If you seek a pleasant penisula, look about you.

Michigan is a mitten of many things. Motor City, where the automobile industry erupted. The Great Lakes, the biggest bodies of fresh water on Earth. Detroit sports, and a nasty rivalry with Ohio State. An island froze in time, where Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, and Superman fell in love. I’d say the Mitten is a fairly well-known state. But to anyone who isn’t a Michigander, there are many more beautiful things that make this state the wondrous peninsula she is. Scenery so unbelievable that maybe not too many people know about, but definitely need to see. I recently went camping at Tahquamenon Falls, located on the northern shore of the Upper Peninsula on Lake Superior, and I came home with some pretty neat pictures that prove that Michigan is the most beautiful state.

Mouth of the Two Hearted River, Lake Superior, Luce County

So beautiful that even Ernest Hemingway published a story about it. The Two Hearted River runs for almost thirty miles through the northern most part of the Upper Peninsula. It meets Lake Superior, littering the shoreline with tens of thousands of rocks, all smoothed by sand and water. The beach is more pebble than sand, making this sand-less shore one of the most unique beaches in Michigan, and one of the most beautiful places to visit.

Pictured Rocks National Shoreline, Munising

Just down the road from the Glass Bottom Boat Tours is a place where you could rent pontoons to take out and sail around the Pictured Rocks National Lake Shore. It’s a full day excursion, so we brought snacks and music, and took lots of pictures because the whole shoreline was just absolutely breathtaking. There are many beaches you can park and swim at, the water is all crystal clear. It’s honestly an oasis.

Crisp Point Lighthouse, Newberry

One of the many beautiful lighthouses that dot the shores of the Great Lakes, Crisp Point Lighthouse sits off the beaten path on a wonderful sandy beach and offers a wonderful panorama of the shoreline. The road back to the lake is basically a two track and is not for the faint of heart! It sits off the same road as the Two Hearted River, you just have to take a right at the fork on the road. The view is worth the trek.

Tahquamenon’s Upper and Lower Falls, Paradise

This year, the falls were monstrous. They were pretty loud with a fast current with more water flowing than normal. I woke up early one morning, lying in my tent while the rest of the world around me was asleep and I could hear the falls through the woods. When they named Paradise, Michigan, they did it right.

Michigan is a one of kind place.

A rare and precious gemstone. It offers so many escapes from the hustle and bustle of our busy, twenty-first-century lives, and gives a way to connect to the part of we tend to lose. The waters of the lake shore wash away the stress and fill you with a sense peace, and that is what makes Michigan the most beautiful state of them all.