Up North Michigan vacation packages to reserve, one degree at a time
People here say they are going up north and mean anywhere from the Thumb to Copper Harbor. Our Up North Michigan vacation packages put a number on it: each band below is one whole degree of latitude, about 69 miles from south to north.
Inside the office's own degree
The office sits at 42.50 degrees north, and the one stay in this band sits just above it on the map, though it lies three hours west by road.
- Saugatuck, 42.63° N, 9 miles due north
One degree up the mitten
Between 43 and 44 degrees sit two Lake Michigan harbor towns and the Cass River town of Frankenmuth, the shortest drive in the list.
- Grand Haven, 43.06° N, 39 miles due north
- Frankenmuth, 43.33° N, 57 miles due north
- Ludington, 43.96° N, 101 miles due north
Below the halfway line
This band holds the big dunes, the bays around Traverse City and the inland rivers. The 45th parallel sits at its top edge.
- Port Austin, 44.04° N, 107 miles due north
- East Tawas, 44.28° N, 123 miles due north
- Traverse City, 44.77° N, 157 miles due north
- Glen Arbor, 44.90° N, 166 miles due north
Over the 45th parallel
Above the dashed line you are closer to the North Pole than to the equator. The band ends at the Straits of Mackinac and the bridge.
- Alpena, 45.06° N, 177 miles due north
- Petoskey, 45.38° N, 199 miles due north
- Mackinaw City, 45.77° N, 226 miles due north
Five degrees above the desk
The northernmost band the office plans, five degrees above the desk. Copper Harbor is the one four-night stay in the catalog, because the drive alone runs more than eleven hours.
- Houghton, 47.11° N, 319 miles due north
- Copper Harbor, 47.47° N, 343 miles due north
Why latitude and not regions
Region names overlap and argue with each other. A latitude is one number, printed on every stay page, and it tells you at a glance how far north a lodging is compared with your own front door in Oakland County. The full list, with prices, is on the catalog page.
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