Wisconsin Or Michigan: Which State Really Has The Better Great Lakes Towns?

In both Wisconsin and Michigan, travelers can discover captivating villages along the shorelines of the Great Lakes, the largest chain of freshwater lakes in the world. Part of Wisconsin's northernmost edge borders Lake Superior, while its eastern edge abuts Lake Michigan, creating more than 800 miles of shoreline. Michigan, meanwhile, touches four Great Lakes: Huron and Erie in addition to Superior and Michigan. Stretched along those four lakes are a whopping 3,000 miles of shoreline. That's a lot of Great Lakes shoreline to explore across the two states.

But if you had to choose, which of the two states has the most scenic and vibrant Great Lakes towns? It's a close match, but Michigan has a slight edge over Wisconsin for having more towns recognized by top-tier travel publications and local travel experts. When highlighting must-visit destinations situated along the Great Lakes, the publications and blogs we studied mentioned Michigan towns more often than those in any other Midwestern state, Wisconsin included. 

For example, a Midwest Living article highlighted 20 Great Lakes towns in the Midwest as excellent vacation destinations, and 12 out of those 20 were in Michigan. Only two on the list were in Wisconsin, and the rest were in Minnesota, Indiana, and Ohio. Similarly, on the United list of the nine best Midwestern lake towns to visit during summer, five were Michigan Great Lakes towns. Only one was in Wisconsin (Sheboygan), and the other Wisconsin town highlighted was not on the Great Lakes. So while Wisconsin can certainly lay claim to some stunning Great Lakes towns, Michigan tips the scale in this case. To help our readers understand their differences, we did a deep dive into the two states' Lake Superior and Lake Michigan shorelines — this is what we found. 

Wisconsin boasts some enchanting towns along its Lake Superior shoreline. Take Bayfield, for example, a family-friendly retreat that's also the gateway to the Apostle Islands, or Ashland, a picturesque harbor town near the dramatic cascades and gorges of Copper Falls State Park. But Michigan's Lake Superior shoreline scores points over Wisconsin's simply for having more striking and varied terrain, creating stunning backdrops for its towns.

Michigan's Upper Peninsula (U.P.) towns like Grand Marais and Munising sit alongside one of the Midwest's natural wonders: the 42-mile-long Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, with its colorful sandstone cliffs, sand-dune-lined beaches, iconic lighthouses, around 100 miles of hiking trails, and numerous waterfalls. These falls streak down the cliffs in the warmer months and freeze during winter, forming otherworldly curtains. Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore expert Jesse Land describes the area as "without a doubt one of the most scenic shorelines in the entire United States, and probably the world. I've driven along both U.S. Highway 1 along the California coast and the Great Ocean Road in Australia, and I have to say that Pictured Rocks is right up there with them in terms of scenic beauty" (per Michigan-focused blog, Awesome Mitten). 

Beyond Pictured Rocks, the state's Lake Superior shoreline also counts the lush and expansive Hiawatha National Forest, sometimes called the Great Lakes National Forest, and the Grand Island Natural Recreation Area, located a half-mile offshore from Munising. Farther west, the Keweenaw Peninsula is a serene finger of land jutting out into Lake Superior. Here, deserted beaches and low-key beach towns like Eagle Harbor and Copper Harbor are scattered throughout the rugged landscape. 

Michigan's towns on its Lake Michigan shoreline also benefit from surreal surroundings. But here, waterfall-streaked cliffs are replaced by idyllic sand dunes. Lake Michigan's dunes are found mainly on the eastern side — Michigan's side as opposed to Wisconsin's — due to easterly wind patterns. Over time, the wind and waves pushed sand from Wisconsin to the Michigan side of the lake, creating massive dunes along its shoreline. So while Wisconsin has some charming Lake Michigan towns — like Door County, which was spotlighted in the Midwest Living article — the scenery around the Michigan ones is simply more breathtaking. 

Midwest Living highlighted a few Michigan towns near Lake Michigan's dune-backed beaches, including Michigan's festive cherry capital, Traverse City, and Leland, a historic fishing town. Both towns are situated near Sleeping Bear Dunes, which encompasses 65 miles of protected shoreline plus a few islands, too. Good Morning America once named Sleeping Bear Dunes the most beautiful place in America. More dreamy dune landscapes lie farther south along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. At Saugatuck Dunes State Park, for example, visitors can explore a 2.5-mile-long beach and 13 miles of trails through dunes and mixed pine and hardwood forests.  And right in downtown Saugatuck, the dune-lined Oval Beach is the stuff of legends, making Condé Nast Traveler's list of the Top 25 Beaches in the World.

Speaking of Saugatuck, it's a storybook harbor city with golden sands and art galleries located on Michigan's Art Coast, a constellation of Lake Michigan towns with flourishing art scenes, for which there's no Wisconsin equivalent. With their cultural richness and natural wonders, Michigan's vibrant towns along Lake Michigan are among the many must-see destinations scattered across the state.