour Peninsula Nature Preserve, Wetmore Pond, Fiborn Quarry, and the Nara Nature Park and Boardwalk.

Cruise the scenic byways – The Top of the Lake Scenic Byway, Copper Country Scenic Byway, M-134 SHuron Recreational Trail, M-123 Tahquamenon Scenic Byway, Black River Scenic Byway, and Whitefish Bay Scenic Byway all offer some incredible roadside views without the heavy traffic.

The Upper Peninsula faces the usual stiff competition from places like the White Mountains (NH), Door County (WI), the Adirondacks (NY), Bar Harbor (ME), and Stowe (VT). You can vote once per day between now and September 9th. At the time of this writing, the Upper Peninsula was holding down first place!