Vote for your favorite Michigan fall color spot

About half of Michigan’s 36.4 million acres are covered in trees.

That’s a glorious thing all year round, but it’s especially glorious during the fall, when trees show their colors – yellow, red, gold, brilliant orange and deep russet – from the top of the Keweenaw Peninsula to the state’s southern border.

Michiganders and out-of-state visitors spent about $343 million traveling the state in 2015 for fall color tours. The total economic impact of fall tourism was $3.7 billion, according to figures from Travel Michigan.

But where’s the best place? Help us decide by voting in our fall color bracket.

You’ve got plenty to choose from: Drive M-22, kayak the Au Sable River, stroll across the University of Michigan or Michigan State University campuses. Kayak, run or bike your way through beautiful trees.

Vote for your favorites from among these key color destinations. You also can find a fall color timing map and other fall information at www.michigan.org/fall/. Vote here.

Breathtaking bracket

Mackinac Island: Ride a bike around the island’s perimeter, hike trails in its interior, enjoy the view from the ferry boat. Plenty of special events are scheduled on the island during the peak color month of October, including a girlfriends’ getaway weekend at the Grand Hotel Oct. 14-16 and the Great Turtle Trail Run on Oct. 22.

Tahquamenon Falls: The 46,000-acre Tahquamenon Fall State Park offers a swath of fall color with the tannin-stained waters of the upper and lower falls as a centerpiece. Visit the park for a hike on trails ranging from 1 mile in length to nearly 8 miles. Take a train and boat trip to the falls through Oct. 3 (learn more at www.trainandboattours.com). Oct. 8 is Fall Fest in nearby Newberry with food booths and family activities.

Porcupine Mountains: Peak color is expected in early October in the western Upper Peninsula, home to Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, which at about 60,000 acres is Michigan’s largest state park. The overlook at Lake of the Clouds is not to be missed. Elsewhere in the park, chairlift rides are offered on weekends through Oct. 16 at the park’s ski hill on Ontonagon County Road 107, a half-mile west of Union Bay Campground.

Keweenaw Peninsula: The peninsula that juts out into Lake Superior has a rich mining heritage and spectacular color routes. A favorite: Brockway Mountain Drive near Cooper Harbor. The 10-mile stretch is the highest paved road between the Rockies and the Allegheny Mountains and offers spectacular mountain and lake views. U.S. 41 is a scenic heritage route and has its own “tunnel of trees.” Or take M-26 between Copper Harbor and Eagle River. On that stretch, you can stop by the Jampot, a tiny seasonal store featuring preserves made by monks. It’s open through Oct. 15.

Brilliant bracket

Tunnel of trees: Rated over and over as one of Michigan’s most scenic roads, the Tunnel of Trees is perfect for a fall drive or bike ride. It winds along the edge of Little Traverse Bay from Harbor Springs to Cross Village. Stop for a meat pie at the Good Hart General Store or dine on Polish specialties at the Legs Inn, a building cobbled together from driftwood, stone and other unique components.

Au Sable River Valley: View the colorful hillsides from the water in a canoe, kayak or from the deck of the paddlewheeler the Au Sable River Queen out of Oscoda (reservations are a must for fall color tours at www.ausableriverqueen.com). Visit the Lumbermen’s Monument, operated by the U.S. Forest Service, which is on the River Road National Scenic Byway which runs along the Au Sable. Head out from there on foot along the Highbanks Trail.

Ludington: Hike or bike your way across 18 miles of trails with lake, river and forest views in Ludington State Park. Or you can choose to drive the back roads of Mason County on the trail of barns decorated with colorful quilt squares (map: http://amsitemag.com/images/map_images/BarnMap.pdf). Downtown Ludington will be hopping Oct. 7-8 for its annual Octoberfest Music and Craft Beer Festival.

M-22: There’s a reason this stretch of road – 116 miles if you start in Manistee and wind your way along both sides of the Leelanau Peninsula – was named the top scenic spot in the country last year in a USA Today 10 Best poll. The drive winds past wineries and through picturesque small towns such as Glen Arbor, Sutton’s Bay and Northport. There are plenty of spots to dine and plenty of things to do as you “ooh” and “aah” along the route.

Beautiful bracket

Michigan State University campus: The landscape is all about green in summer and white in winter. But with more than 20,000 trees, gold and russet take over during the fall. Tailgate amid fall color on football Saturdays (games on Oct. 8 and 15 could be at peak color times). Stroll or bike anytime along the Red Cedar River at the heart of campus or through the Sanford Natural Area on its the eastern edge off of Bogue Street.

University of Michigan campus: Stroll across the Diag at the heart of the oldest part of campus or enjoy the color covering the rolling hills on the university’s North Campus. Fall is especially pretty at Nichols Arboretum and at the Matthew Botanical Gardens.

Belle Isle: This 985-acre island in the Detroit River, which became a state park in 2014, has lots of old-money amenities like a 13-acre conservatory and a fabulous fountain. But it also includes tranquil hikes, a nature zoo with Michigan wildlife and beautiful views. It may very well be the perfect fall color tour for folks who prefer big city amenities to rural cruising. Follow your Belle Isle visit with sophisticated fun in downtown Detroit.

Yankee Springs Recreation Area: This 5,200-acre state park near Middleville has miles of hiking, biking and horseback riding trails through bogs and marshes and past nine lakes, including the glacial kettle hole known as the Devil’s Soupbowl. The Long Lake Outdoor Center is an old Civilian Conservation Corps camp.

Bold bracket

Hartwick Pines: The 9,672-acre park in Crawford County northeast of Grayling includes 49 acres of old-growth white pine forest, a logging museum, two lakes, campgrounds and miles of trails. The museum is open through Oct. 31. Take the 1.25-mile old growth forest trail, visit Bright and Glory Lakes or spend all afternoon on the 7.5-mile “weary legs” trail.

Rose Lake Wildlife Area: Much of this 4,000-acre site northeast of Lansing is farmland now returning to the wild. It’s home to an abundant deer population, muskrat, mink, beaver, otter, wild turkeys and many other birds. It includes nine miles of trails and several lakes.

Thumb area:  Port Huron serves as a great launching place for a fall color tour of Michigan’s Thumb, with views of Lake Huron and the St. Clair River, the Fort Gratiot lighthouse and the Huron Lightship and Port Huron Museums. Travel north on M-25 to go around the edge of the Thumb for Lake Huron views and great small towns such as Port Sanilac and Port Austin. Venture inland along the Thumbs Up Wine Trail (find a map at www.thumbsupmi.com).

Irish Hills: So named because Irish immigrants in the 1840s said it reminded them of home, the Irish Hills historically served as a resort area. Start your fall color tour at Hidden Lake Gardens near Tipton. This MSU-owned tract includes a collection of unusual conifers as well as trails through hardwood forests. It hosts its Fall Foliage Festival Oct. 15 (learn more: hiddenlakegardens.msu.edu). You also can visit Hayes State Park or the historic Walker Tavern, now a state historic site. It once was a stop on the stagecoach route from Chicago to Detroit. Two historic wooden observation towers stand on US 12 in Cambridge Township. Efforts are afoot to rehabilitate them.

Contact Kathleen Lavey at (517) 377-1251 or klavey@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @kathleenlavey.