Michigan is one of the 50 states of the United States of North America. The state is located in the Midwestern region of the US and has 9,876,187 inhabitants (2011). The capital is Lansing and the standard abbreviation for the state is MI.
Michigan borders Wisconsin to the northwest and Indiana and Ohio to the south. To the north, the state borders Canada.
The state is located in the Great Lakes Region and sits on four of the five Great Lakes. These are Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, Lake Erie and Lake Upper.
The island of Royale in Lake Upper also belongs to Michigan.
Michigan consists of two peninsulas connected by a bridge over Mackinac Strait.
One part of the state is called the Lower Peninsula, the Lower Peninsula, and the other part is the smaller Upper Peninsula, the Upper Peninsula.
These two parts were connected on November 1, 1957 by the opening of the Mackinac Bridge.
The highest point in the state is the peak of Mount Arvon with a height of 603 meters.
Lakes and Rivers
Michigan’s surface is made up of numerous rivers and more than 11,000 lakes.
The large Lake St. Clair is connected by the rivers St. Clair and Detroit to Lake Huron and Lake Erie and Houghton Lake on the southern peninsula.
The longest river in the state is the Grand River, which flows into Lake Michigan.
Climate and holidays
Michigan has a continental climate. The large lakes have a moderating effect on the climate of the southern peninsula due to the fairly regular westerly wind.
On the northern peninsula, winters are much harsher, with very heavy snowfall.
The Tahquamenon Falls, with a height of 120 meters and a width of 60 meters, are one of the greatest attractions of the state of
Michigan and also has many pristine natural areas. Along Lake Upper is Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, with multicolored cliffs and beaches and swamps.
In the Upper Lake is Isle Royal National Park, along Lake Michigan are the sand dunes and beaches of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
The towns of Holland, St. Ignace, Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island are important historical sites.
Cities Michigan
Besides the capital Lansing are a number of major cities in Michigan: Detroit, Grand Rapids, Warren, Sterling Heights, Ann Arbor, Flint, Dearborn, Livonia, Clinton Township.
Michigan counties
The American state of Michigan is administratively subdivided into 83 counties.
North Country National Scenic Trail
The North Country National Scenic Trail crosses a vast area of seven North American states and leads past historical, cultural, natural and scenic attractions. It was built through the efforts of many people, and once completed, it will be the longest continuous hiking trail in the United States of America. Thanks to the route, you can walk through many different landscapes of the states of North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania up to New York.
The trail is mainly taken care of by volunteers, who try to constantly extend it and keep it in good condition. Thus, new and additional sections are constantly being developed, the existing accessibility is improving, which of course also attracts more and more visitors.
In Michigan, the route begins near the village of Ironwood and then enters the Ottawa National Forest. It continues along the Black River Canyon, through the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. It crosses numerous historical sites associated with copper mining near Old Victoria before finally bringing hikers to the Sturgeon River Gorge Wilderness area.
On your Michigan road trip, you can check out Craig Lake State Park, Presque Isle City Park, and Laughing Whitefish Falls, home to the tallest waterfall in the country. In a certain section, the trail skirts the Upper Lake, which is one of the biggest tourist attractions on the entire route. The landscape around the Great Lakes is densely forested, gently rolling, and visitors will find themselves in one of the most remote and least populated areas on the route.
The trail then follows the shores of Lake Michigan, crossing many interesting and inviting spots and joining the Manistee River Trail, which provides great tramping opportunities. The last place the trail crosses before entering the state of Ohio is the Lost Nation State Game Area near Pittsford.
