Visit Harbor Springs, Michigan & the Tunnel of Trees in September
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I visited Harbor Springs, Michigan in September and it was charming. The downtown area is adorable and there are wonderful shops to explore. Of course the highlight of Harbor Springs is the tunnel of trees that runs alongside Lake Michigan. Let’s look at some things to do!
Are the leaves changing colors yet in Sept?
You can see in the above photo that there is some color change (I visited late September) but not a lot. The weather is still nice enough to see some summer flowers. It didn’t rain at all during our trip and was 60 degrees which is a big positive for visiting in September vs. cold and rainy October.
Historic Harbor Springs
My favorite part about Harbor Springs is all the historic houses that are around town. I love walking by them and driving around the neighborhoods. Even the churches downtown are beautiful.
On my trip I stayed in a vintage 1970s camper in Alanson which is just a town over. You can see the groovy retro camper here!
Downtown Harbor Springs
The little downtown is one of my favorite small towns in Michigan next to Petoskey (You can read my Petoskey guide here). There are some cute alleys you can walk down like the one shown above that leads to a fountain and jewelry store.
Halloween in downtown
I visited the last week of September and I was excited to see tons of Halloween decorations. Most of the shops downtown had skeletons dressed up to represent their stores, like the skeleton above sitting at the Lyric Theatre ticket booth.
Visit the Library
I love visiting libraries wherever I go even if I can’t check any books out. I took a picture of the fudge shop and noticed the engraving for a library upstairs. I went around the corner and found it! The library is on the second floor and is AMAZING it even has library ladders!
The view from the windows of the library are the absolute best. Definitely stop by the library for a unique look of downtown.
Tunnel of Trees in September
You can’t visit Harbor Springs without driving through the Tunnel of Trees. It’s a 2 lane road (Though it looks one way) that you drive along lake Michigan. It’s 20 miles that starts in Harbor Springs and ends in Cross Village.
The video below shows the camper I stayed in for this trip AND a drive through tour of the tunnel of trees!
The road is windy and hilly. If you love to drive or have a vintage car like the one above that was in front of me, you’ll love this. You can’t walk the tunnel of trees because there isn’t a sidewalk. You do see some bikers and motorcyclists. It’s a gorgeous scenic drive. Visit early morning, at sunset or on a weekday to avoid a busy road.
When do the trees change colors for fall at the Tunnel of Trees?
In late September almost none of the trees had fall color because they are all so deep in the forest. It’s still beautiful when it’s green but if you’re looking for fall color definitely visit in October.
I’ve been through the tunnel of trees 3 times and absolutely love it!
If you’re looking for the perfect autumn activity to do in Harbor Springs you have to visit Pond Hill Farm. I have a blog post all about Pond Hill Farm in the fall that you can check out.
