A Guide to Highways in Upper Michigan

I-75
I-75 is the Upper Peninsula's only Interstate highway. It is located in the eastern U.P., and runs North to South. From the North, it starts at the International Bridge in Sault Ste. Marie and in the south, ends at the Mackinac Bridge near St. Ignace. Of course, I-75 continues south onto the Mackinac Bridge and into the Lower Peninsula.

US-2
US-2 is one of five US signed highways in the Upper Peninsula. It is the longest highway in the U.P., running west to east, beginning in the west at the Wisconsin/Michigan border at Ironwood, and ending at I-75 near St. Ignace and the Mackinac Bridge. Even though it is a US highway, most of it is only two-laned. The highway, near major population centers such as Iron Mountain and Escanaba, is multi-laned for awhile. Passing lanes are also built at various points along the route.

US-41
US-41 is the second of five US signed highways in the Upper Peninsula. It generally runs north to south, starting at Copper Harbor in the north, and ending at Menominee in the south. Of course, US 41 continues south into Wisconsin past Menominee. The highway actually zig-zags going west to east at various points. It definitely isn't a straight north to south highway.   The highway is mostly two-laned except near major population centers such as Menominee, Marquette, and Houghton, where the highway is multi-laned. There are also passing lanes built every so often along the route.

US-45
US-45 is the third of five US signed highways in the Upper Peninsula. It is another North to South highway in the U.P., but doesn't run as long as 41. US 45 starts at Ontonagon in the north, and ends at the Wisconsin/Michigan border in the south, eight miles south of Watersmeet. The highway continues south into Wisconsin, past the border. US-45 is mainly a two-laned highway, with passing lanes built every so often along the route.

US-141
US-141 is the fourth of five US signed highways in the Upper Peninsula and it is also another North to South Highway in the U.P. US 141 starts at M-28, four miles east of the town of Watton, in the north, and ends at the Michigan/Wisconsin Border, 10 miles south of Crystal Falls. US-141 continues southward into Wisconsin and ends near Green Bay. US-141 is a two-laned highway.

US-8
US 8 is the last of the five US signed highways in the Upper Peninsula. US 8 only has a short segment into the U.P., and is approximately 2.5 miles long. It is mainly a north to south highway, and it begins in the town of Norway to the north, and ends at the Michigan/Wisconsin Border in the South. US-8 is a two-laned highway.

M-26
M-26 is an important highway in Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula. It's a rather lengthy highway, and mostly runs from North to South. M-26 is the important state trunkline in the Keweenaw, next to US 41. M-26 services such important communities like Houghton, Hancock, Lake Linden, Hubbel, Calumet, and Copper Harbor. M-26 is about 95 miles in length, and is mainly a two-laned highway except near the bigger communities of Houghton and Hancock.

M-28
M-28 is Upper Michigan's longest state highway. It is approximately 290 miles long, and is one of two major east-west routes in the Upper Peninsula, the other being US-2. M-28 passes through several key U.P. cities, such as Wakefield, Ishpeming, Negaunee, Marquette, and Munising. M-28 is mainly a two-laned highway, except in the larger cities such as Marquette, where the highway is four-laned. Several passing lanes have been built along M-28 to accomodate safe passing of larger trucks. M-28 begins at Wakefield in the far western U.P. and ends near Dafter along I-75 in the eastern U.P.

M-35
M-35 is one of Upper Michigan's longer state highways. M-35 starts along US-41 between Marquette and Negaunee in the north, and ends in Menominee at US 41 in the south. M-35 is roughly 125 miles long, and passes through key U.P. cities such as Menominee, Escanaba, Gladstone, and Gwinn. M-35 is mainly a two-laned highway, except for areas in Menominee, Gladstone, and Escanaba, where the roadway is four lanes.

M-38
M-38 is located in the western Upper Peninsula, and serves as a link into the Keweenaw Peninsula. M-38 is an east to west highway, starting in Ontonagon in the west and ending in Baraga near Keweenaw Bay. M-38 is a short highway, only approximately 30 miles in length. One interesting feature about the highway is that you can see a different portion of Lake Superior at the end of each terminus. Lake Superior can be seen in Ontonagon, and then again in Baraga. M-38 is an two-laned highway.

