The coast runs north from Saginaw Bay to the Straits of Mackinac, and the road that connects it changes character every twenty miles. Tawas is sand and ice cream. Alpena is shipwrecks and limestone. Mackinaw is the wind off the bridge. Pick one. Or do them all.
Michigan's Sunrise Coast is a 200-mile stretch of Lake Huron shoreline along US-23, running north from Saginaw Bay to the Straits of Mackinac. Seven anchor towns — Tawas, Oscoda, Harrisville, Alpena, Rogers City, Cheboygan, and Mackinaw City — form the region's spine. Locals call it the Sunrise Side because the sun rises over Lake Huron to the east.
Often described as Michigan's "quiet side," the coast pairs sand beaches, more than a dozen lighthouses, the Thunder Bay shipwreck sanctuary, dark-sky parks, and the AuSable River system with a fraction of the summer crowds drawn to the state's western shore. The full route is drivable in four hours; most travelers spend two to three days basing in Alpena.
Twin towns curled around a soft sand bay — the gateway to the coast, and the first place the road touches Lake Huron after Bay City. Best swimming on the coast, period.
Where the AuSable River meets Lake Huron — our editors' pick for first-time visitors. Mid-coast position puts Tawas beaches 25 minutes south and Alpena's shipwrecks 50 minutes north. Paddle the High Banks above tea-colored water, hike River Road, and stand under Lumberman's Monument watching the canyon below.
One stoplight, one harbor, one lighthouse, and a state park whose pine forest comes right down to the water. The quietest of the seven.
The largest town on the coast and the gateway to Thunder Bay's shipwreck sanctuary. Walkable downtown, glass‑bottom boats, and a maritime museum carved into a Quonset hut. The strongest base if your trip is built around the shipwrecks.
Self‑proclaimed Nautical City. Home to the world's largest limestone quarry, a perfect harbor, and 40 Mile Point Lighthouse a short drive north.
A river town just inland from the lake, the south gate of Mackinaw State Forest. Half a million acres of pine, lakes, and snowmobile trails out the back door.
Where the coast ends at the Straits. Headlands Dark Sky Park, Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, and the ferries to the island. Bring a coat — the wind is honest here.
Quick answers to what travelers ask most before driving the eastern shore.
Michigan's Sunrise Coast is a 200-mile stretch of Lake Huron shoreline along US-23, running north from Saginaw Bay to the Straits of Mackinac. Locals call it the Sunrise Side because the sun rises over Lake Huron to the east. Seven anchor towns — Tawas through Mackinaw City — form the region's spine.
The Sunrise Coast is the quieter, less-developed side of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Where the west coast around Traverse City and Saugatuck draws heavy summer crowds, the eastern Sunrise Coast offers comparable beaches, lighthouses, and state parks with fewer travelers, lower prices, and broader access to public forest land.
Our editors recommend Oscoda for first-time visitors. It sits mid-coast at Mile 55, putting Tawas's beaches 25 minutes south and Alpena's shipwreck sanctuary about 50 minutes north, with the AuSable River, the Huron National Forest, and the Lumberman's Monument scenic drive at its doorstep. Alpena, the largest town on the coast with the deepest concentration of lighthouses, is the strongest alternative if your trip centers on the Thunder Bay shipwrecks.
July offers the warmest Lake Huron swimming and peak festival activity, including the Michigan Brown Trout Festival in Alpena. September delivers fall color and quieter trails. The winter window from December through March is prime for snowmobiling and ice fishing across the region's interior forests.
The full 200-mile route from Standish to Mackinaw City takes about four hours of driving without stops, but a one-day pass leaves no time for the things that make the coast worth visiting. Most travelers spend two to three days, basing in Alpena and adding side trips north and south.
Alpena is the largest town with about 9,961 residents, followed by Oscoda (6,888), Cheboygan (4,810), Rogers City (2,765), and Tawas City and East Tawas combined (about 1,801). The smaller villages of Mackinaw City (806) and Harrisville (478) anchor the route's northern terminus and the quiet midcoast.
The coast has more than a dozen historic lighthouses across the 200-mile route. Notable beacons include Tawas Point Lighthouse (built 1853), Sturgeon Point near Harrisville, four lights within 30 miles of Alpena, 40 Mile Point Lighthouse near Rogers City, and Old Mackinac Point at the northern terminus.
200 miles, 7 towns, one road. Add stops from any region to your itinerary and we'll route them in order along US-23.