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With peak fall colors soon to arrive, the County Road Association of Michigan has some suggestions for those who want to enjoy an afternoon drive and take in the splendor.
"We all know Michigan has a lot to offer, and the changing leaves are just one of the state's admirable qualities," said Denise Donohue, the association's CEO.
CRA has worked with the state's 83 county road agencies to develop a list of the best county roads in the state for fall color. The list is on CRA's website at micountyroads.org/mibackroads.
Peak viewing for the Upper Peninsula should debut next week, extending into the second week of October.
Listed in alphabetical order, these U.P. counties' best fall color drives include:
Chippewa County
-- North and South Caribou Lake Roads in the DeTour Village area
-- Gogomain Road from Goetzville to Pickford
-- Lakeshore Drive from Brimley to M-123
-- Salt Point Road from M-28 to Lakeshore Drive
Dickinson County
-- Kramer Drive on the north side of the city of Iron Mountain
-- Metropolitan Road near Felch
Gogebic County
-- Black River Road to Black River Harbor
-- Lake Road from Ironwood to Little Girls Point and Superior Falls
-- Black River Road from Bessemer to Copper Peak and Black River Harbor
-- Wolf Mountain Road from U.S. 2 to Wolf Mountain
-- County Road 519N from Wakefield to the mouth of the Big Presque Isle River and Porcupine State Park
-- Thousand Island Lake Road from U.S. 2 to Sylvania Wilderness Park
Houghton County
-- Covered Drive Road
-- Freda Road
-- Calumet Waterworks Road
Iron County
-- Ottawa Lake Road/Hagerman Lake Road loop
-- Pentoga Trail (CR-639) to CR-424 along Chicagon Lake and Pentoga Road from CR-424 to Brule River
-- Bates-Amasa Road (CR-643) U.S. 2 to U.S. 141 by Paint River and Hemlock River
-- Gibbs City Road and Ponozzo Road
Keweenaw County
-- Brockway Mountain Drive
-- Lac La Belle Road
-- Gratiot Lake Road
-- Mohawk-Gay Road
-- Eagle Harbor Road
-- Cliff Drive
-- Five Mile Point Road
Marquette County
-- County Road 510 from County Road 502 north to Big Bay
-- Triple A off County Road 510 in Big Bay
-- County Road 533 in Skandia
-- M-35 from County Road 480 to Gwinn
Ontonagon County
-- South Boundary Road from Presquile to Ontonagon
Collectively, Michigan's county road agencies manage 75% of all roads in the state, including 90,000 miles of roads and 5,700 bridges. Michigan has the nation's fourth-largest local road system.