The Old Mission Amble

Although it has spectacular Grand Traverse Bay vistas in any season, this becomes a not-to-be-missed ride during May, when thousands of cherry trees and adorned with blossoms. This route features rolling hills through some of the area where one third of the world's cherries are grown. The narrow Old Mission Peninsula divides Grand Traverse Bay, the second-largest bay on Lake Michigan, into an East Arm and West Arm. Both are featured on this ride, along with birches and pines, one of Michigan's oldest lighthouses, and the Old Mission. Interestingly, this ride begins on the forth-fifth parallel, which is exactly midway between the equator and the North Pole, at the tip of Mission Peninsula. At this location, Old Mission Point State Park has a sandy beach for sunbathing, pit toilets, and a lighthouse built in 1870. Things to see: Old Mission Point State Park with lighthouse, sweeping vistas of Grand Traverse Bay, Old Mission.