Could You Reach Michigan’s Highest and Lowest Point In One Day?

Michigan has plenty of things to see in both the Upper and Lower peninsulas, it's practically impossible to see everything in one trip. From the southernmost border of Michigan to the northernmost point, it would be a 628-mile drive or 10 hours. That's a doable journey.

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However, what may not be doable is attempting to visit the lowest and highest elevations in the state in a single journey.

Michigan's Highest Point

With an elevation of 1979 feet, Mt. Arvon in L'Anse Township located in Michigan's Upper Penninsula marks the highest natural point in the State. The highest point can be reached almost directly by car, though getting there can be difficult. This difficulty can make this trip longer.

Since there isn't a formal route to the peak, GPS directions will not lead you to the summit. Many of the roads are unpaved and rugged, requiring caution. Detailed directions can be found here. It can take ~30 minutes to get back to L'Anse from the peak.

Michigan's Lowest Point

On the flip side, the lowest point can be found in the Lower Peninsula on the shore of Lake Erie with an elevation of 571 feet. Getting to this point is much easier than reaching the highest point. Just head to the town of Monroe in southeast Michigan near the Ohio border and head down to the beach.

Could You Visit Both In One Day?

For the sake of this estimate, starting from the town of Monroe and darting straight north to the Mackinaw Bridge and then west to the town of L'Anse Township. If driving conditions were perfect, this trip would take ~9 hours to complete, but that wouldn't include travel from wherever you're starting. From Grand Rapids, it would be an 11.5/12-hour journey to Monroe then L'Anse. If you were to come back to GR on the same day, it would be a ~19-hour, 1,150-mile round trip.

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So yes, technically this trip is possible if you made minimal stops and didn't spend long at the highest and lowest points, but you would be in a race against the clocks for sure. If you're crazy enough to try this marathon, here are some other places in the UP you could stop.