Marquette, Michigan
Drive time: 6 hours

Set on Lake Superior in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Marquette County is the ideal spot for an active vacation, with an extensive trail network, mountainous rock formations, sandstone cliffs, and 83 miles of shoreline. It also boasts upward of 70 waterfalls, more than any other county in the state. The best way to see them is by trail running, ideally in the spring, when seasonal blooms and daytime temps in the 50s create ideal conditions. The local experts at Queen City Running Company recommend the 8.2-mile Green Loop, a southern trail of the Noquemanon Trail Network, for its uphills, downhills, switchbacks, and views of the 20-foot Morgan Falls. In addition, in the northwest corner of town, you’ll find the NTN’s easily accessible Wright Street Falls. Farther north, a 2.2-mile trail and a more challenging 7.6-mile one both deliver you to the Little Garlic Falls, which spills over a large sandstone rock wall into a deep pool.

While there The largest city in the U.P. is an ideal base camp for adventures all along the coast, including at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, less than an hour away. Book a kayak tour with Paddling Michigan ($126 for three hours) for optimal views of the staggering cliffs, colorful rock faces, and waterfalls that plummet right into Lake Superior.