Old Mission Wine and Water

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Traverse City, MI, US

Route Overview

Cycle Michigan

Bicycling Routes and Tours

45 mi.

1,170 ft.

Old Mission Peninsula is a finger of land that extends into Grand Traverse Bay. Pedal past acres of vineyards, visit the historic Old Mission Lighthouse and enjoy panoramic views while you visit the tasting rooms of some of the best wineries in Michigan.

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Route Details

## There are many great routes in Michigan, and this is one of the best!

A 45 mile tour that gives you plenty of time to visit the many stops for the day. Mostly flat roads with a few intersting climbs as you move away from the waters edge; nice shoulders on the main roads and lots of quiet country roads. A destination for wine lovers, the main roads on the route can experience high volumes of traffic during summer weekends. Springtime, fall and weekdays will provide the best experience.

The route begins close to downtown near @poi[Park Place Hotel](2534531), head east on Washington to the Howe Ice Arena. *If your staying somewhere else, use the bike lanes and TART bike path to make your way.* You'll cycle north on East Shore Road along the water, enjoying incredible views. Around mile 5.5 you'll hit Center Road and continue along the east coast. Then to get a better view you'll start a @slice[gentle climb](d,12606.07,16263.46) to the first wineries located around mile ten.

Enjoy the next 10 miles as you get the chance to stay hydrated visiting tasting room after tasting room! At mile 18 visit the @poi[Old Mission Inn](2534529), the oldest inn on the peninsula. Then it's just a short hop to the northern most point of the peninsula at the @poi[Old Mission Lighthouse](2534530). Take off your shoes, dip your toes in the cool waters of Grand Traverse Bay and enjoy a moment of quiet natural beauty as you contemplate being exactly @photo[half way between the Equator and the North Pole](2144286).

Heading back to town you'll travel through rolling hills and then along the western shore of Old Mission visiting more wineries, art galleries, organic flower farms and breweries. You'll retrace the last few miles, passing Traverse City Central High and finish the day where you started in front of the Park Place Hotel.

You can use almost any kind of bike, but if you intend to ride out to Old Mission Lighthouse and back, make sure to use a bike that will help you enjoy the 45 mile journey. For those who don't intend to go all the way to Old Mission Lighthouse you can cut across at multiple points to make the journey shorter without retracing the route. The roads are paved, some with wide shoulders and most with good pavement. But this is northern Michigan and winters can take a toll so don't be surprised if you find a mile or two of patched roads. The route through Traverse City and the lower half of Center Road can be busy so use caution.

# More resources
Satisfy your cravings - 
some of the highlights along the route:

* [Gray Hare Vinyard Bed & Breakfast](http://www.greyhareinn.com/)
* [Bry's Winery](http://www.brysestate.com/)
* [Chateau Chantal Winery](http://www.chateauchantal.com/)
* [Jolly Pumpkin Brewery](http://www.jollypumpkin.com/jp/traverse-city-brewery)
* [Chateau Grand Traverse](https://cgtwines.com/)
* [Devils Dive Winery](http://www.devilsdivevineyard.com/)
* [Old Mission Lighthouse](http://www.missionpointlighthouse.com/)
* [Mari Vineyards](http://www.marivineyards.com/)
* [The Boathouse](http://www.boathouseonwestbay.com/)
* [Park Place Hotel](http://park-place-hotel.com/)
* [Traverse City State Park](http://www.michigandnr.com/parksandtrails/Details.aspx?id=501&type=SPRK)
* [Weather in Traverse City](https://weatherspark.com/history/31810/2016/Traverse-City-Michigan-United-States)

# Important Reminders

Old Mission is a beautiful and scenic peninsula, but it's not a secret. Season runs from Memorial Day through Labor Day and it's very busy during the annual National Cherry Festival which runs from July 1 to July 8 in 2017. During this time the roads will have more cars and the bike trails more bikes.

Harvest season for wineries varies depending on the variety of grape but typically run between the end of August to the end of October. This is a beautiful time with fall leaves and less traffic in the area. If your thinking of riding in the spring consider late April through May. Spring weather tends to be wet with cool nights in the 40's and daytime temps in the 60's and 70's with temperatures warming quickly.

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Old Mission Wine and Water

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