The Keweenaw’s two tree tunnels, as western U.P. color peaks

HOUGHTON — Fall color in the western Upper Peninsula was expected to reach its peak early this week, and two tree-tunnel drives on the Keweenaw Peninsula put travelers right under it.

Color was “exploding” across the U.P., and peak in the western half was expected over the weekend and early this week, MLive reported Friday.

The Upper Peninsula Travel and Recreation Association’s Oct. 7 report had Houghton and Keweenaw counties near to or at peak color, and it now expects the peak to hold through the second week of October, a week longer than its Sept. 30 report projected.

Covered Drive is a 5.5-mile dirt road west of Houghton. Jesse Wiederhold, managing director of Visit Keweenaw, called it “a dramatic tunnel of trees straight out of a movie,” MLive reported.

To get there, head west from Houghton on Houghton Canal Road, turn left on Coles Creek Road and continue straight as it becomes Covered Drive. Visit Keweenaw describes it as well maintained but narrow.

Covered Road is the 10-mile stretch of U.S. 41 between Lac La Belle Road and Copper Harbor. No turns are needed; keep north on U.S. 41 past Lac La Belle Road.

“For ten miles to Copper Harbor, you’ll be deep in a thick forest with some trees growing only over a foot away from the edge of the pavement on both sides,” Wiederhold said.

The drives are about an hour apart. The U.S. 41 route is part of the Copper Country Trail National Byway and ends in Copper Harbor, home to Brockway Mountain Drive, the Estivant Pines Wilderness Nature Sanctuary and Fort Wilkins State Park, according to MLive.

Copper Harbor tends to peak a bit later than areas farther south, according to Visit Keweenaw.

Farther east, the travel association still expects Chippewa, Luce and Schoolcraft counties to peak the second week of October. It updates its color report every Wednesday.

Updated Oct. 7, 2026: Revised with the travel association’s Oct. 7 color report, which put Houghton and Keweenaw counties near to or at peak and extended the expected peak through the second week of October.

Sources:
MLive, “2 scenic drives ‘covered’ in fall color as peak approaches across the Keweenaw,” Oct. 2026, https://www.mlive.com/life/2026/10/2-scenic-drives-covered-in-fall-color-as-peak-approaches-on-the-keweenaw.html
MLive, “Fall color exploding across Michigan’s U.P., starting to change in northern Lower Michigan,” Oct. 2, 2026, https://www.mlive.com/weather/2026/10/fall-color-exploding-across-michigans-up-starting-to-change-in-northern-lower-michigan.html
Upper Peninsula Travel and Recreation Association, “Fall Color Report,” Oct. 7, 2026 (updated weekly; Sept. 30 edition originally cited), https://www.uptravel.com/outdoors-recreation/fall-colors/
Visit Keweenaw, “Top Ways to Experience Fall Color”, https://www.visitkeweenaw.com/blog/post/ten-ways-to-experience-fall-color-in-the-keweenaw/
Photo: Richie Diesterheft (Flickr), “Drive of Yellows & Oranges,” Oct. 18, 2008, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/), cropped and color-corrected, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Drive_of_Yellows_%26_Oranges.jpg

Upper Peninsula

Tags: Upper Peninsula · Michigan Travel · Parks and Recreation