# Visit Sunrise Coast

> Travel guide to Michigan's Sunrise Coast — 200 miles of Lake Huron shoreline,
> 7 anchor towns from Tawas Bay north to Mackinaw City, 14 historic lighthouses,
> the Thunder Bay shipwreck sanctuary, and Headlands International Dark Sky Park.
> Edited and maintained by the Sunrise Coast Council.

## Regions

- [Oscoda & the AuSable](https://visitsunrisecoast.com/regions/oscoda/): Mile 55 on US-23. Where the AuSable River meets Lake Huron. Editors' pick base for first-time visitors. Paddle the High Banks, hike River Road, see the Lumberman's Monument.
- [Tawas](https://visitsunrisecoast.com/regions/tawas/): Mile 35. Tawas Point Lighthouse (1876), the warmest swimming on the coast, and the May–June walleye run.
- [Harrisville](https://visitsunrisecoast.com/regions/harrisville/): Mile 70. Quiet midcoast village with Sturgeon Point Lighthouse and the gateway to Negwegon's seven miles of wild beach.
- [Alpena](https://visitsunrisecoast.com/regions/alpena/): Mile 115. Largest town on the coast (pop. 9,961). NOAA Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, 200+ shipwrecks, and the densest lighthouse cluster on the Great Lakes.
- [Rogers City](https://visitsunrisecoast.com/regions/rogers-city/): Mile 145. The "Nautical City" — world's largest limestone quarry, 40 Mile Point Lighthouse, perfect natural harbor.
- [Cheboygan](https://visitsunrisecoast.com/regions/cheboygan/): Mile 170. River town at the southern gate of Mackinaw State Forest. 500,000 acres of pine forest and 300+ miles of snowmobile trails.
- [Mackinaw City](https://visitsunrisecoast.com/regions/mackinaw-city/): Mile 195. Northern terminus where the coast ends at the Straits. Headlands International Dark Sky Park, Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, ferries to Mackinac Island.

## Activities

- [Lighthouses & Maritime History](https://visitsunrisecoast.com/activities/lighthouses/): 14 historic lighthouses, 8 climbable in season (May–Oct). Tawas Point (1876), Sturgeon Point (1869), Old Mackinac Point (1892).
- [Fishing](https://visitsunrisecoast.com/activities/fishing/): Walleye in Tawas Bay, brown trout in Thunder Bay, salmon and steelhead in the AuSable, ice fishing on Hubbard Lake. Michigan fishing license required.
- [Kayaking & Paddling](https://visitsunrisecoast.com/activities/kayaking/): AuSable High Banks (8 mi, Class I), Tawas Bay calm water, Thunder Bay open-water crossings. 6 outfitters along US-23.
- [Beaches & Swimming](https://visitsunrisecoast.com/activities/beaches/): 14 public access points. Tawas Point's bath-warm shallows (peak 71°F late July), seven empty miles at Negwegon.
- [Hiking](https://visitsunrisecoast.com/activities/hiking/): River Road Scenic Byway, Lumberman's Monument trails, Negwegon State Park, Hoeft State Park dunes.
- [ORV & Off-Road](https://visitsunrisecoast.com/activities/orv/): 300+ miles of designated trails through Huron National Forest and Mackinaw State Forest. Bull Gap, Black Lake, AuSable trail system.
- [Birding](https://visitsunrisecoast.com/activities/birding/): Tawas Point migrant trap (peak May 1–25), Whitefish Point hawk migration, Hoeft warbler woods. 30+ warbler species possible.
- [Shipwreck Diving & Tours](https://visitsunrisecoast.com/activities/shipwrecks/): NOAA Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, 200+ wrecks. Glass-bottom Lady Michigan boat tour (May–Oct, $43).
- [Stargazing](https://visitsunrisecoast.com/activities/stargazing/): Headlands International Dark Sky Park (Bortle 2), Negwegon SP, Rockport. Year-round programs.
- [Fall Color Drives](https://visitsunrisecoast.com/activities/fall-drives/): River Road National Scenic Byway (22 mi), US-23 from Tawas to Mackinaw City. Peak Sep 22–28.
- [Winter Coast](https://visitsunrisecoast.com/activities/winter/): Snowmobile trails (Dec 15–Mar 31), ice fishing on Hubbard Lake, snowshoe at Negwegon, ice climbing the limestone walls north of Alpena.
- [Festivals & Food](https://visitsunrisecoast.com/activities/festivals/): 42 events a year — Brown Trout Festival, AuSable Marathon, Nautical City Festival, Headlands Star Parties.

## Events 2026

- Tawas Bay Walleye Tournament — June 12–14, 2026
- Alpena Brown Trout Festival — July 17–26, 2026 ($10,000 Super Tournament July 25–26)
- AuSable River Canoe Marathon — July 25, 2026 (LeMans start 9:00 PM Saturday, 120 miles Grayling to Oscoda overnight)
- Rogers City Nautical Festival — August 6–9, 2026
- Alcona Sunrise Photography Workshop — September 19–20, 2026
- Headlands Dark Sky Star Party — October 4, 2026

Full coast calendar: https://visitsunrisecoast.com/events.html

Region calendars:

- [Tawas events 2026](https://visitsunrisecoast.com/regions/tawas/events/) — full Tawas City & East Tawas calendar including Bird Migration Days (May 15–16), Memorial Day Arts & Crafts (May 23–24), Tawas SummerFest (July 10–12), Tawas Uncork'd (Aug 1), Blues by the Bay (Aug 28–30), Tawas Point Harvest Festival (Oct 9–10), Christmas at the Lighthouse (Dec 3), Perchville 2027 (Feb 4–7), plus weekly street dances, farm markets, and the Tawas Bay Players theater season.

## Planning

- [Plan a trip](https://visitsunrisecoast.com/plan.html) — itinerary builder
- [Where to stay](https://visitsunrisecoast.com/stay.html) — lighthouses, cottages, state-park campgrounds, inns
- [Image credits](https://visitsunrisecoast.com/credits.html)

## Sources & Authority

Sunrise Coast Council is the publisher. Content is edited from primary sources:
Michigan DNR, NOAA Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, U.S. Forest Service
(Huron-Manistee National Forests), and field observations from the editorial team.

## Optional

- [XML sitemap](https://visitsunrisecoast.com/sitemap.xml)
- [Crawler policy](https://visitsunrisecoast.com/robots.txt)