M-48
M-48 is a highway in the far extreme eastern Upper Peninsula that serves as a connector route to Drummond Island and I-75. The highway is two-laned, and is approximately 45 miles in length. M-48 zig-zags in all different directions, beginning at I-75, heading west for a time, recrossing I-75 heading east, and then ending up 10 miles west of Drummond Island.

M-64
M-64 is a highway in the far western portions of Upper Michigan, and serves as a route for people wishing to travel either to the Porcupine Mountains, Lake Gogebic, or into the state of Wisconsin. One neat feature about M-64 is that it parallels the western side of Lake Gogebic for 18 miles. No doubt a spectacular view near one of Michigan's largest lakes. M-64 is approximately 65 miles long, and is a two-laned highway.

M-67
M-67 is one of Upper Michigan's shorter state highways. It is approximately 12 miles long, and begins one mile south of Chatham at M-94 in the north, and ends at US-41, one mile west of Trenary in the South. M-67 serves as an important link for travelers in the Northeastern U.P. wishing to reach Escanaba without having to take the long detour along M-94 and US-41. M-67 is a two-laned highway.

M-69
M-69 is a highway located in south central Upper Michigan, and often serves as a detour for those who wish to travel away from busy US-2. M-69 begins in Crystal Falls at the US 2/141 intersection, and ends at US 2/41, just east of Bark River in Menominee County. M-69 is approximately 65 miles long, and is mostly a two-laned highway.

M-73
M-73 is a highway located in southwest Upper Michigan near Iron River. In fact, M-73 begins in Iron River to the north, and ends at the Michigan/Wisconsin Border 8 miles to the south. The highway continues on south into Wisconsin as state route 55. M-73 is approximately 8 miles in length, and it is a two-laned highway.

M-77
M-77 is one of the longer North to South state highways in the Upper Peninsula. M-77 is in the eastern U.P., and begins at Grand Marais in the north, and ends at US-2 near Blaney Park in the south. M-77 is approximately 42 miles long, and it is a two-laned highway. For Northwestern residents of the U.P., M-77 often serves as a link to reach US-2 and the Mackinac Bridge.

M-80
M-80 is another short highway in the far eastern portions of Upper Michigan. M-80 is a newer state highway, taken over in 1994 from the Chippewa County Road Commission. The route's main purpose is to serve the former Kincheloe Air Force Base community with an all-weather route. M-80 is approximately 8 miles in length and is a two-laned highway.

M-94
M-94 is a major state highway that services the central and eastern Upper Peninsula. M-94 is approximately 90 miles long, and begins roughly six miles south of Sands at M-553, and ends in the city of Manistique along US-2. The last 11 miles of M-94 west (between M-553 and US-41) were added to the state highway program in 1998 as part of the state's rationalization program. M-94 is a two-laned highway.

M-95
M-95 is another important highway in Upper Michigan, as it will be a part of the future Upper Peninsula North-South Highway corridor. M-95 is approximately 55 miles long, and it starts at US-41 near Champion in the north, and ends at US 2/41 near Iron Mountain in the south. The Michigan Department of Transportation has made several improvements to M-95 in recent years, including adding several key passing lanes to alliviate traffic build-ups. Further expansion of the highway is possible in future years as it becomes an important roadway for the U.P.'s major North-South Corridor. At this time, M-95 is mainly a two-laned highway.

M-107
M-107 is another highway that serves as an access to a state park. M-107 is an east to west highway in the western portion of Upper Michigan, and is a link to the Porcupine Montains State Park. M-107 begins at the Porcupine Moutains State Park in the west, and ends in Silver City at M-64 in the east. M-107 is approximately 10 miles in length, and is a two-laned highway.

M-117
M-117 is a highway located in the eastern portions of Upper Michigan. It serves as an important link between other highways M-28 and US 2, and it also provides for an additional access through Newberry and up to the Tahquamenon Falls State Park. M-117 begins 3 miles west of the M-123/M-28 junction at M-28, and ends about 1 mile south of Engadine at US 2. M-117 is approximately 15 miles in length, and it is a two-laned highway.

