Features
Great Lakes shoreline byways: signs that mark dunes and shipwrecks
How Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio sign Great Lakes shoreline byways, from Sleeping Bear dune overlooks to the Edmund Fitzgerald bell at Whitefish Point.
What to take away
- Great Lakes shoreline byways are signed by state programs, so the marker changes when you cross a state line.
- Dune overlook signs are numbered stops, and the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive at Sleeping Bear Dunes is the clearest example.
- Shipwreck markers cluster at lighthouses and museums, with the Edmund Fitzgerald bell at Whitefish Point as the best known.
- Wisconsin posts Lake Michigan route markers mostly along Highway 42 and 57 in Door County.
- Reading a marker takes three checksshield shape, route number and the small plaque below.
Two programs, one shared sign language
The Federal Highway Administration's National Scenic Byways Program designates America's Byways and leaves the route marker design to each state transportation department. Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio each print their own versions.
The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices sets shape and color rules for guide signs, so a byway marker stays readable even when the artwork is local.
A scenic byway is a public road with recognized cultural, natural, historic or recreational value. That definition explains why one corridor can carry a national designation and a state heritage route sign at the same time.
Dune overlook signs at Sleeping Bear and Pictured Rocks
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore protects the perched dunes above Lake Michigan. The Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive runs a short loop with numbered stops instead of names.
The Lake Michigan Overlook stands roughly 450 feet above the water, and the sign there warns about the steep climb back up. Rangers hand out the same warning on printed maps at the entrance station.
Farther north, the Grand Sable Dunes end at the Log Slide Overlook near Grand Marais. The Au Sable Light Station sits east along a trail from the Hurricane River campground.
Indiana Dunes National Park, renamed from a national lakeshore in 2019, marks Mount Baldy with a closure notice. Moving sand has closed that dune in past seasons.
Shipwreck markers and the wrecks they point to
The Edmund Fitzgerald sank on November 10, 1975, with 29 crew aboard. Its recovered bell is displayed at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point, where road signs direct visitors to the light station.
Whitefish Point Light dates to 1861 and is the oldest operating lighthouse on Lake Superior. Sign boards there explain the shipping season and the wrecks that never surfaced again.
At Alpena, the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary marks wrecks in Lake Huron from the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center. Wisconsin's Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary, designated in 2021, covers about 960 square miles off Manitowoc and Sheboygan. Shore signs there point to the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, home of the submarine USS Cobia.
A shipwreck sign is a trailhead marker. The wreck itself usually lies underwater, reachable by boat or by dive.
Wisconsin byway markers on Lake Michigan
The Door County Coastal Byway follows Highway 42 and 57 up the peninsula. Cana Island Lighthouse and the Baileys Harbor Range Lights both have signed turnoffs from those highways.
Wisconsin Historical Society markers appear as brown or gray plaques carrying a short essay. They stand at Eagle Bluff Lighthouse in Peninsula State Park and along the shore road at Cave Point.
The Lake Michigan Circle Tour posts its own route sign around the lake in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. Drivers can follow it with no byway designation at all.
Comparing freshwater markers with inland byways
Rock type shapes how a byway is described in other regions. The Bend and Rapid City byways sit on volcanic rock and granite, and their signs lean on geology instead of water.
Desert corridors sign for distance and heat rather than ice and fog. The Moab and Santa Fe red rock routes show how agencies name stops when exposure is the main hazard.
Great Lakes markers assume a short season, a working harbor and a lighthouse within sight.
Sign types you will see on a shoreline drive
Most routes carry more than one marker. The table below separates them by what the driver learns.
Sign types you will see
| Sign | What it tells you | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|
| National Scenic Byway marker | The road holds a federal designation | Corridors listed by the FHWA byways program |
| State heritage route sign | The state recognizes the route | Michigan highways such as M-22 and M-119 |
| Circle Tour sign | The road circles one lake | Lake Michigan shore highways |
| Historical marker | A place or a wreck is explained | Lighthouse grounds and harbor parks |
Reading a byway marker: three steps
Reading a byway marker
- Check the shape first. A plain rectangle usually means a state byway or heritage route sign.
- Read the route number. State highways keep their number even under a byway name.
- Find the small plaque at the base. It names the agency that posted the marker.
Example: the M-22 shield in Leelanau County
Michigan marks M-22 as a scenic heritage route around Leelanau County. The white shield with black numerals stays on the sign, with the byway name on a separate plaque.
The Tunnel of Trees on M-119 north of Harbor Springs uses the same approach on a narrow two lane road. Brockway Mountain Drive above Copper Harbor pairs a ridge road with water views on both sides.
Count the plaques, not the shields. The plaque tells you which agency claims the route.
