DAY 5: Our short ride this morning will give us plenty of time to check out the beautiful lake vistas along the way. Then you can spend the afternoon swimming in the lake. If the water is too chilly, you can choose to swim in the resort’s pool, hike some of the 100 miles of trails nearby, or take a kayak out into a quiet cove. Whatever you do, be sure to take the time to climb some of the huge sand dunes that line the shore. It’s a rite of passage. Dinner is on your own today. 20 or 27 miles.

DAY 6: We head inland this morning away from the lake but the cycling is no less beautiful. We’ll stop in Beulah on Crystal Lake for a picnic lunch and then bike to Crystal Mountain Resort for our last night together. 37 or 51 miles.

DAY 7: After breakfast, we’ll bike to the Interlochen Center for the Arts for our final picnic lunch together. From there, we’ll shuttle back to our starting hotel or the airport in Traverse City to say our good-byes, arriving by 1:00pm. 22 miles.

One of our favorite guides, Lynne, hails from Michigan and declares it one of the best places to bike. If you’re looking to get out of the summer heat, then join us on the shores of great Lake Michigan for our newest bike tour. The lake’s huge expanse, gentle waves and cool evening breezes will make you feel as if you’re cycling along a freshwater ocean.

DAY 1: We meet in Michigan’s cherry capital city of Traverse City and stay in its vibrant downtown. After a rental bike fitting at 3:00pm and an orientation at 5:30pm, we’ll have our first dinner together. If you arrive early, be sure to walk the grounds of the historic Grand Traverse Commons. It was the Northern Michigan Asylum for over 100 years, but has since closed. Now it’s full of wineries, shops and a brick-oven bakery. 0 miles.

DAY 2: After a delicious breakfast, we’ll bicycle out of Traverse City on a bike path along Lake Michigan. We’ll thread our way between inland Lake Leelenau and Grand Traverse Bay to the tiny town of Omena. We’ll stop in Suttons Bay, where WomanTours guide Lynne calls home, for a picnic lunch. Then we’ll arrive at our charming B&B overlooking the bay where we’ll stay for the next two nights. 45 miles.

DAY 3: We’ll bike to the northernmost tip of Leelanau Peninsula today and have lunch below the Grand Traverse Lighthouse. Nearly 150 years old, it has been restored and now houses a museum about the local history and lake shipwrecks. Climb the 50 steps, and you’ll get a great view of the lake. 28 or 46 miles.

DAY 4: We head south to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore today, cycling through the small fishing town of Leland. We’ll have lunch in the town of Cedar, world renown for its annual polka festival. We’ll stay the next 2 nights in a resort surrounded by the national lakeshore. Situated at the tip of what was once the most dangerous shipping lane on Lake Michigan, the resort started as a children’s camp 85 years ago. Today it has a beautiful spa, lodge and historic inn for our pleasure. 51 miles.