I made the 8 hr drive up to the UP for a long weekend of shooting fall colors. Unfortunately I was about 1-2 weeks ahead of peak color (the leaves in the Northern Midwest are late this year). I stayed three nights in Munising, MI, and was surprised at the extensive selection of lighthouses, waterfalls, and coastal nooks within an hour drive. These are my favorites:

Path to Miner's Castle, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Other photographers were crowding the observation deck overlooking Miners Castle, so I turned around and photographed the pathway! I used my Samyang 14mm F2.8.

Spray Falls, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

I went on a sunset boat tour along 40 miles of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. It was well worth the money, but the top deck was quite crowded. Show up early if you want a seat on the right-side railing (which you do...). This waterfall was the furthest point on the tour. This was taken about 20 min before sunset. Even though the boat was large (80 ft I think), I had to use a high shutter speed to keep everything sharp. 70-300mm L

East Channel Lighthouse, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

This abandoned lighthouse sits across from the town of Munising, and is the first and last point of interest on the boat tour. I took this picture on the way back, when the top-deck was abandoned by sight-seers seeking the warmth below. It was very dark: IS0 6400, 1/30 s, F5.6. Thank goodness for image stabilization! I think this is the only ISO 6400 image I've taken with my 5DS and been happy with.

Marquette Harbor Lighthouse, Marquette, MI

I heard about this location from a local photographer the previous day. I woke up extra early to make the hour drive to Marquette. The sunrise was spectacular! I wish I had scouted the location previously though, because it was hard to find a great composition. I was literally running around in the sand with my camera and tripod trying to find the best composition. This shot was taken from a lifeguard tower. 35mm from my 16-35mm F4L. Two exposures manually combined in Photoshop.

Au Sable Point

The same photographer that told me about the lighthouse said there were some cool ship wreckage on the coast at Au Sable Point. Unfortunately clouds rolled in right before sunset. I decided to go with a dark, foreboding look since there was no color in the sky. 16mm from my 16-35mm F4L. Two exposures in Photoshop.

I will definitely be returning to the UP for more photo trips.