BEST MOTORCYCLE RIDES IN MICHIGAN

ROUTE: M-119
DISTANCE:27 miles
TIME: 1 hour

If you like trees, this is your road. Hugging the eastern shore line of Lake Michigan, is one of the state’s most iconic attractions – the Tunnel of Trees Road. M-119 begins at the north end of Petoskey, but it doesn’t officially become The Tunnel of Trees until north of Harbor Springs. From there, the state highway becomes very narrow, running 20 miles along a spectacular bluff overlooking Lake Michigan. It’s named as such because this portion of road has trees close to the edges on both sides, and the abundance of shade offers a “tunnel of trees’ riding experience. While the best time to ride is during the summer, the autumn offers fantastic scenery as the brilliant fall colors are on full display. Just watch for especially sharp twists at Devil’s Elbow and Horseshoe Curve, which can take riders by surprise. But the beauty of the age-old trees in their pristine natural setting never gets old on this great motorcycle road in Michigan!
(photo: flickr.com)


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ROUTES: Adams Trail, Au Sable Point Trail
DISTANCE: 49 miles
TIME: 1 hour

Some of the best motorcycle rides in Michigan can be found between Grand Marais and Munising, especially the tiny roads around Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. A Michigan motorcycle road trip on the H-58 provides many nice long, sweeping curves and a few hills. The entire H-58 motorcycle route is just under 50 miles, but there’s a wealth of natural attractions including waterfalls and hiking trails, including Grand Sable Falls which is just off the road. Be sure to include the side trip up to the Pictured Rocks overlook, which is a 12 mile round trip. The forest is beautiful and there are fantastic views of Lake Superior. The H-58 makes for smooth motorcycle riding, and it’s a route you won’t want to miss. Once you take this road, you may find you’ll want to turn around and ride it again!
(photo: pintrest.com/reddit.com)


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ROUTES: Lake Superior Shoreline Rd, W Lakeshore Dr
DISTANCE: 33 miles
TIME:45 mins

For a quiet country motorcycle trip in the northern part of the state, check out the Curley Lewis Memorial Highway. This is one of the top Michigan motorcycle rides that travels along Lake Superior with a number of scenic turn outs for viewing the shoreline of Whitefish Bay. The road gently curves along with water views on one side, and towering virgin timber covered hills on the other. Optionally continue north on M-123 towards Paradise to the Lake Superior Scenic Point. Other notable stops on the way are Mission Hill and Point Iroquois Lighthouse. This ride would make for a great Michigan motorcycle road trip!


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ROUTES: Huron River Dr, Patterson Lake Rd, Waterloo Rd
DISTANCE: 40 miles
TIME: 1 hour

A “Ride Through Hell” sounds bad, but it’s actually quite pleasant! Start this hour long Michigan motorcycle ride from Ann Arbor up alongside the Huron River through Hell, Michigan. There are many winding twists and turns along the ride that takes you past farmland and beautiful Michigan scenery. The road pavement quality is very good on these roads as you loop along Patterson Loop Road and down Hadley Rd. Ride a little further west to the Waterloo area on Waterloo Rd and Seymour Road. The Hell, Michigan area has some great riding, and these surrounding roads are definitely worth exploring.


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ROUTES: US-41, M-26
DISTANCE: 195 miles
TIME: 4 hours

For a great Michigan motorcycle road trip to the northernmost tip of the state, check out US-41 to Copper Harbor. This Michigan motorcycle ride is full of twists and turns through tree-lined roads. Much of US-41 is made up of good pavement quality as of 2024. You’ll find Highway 41 to be a canopy of trees, while the M-26 offers a nice, coastal road with several places to stop and take in the vistas on the way out to Copper Harbor. The main highways are especially well maintained, making for a smooth ride. You’ll see fantastic views along the Keweenaw Bay, ride through some great little towns, and have nice, long stretches of grand solitude. The motorcycle ride up to Copper Harbor is one of the best in northern Michigan. You may find you’ll feel like turning around and doing it again!


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ROUTE: Hwy 25
DISTANCE: 153 miles
TIME: 3 hours

Hwy 25 is a scenic motorcycle ride in Michigan that offers great views of Lake Heron. The top of the ‘Thumb’ has a few really great state parks to take in more views of the lake. The rest of the ride on Highway 25 has fun curves all the way from Port Huron up to the tip with an abundance of trees, beautiful plots of land and worthwhile stops along the lake. If you’re looking for motorcycle routes near me in Michigan, be sure to check out the scenic motorcycle ride on Highway 25.
(photo: michigan.org)


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ROUTE: M-22
DISTANCE: 117 miles
TIME: 3 hours

There are some excellent motorcycle riding in this part of Michigan, but the route along M-22 is one the best motorcycle roads in Michigan! M-22 offers scenic views along the way and runs past Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore, into the Leelanau Peninsula. The ride will be mostly wooded and it hugs the Lake Michigan shoreline for most of the trip. Be sure to stop at Sleeping Bear Dunes and Leland for sightseeing opportunities before continuing up to Northport. There’s some enjoyable curves to keep the road interesting, but it’s not too technical to take away the relaxing nature of this great motorcycle road. Once reaching Northport, the road turns south towards Traverse City.
(photo: flickr.com)

Click here for the Google maps motorcycle route link

GreatMotorcycleRoads.com is the place to find the best motorcycle rides near Michigan. Discover more scenic motorcycle roads near MI with our detailed route descriptions and Google Maps links!