Discover Harbor Springs on Lake Michigan

Harbor Springs is nestled in a sheltered bay on the north shore of Little Traverse Bay on Lake Michigan. The city combines its distinctive waterfront location with a variety of ideas for active days: you can plan a longer ride along the Little Traverse Wheelway, explore the Tunnel of Trees or choose activities on the water. Visits to the market and special events are also among the possible ways to shape your stay.

Routes for Different Kinds of Vacation Days

The Little Traverse Wheelway runs for 26 mostly separate, paved miles from Charlevoix to Harbor Springs. It is open to cyclists, pedestrians and skiers. You can therefore include the route in your vacation plans according to your preferred way of getting around. If you’re traveling with family, you can decide together in advance whether a bike ride, a walk or another activity is a better fit for the day you have planned. The stated length refers to the entire route between the two towns.

The Tunnel of Trees offers another route idea: it starts in the historic center of Harbor Springs and covers 22 miles along the shore of Lake Michigan. This gives you two clearly distinct route options: the paved Wheelway, which allows several types of use, and the Tunnel of Trees, which follows the lakeshore. If you’re looking for a vacation rental, deciding which of these routes you’d like to shape your vacation around can be a useful starting point for planning your trip.

Water Activities in the Bay

You can launch paddleboards, kayaks and canoes from Zoll Beach. This adds paddling to the possible activities, alongside cycling, walking and skiing. Paddlesport Rentals offers high-quality paddleboards for rent, which you can use to explore Harbor Springs from the water. The different options appeal to different preferences: some travelers want to cover a route on land, while others are interested in launching with their own or a rented paddling craft.

Local Highlights and Market Visits

The Shay Hexagon House adds a distinctive architectural feature. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is clad inside and out with embossed steel panels. This unusual cladding is what sets the house apart in its design. It’s an interesting place to visit for travelers who like to look out for architecture and historic buildings as they explore Harbor Springs.

The Harbor Springs Farmers Market takes place on Wednesdays and Saturdays from May through October. That gives you two regular days of the week to keep in mind for a market visit during these months. More than 30 ice sculptures are also displayed in downtown Harbor Springs, alongside live ice-carving demonstrations. Shay Days is a family-friendly, two-day event scheduled for the last Friday and Saturday in July. The market, ice sculptures and Shay Days offer different opportunities to include local life in your vacation plans; however, they should not be understood as a single date or one combined event program.

Choose a Vacation Rental That Fits Your Priorities

When looking for a vacation rental in Harbor Springs, first consider which experiences matter most for your trip: the Tunnel of Trees, the Wheelway, paddling, the market or an event. If you’re traveling with children, you can also discuss together which of the activities described interest your group and whether you’d prefer to plan individual experiences or a longer route.

More places nearby: Petoskey, Pellston, Alanson.

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