Choosing the Road Less Taken

Choosing the Road Less Taken

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. — Robert Frost

Inside the echo chamber of every Best Of, Best Places to Visit, Must See, and Must Do list circulating on social media, travel blogs, and itinerary sites, I'd suggest that road trippers hit pause and take Frost's advice to heart. The follower feeding frenzy is alive and well — even the most basic social media post like "my family is traveling to 'blank' and what should we do?" generates literally hundreds of comments encouraging one another to do exactly the same things over and over again. Avoid a tourism version of Groundhog Day. Instead of following in the footsteps of tens of thousands, be on the lookout for the path that is "grassy and wanted wear" when planning your up north travels.

Yes, there is only one Kitch-iti-kipi spring, Oswald's Bear Ranch, Garlyn Zoo, Fayette Ghost Town, Cut River Bridge overlook, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, and Tahquamenon Falls — and they are all worthy stops. But rather than building a trip that is an oft-repeated string of to-dos and checkboxes, look for the roads not taken by everyone else. Woods & Waters and the Les Cheneaux Islands are only about 30 minutes from St. Ignace, Mackinaw City, and the Mackinac Straits — and most people either "turn left" shortly after crossing the mighty Mac or drive right by in pursuit of that thing so-and-so insisted 10,000 people must do.

And so, some places are being loved to death — and that's not an exaggeration. The Narnia Trail, also known as the Bush Bay Trail, runs between the Bush Bay parking lot and The Nature Conservancy's John Arthur Woollam Preserve just east of Cedarville. TNC, which manages the whole property — part of which is a conservation easement from the adjacent Carmeuse Quarry — recorded more than 50,000 hikers through October 2025 alone, making it the most visited property in their entire Michigan portfolio! The numbers keep climbing and they are not sustainable. TNC is actively working on mitigation. The trail is genuinely beautiful and worth experiencing — but it is also a living example of what happens when everyone follows the same list. We mention it here because it shows up in searches for things to do near us, and we want you to know about it. But we have also witnessed the degradation of the moss colonies, trail widening and braiding, and trash that is impacting this unique ecology at a wildfire's pace. There are other trails in this area that are just as beautiful, far less trafficked, and equally worthy of your time. Ask us — we'll point you in a different direction.

The rewards of going off-script are often immeasurable, but I can attest that the most laughable and memorable family stories are frequently the result of wrong turns or following what appears to be a viable road in a dog-eared printed Michigan Gazetteer — like some questionable two-tracking in my grandmother's Chrysler Town & Country minivan after a Pictured Rocks backpacking trip in the mid-'90s. As my now-husband likes to remind me: "And you're a geography major and should be able to read a map!" (I can read a map. I might just be a little optimistic about what constitutes a road.) Or the best grilled cheese sandwich of my life — homemade Texas toast, freshly-roasted green chilis — savored at a random diner found after hours on twisty mountain roads near the Gila Cliff Dwellings in New Mexico. Or the Eric Carle Museum visit where we learned Eric loved sushi. Or how we ended up with a family cottage in Hessel rather than the ever-popular Frankfort or Traverse City area — our then Whaler co-owner's law partner told us to spend a week here; we promptly ignored his advice for six years because we'd never heard of those unpronounceable islands.

As a small business owner just outside the main tourist destinations and the well-worn Upper Peninsula road trip loop, I'll say this: embrace taking a chance on something different for at least part of your summer. Stop at the little town park and read the historical sign while eating ice cream from the small general store. Duck into the funky shop with only one car out front. Wander through the random historical museum that happens to be open during your cottage rental week. Walk the beautiful nature preserve that promises zero known Instagram-able sights. Take a guided kayak tour with a small outfitter — or rent a kayak and go exploring on your own. You can do all of that right here in Hessel and Cedarville.

At the end of the day, stop worrying about seeing it all or doing exactly what everyone else has done. When you get home and meet up with friends, you'll be grateful to have so much more to talk about — precisely because you didn't do the same things as everyone else. Not having all the same experiences is what makes our own lives rich and full and worth telling. Your kids, spouse, significant other, dog, or therapy llama won't care in four months if you only saw one of the six things on that travel blog's top attractions list. You'll have spent time together — laughing, bickering, eating, and playing — which is really the only thing required for a summer vacation. And you'll have maybe, just maybe, supported a lesser-known business, town, and community with your patronage. For that, from all of us: thank you.

See you soon.