Trip Summary8 Days / 7 Nights The cost is $8,500/team. (That is $4,250/person) |
Discover Michigan’s most scenic cycling: sandy dunes, turquoise lakes, vineyard-dotted peninsulas, and charming harbor towns. September is the sweet spot for northern Michigan cycling. By mid-September, the summer crowds have thinned out, the air gets crisp and perfect for riding and the stunning fall foliage begins to blanket the region. Oh and did we mention cherries! Northern Michigan is the Cherry Capital of the World!
This tour offers 30–50 miles of riding per day and keeps you in each hotel at least two nights, so you can truly settle in and enjoy.
We are offering this tour from September 15 – 22, 2027. If there is a lot of interest, we can offer a second tour that will run from September 22 – 29.
We are trying something new on this tour. We find that on our US-based tours, the vast majority of people drive there. Even those who fly tend to rent a car. On this tour we are requiring that you have a car and transport yourselves and your bike between hotels. This approach has several advantages, including giving you the flexibility of not having to ride each day, being able to go to restaurants that are a short drive from the hotels, no limitations on how much luggage, tools and supplies that you can bring, no leaving your car in a parking lot far from where we end the tour and no long ride back to collect your car at the end of the tour. This is a new approach for us and is quite different from any other cycling tour that we know of.
Here is your day by day summary.
| Day 1 |  We will meet at the historic, upscale Leland Lodge in the small town of Leland. Feel free to come out a day or two early to further explore the area. Leland is home to the working fishing shanties of Fishtown which are a short distance from the Lodge. After a short, scenic ride along Lake Leelanau, you can unwind at the welcoming Lodge where we will enjoy a group dinner. |
| Day 2 |  Ride through cherry orchards and vineyard-dotted hills to the Grand Traverse Lighthouse with sweeping views of Lake Michigan. The route then takes you to the charming village of Northport, perched at the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula. Stop at Tandem Ciders for a refreshing tasting of their handcrafted Michigan ciders — the perfect mid-ride treat! Continue your loop along Lake Leelanau’s sparkling shoreline before returning to Leland Lodge. Dinner is on your own at one of the many restaurants that are within walking distance of the lodge. |
| Day 3 | T oday’s ride rolls through the charming, small coastal village of Suttons Bay, population 613. After the ride, you will drive 17 miles to The Homestead, a scenic resort that spans 500 acres right along the sandy shores of Lake Michigan. We will enjoy a group dinner.
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| Day 4 |  Today you have the option to pedal the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail, winding through forests, dunes, and lakeshore vistas. Extend your ride around Glen Lake or stop at the village of Empire for breathtaking dune overlooks. Return to Glen Arbor for free time to explore local shops or relax at the resort. Be sure to check out the Cherry Republic store in Glen Arbor for all things Cherry! Dinner is on your own at one of the many nearby restaurants. |
| Day 5 |  After a short drive, you will cycle the narrow finger of land that stretches into Grand Traverse Bay — water glistening on both sides of the road. Stops might include the historic Old Mission Lighthouse (located on the 45th parallel – halfway between the equator and the north pole!), a roadside fruit stand, or a tasting at one of the peninsula’s world-class wineries. After the ride, you will drive on to the Hotel Perry in the scenic, small city of Petoskey. We will enjoy a group dinner. |
| Day 6 |  Since you will have your cars, you have a lot of options today. You can stay in Petoskey and either explore by foot, bike or car. You can take the bike path to the nearly town of Charlevoix, including their iconic mushroom houses. Or you can drive 45 minutes to the ferry to nearby, car-free, Mackinac Island where you can circumnavigate the island by bike. Dinner is on your own. |
| Day 7 |  Ride north through Harbor Springs and along the famous Tunnel of Trees, a beautiful cycling road with stunning views of the lake, Tonight, gather for a festive farewell dinner overlooking the bay. |
| Day 8 |  Our tour concludes after breakfast. You can continue your adventure by exploring Michigan’s upper peninsula or checking out nearby car-free Mackinac Island – just bikes and horses – if you haven’t done it earlier on the tour. |
This is a seven night trip. The cost is $8,500 per couple ($4,250 per person). We limit the size of our tours to be no more than ten couples. We only accept couples on tandem bikes. Come join us!
Route Summary
| Day | Route | Miles | Elevation |
| 1 | Lelanau Peninsula | 15 | 1500 |
| 2 | Lelanau Peninsula | 39 to 53 | 2000 to 2300 |
| 3 | Suttons Bay | 30 to 58 | 1100 to 2100 |
| 4 | Glen Arbor | 30 to 52 | 1100 to 2500 |
| 5 | Old Mission Peninsula | 22 to 41 | 800 to 900 |
| 6 | Petoskey Charlevoix or Macinack Island | 8 to 41 | 85 to 1100 |
| 7 | Petoskey Tunnel of Trees | 17 to 62 | 1700 to 2400 |
W
hat is included?
- Seven nights lodging (see the hotels/country inns below)
- Seven breakfasts
- Four dinners
- Routes
- SAG support (although we do expect you to ride the full routes, we are there to help with mechanical issues). As we are also riding most days, there may be a wait for us to come for you.
Note that we do not provide any bicycles. We expect that you have a tandem that is in good working order and that you are able to assemble your bike. If you do not have your own tandem, you can rent a coupled tandem from Mel at Tandems East. Mel sells tandems, so if you end up renting from them, you might get a discount if you purchase a bike from them. If you have a tandem that is not coupled it is possible to bring it, but you should make sure that all of your flights could handle the larger box. Shipping your bike using ShipBikes.com or BikeFlights.com is another option.
What is not included?
- Airfare
- Transportation to the Leland Lodge (start point)
- Meals, other than those mentioned above
- Alcoholic beverages
- Admissions to points of interest
What is the average mileage per day? Required rides range from 20 to 50 miles with the average mileage being 35. We believe that there is enough to see so that more miles may prevent you from fully enjoying the culture and beauty of the area. That said, we can work with you if you would like to ride more miles. Bear in mind, though, that we will not be providing SAG support for these extra miles, except in an emergency, if you are off the main route.
Route summaries will be available at a later time.
Where will we be staying?
While this could change, here are the inns and hotels that we plan to stay in.
How do you get to the tour?
If you are not driving, the nearest airport is in Traverse City. You can rent a car to join us in Leland.
Why are you making the change to have folks retain a car and drive to the hotels?
On this tour, we are covering a lot of ground. We end the tour about a two hour drive away from where we start the tour. We strongly believe that the tour is better having you drive to the hotels that we are staying in. By driving, you have the flexibility to not ride if you are tired or the weather is not optimal. In addition, you can bring along more in your car and you will not need to be reunited with your car at the end of the tour.