Whitefish Bay Scenic Byway
Whitefish Bay Scenic Byway is a National Forest Scenic Byway in Michigan. Within Michigan it covers roughly 30 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Whitefish Bay Scenic Byway with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
Michigan's Whitefish Bay National Forest Scenic Byway runs about 33 miles along Lake Superior's shore, from Brimley to M-123 near Paradise. Most of the route, in the Upper Peninsula's Hiawatha National Forest, follows Federal Forest Highway 42 through birch forest hugging the water, a road that started as an earth track in the 1930s, was graveled in the 1940s, and wasn't fully paved until 1987, when the last gap near Naomikong and Iroquois Points was finally closed. The Forest Service designated it a National Forest Scenic Byway on February 8, 1989. Partway along, the Point Iroquois Lighthouse, built in 1870, is open for tours, and its spiral staircase gives a clear view across the water to the Canadian shore. The drive stays close to Whitefish Bay the whole way, offering long, largely undeveloped views of Lake Superior more typical of a wilderness paddling route than a highway.
- Point Iroquois Lighthouse
- Whitefish Bay
- Hiawatha National Forest
- 33 miles
- Federal Forest Highway 42
- Brimley to Paradise
- 1989 designation
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What is a National Forest Scenic Byway?
National Forest Scenic Byways are routes designated by the U.S. Forest Service that thread through the mountains, canyons and old growth of America's national forests and grasslands.
Where to Stay along Whitefish Bay Scenic Byway
2 campgrounds and RV parks sit within about 5 miles of Whitefish Bay Scenic Byway.
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