M-123
M-123 is one of Upper Michigan's longer state highways, which is located in the eastern U.P. M-123 is the major highway that reaches such important tourist destinations like the Tahquamenon Falls and Whitefish Point, home of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. M-123 begins at M-28, about three miles south of Newberry, and ends at I-75, roughly 15 miles north of the Mackinac Bridge. M-123 is approximately 92 miles long, and winds through some of Upper Michigan's thickest of forests. M-123 is a two-laned highway.

M-129
M-129 is another highway located in the far eastern portion of Upper Michigan. It is a north to south highway, and begins in Sault Ste. Marie at I-75 in the north, and ends in Cedarville at M-134. M-129 serves as a connector route between the Soo and Drummond Island, for those wishing to stay off the freeway highway. M-129 is approximately 35 miles in length, and is mainly a two-laned highway, except near Sault Ste. Marie, where it is multi-laned.

M-134
M-134 is a highway located in the far eastern portion of Upper Michigan, and serves as a major route to Drummond Island. M-134 is an east to west highway and is approximately 35 miles in length. M-134 begins at Exit 359 along I-75 to the west, and ends on Drummond Island, about three miles south of the city of Drummond to the east. Car ferries are needed to cross De Tour Passage to get onto the island. M-134 is a two-laned highway.

M-149
M-149 is another small Upper Peninsula highway, but yet again, it serves as a very important function - a connecting route to the Big Springs State Park in south-central Upper Michigan near Manistique. M-149 begins at Big Springs State Park in the north, and ends in Thompson at US 2. M-149 is a two-laned higways, and it is approximately 10 miles in length.

M-183
M-183 is a short Upper Peninsula highway, but it serves as a major link to the Fayette State Park located in the Garden Peninsula. M-183 is a north to south highway, and begins near the small town of Garden Corners at US 2 in the north and it ends at Fayette State Park in the south. M-183 is approximately 16 miles in length, and it is a two-laned highway.

M-185
M-185 is one of Michigan's most unique state highways. Although the route is designated as a state route, no vehicular traffic is allowed to travel on the route. The reason why this is such a special route is because it's located on Mackinac Island. M-185 circles the island, and the island has banned vehicular traffic for many years. The route is approximately 8 miles in length, and it is a two-laned highway.

M-189
M-189 is another small connector route to a highway in Wisconsin. Similar to M-73, M-189 begins in Iron River in the north, and ends at the Michigan/Wisconsin Border to the south. The highway continues on south into Wisconsin at State Route 139. M-189 is approximately 8 miles in length, and the highway is two-laned.

M-221
Now we come upon one of Michigan's shortest highways. M-221 is only about 3 miles in length, yet it is an important highway to Michigan in that it serves as an access route to Brimley State Park and the community of Brimley. M-221 begins in the community of Brimley to the north, and ends at M-28 to the south.   M-221 is a two-laned highway.

M-553
M-553 is a relatively new state highway in Michigan. M-553 used to be known as Marquette County Road 553 before it was transferred to state control. The roadway is now designated as a state highway, and was resurfaced to reflect the changes. M-553 is roughly 20 miles long, and begins near the city of Marquette in the north, and ends about 5 miles east of Gwinn along M-35. M-553 is a two-laned highway.

Welcome to the Guide to Highways in Upper Michigan! This web page has been designed to inform potential travelers to the U.P. about the highways that are located in the Upper Peninsula. There are approximately 50 different state, US, and Interstate highways in the U.P., and all are important gateways to a variety of scenic locations. You will find general information about the highways of the U.P. and the approximate length of the highway at this page. Enjoy!

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Last Update: December 26, 2005.

Want to know about the current state of highways in Upper Michigan? What does the future hold for U.P. highways? Will we ever see an expressway or "new" bypass of Marquette built? Please check out my newest page, all devoted to these very topics,
by clicking on the link below. Thanks!
The Future of Highways in Upper Michigan

Also, be sure to check out these other great Michigan highway websites. These are sites I often come back to whenever I need information on a particular highway, or just for the heck of visiting the site (because I like travel and highways). Enjoy!
Michigan Highways
Michigan Highway Ends
Judy Aho's Northern Minnesota, Northern Wisconsin, and Upper Peninsula Road Page