Michigan’s Tunnel of Trees: Complete Guide to the M-119 Scenic Drive

Last Updated: August 2026

Michigan’s Tunnel of Trees is a 20-mile stretch of M-119 running north from Harbor Springs to Cross Village along a bluff above Lake Michigan — and right now, part of it is closed. Spring flooding washed out sections of the road, and M-119 is shut to through traffic between Terpening Road and Robinson Road at Good Hart, with a second closure between Island View Road and Cross Village.

The good news: the drive is still absolutely worth doing, and nearly every business along the route is still reachable. You just need to know which way to go. I’ve driven this road in summer when the canopy blocks the sky and in October when the maples turn all at once, and I’ve spent the last few weeks tracking what’s open as the detours shift.

⚠️ ROAD STATUS: Unless you’re a resident or business owner, you cannot enter the closed sections of M-119. Detours are signed and every stop below is still reachable — check the MDOT MiDrive map the morning you go, and call ahead before you count on any single business.

How to Use This Guide Right Now

This guide is organized around the closure rather than around the old start-to-finish route, because that’s the decision you actually have to make before you leave the house. The first section covers exactly where the road is closed, what the detour is, and which businesses sit on each side of it.

After that it runs the way the drive does — Harbor Springs north through Good Hart to Cross Village — with the stops worth slowing down for and notes on which ones need the detour. If you’re short on time, protect two things: a walk in at Woollam and a long lunch at Legs Inn.

Tunnel of Trees Road Closures and Detours

M-119 is closed to through traffic in two places along the Tunnel of Trees. The first runs from Terpening Road north to Robinson Road at Good Hart. The second sits between Island View Road and Cross Village. Both closures followed washouts caused by heavy spring rain on top of rapid snowmelt, and a culvert failure south of Division Road took out a section of pavement entirely.

Unless you live or run a business inside the closed sections, you cannot drive them. That’s not a suggestion — the barricades are there because the road edge is unstable above a steep bluff. The Michigan Department of Transportation has not announced a reopening timeline.

The Good Hart Detour

To reach Good Hart from the south: take M-119 to Terpening Road, turn left on Stutsmanville Road, turn right on Townline / Church Road, then turn left on Robinson Road into Good Hart. It adds a handful of miles and puts you on ordinary county roads for a stretch, but it’s straightforward and signed.

Getting to Cross Village

Skip M-119 entirely and take State Road north out of Harbor Springs. M-119 is open north of Good Hart but still closed between Island View Road and Cross Village, so State Road is the reliable way in. This is the route to use if Legs Inn is your destination.

What’s Still Open Along M-119

South of the closure, reached normally on M-119 north of Harbor Springs: Thorne Swift Nature Preserve, Pond Hill Farm, OTIS Harbor Springs, Birchwood Farms Golf & Country Club, Ahrens Gallery & Studio, Brek-n-Ridge Farm, and Little Big.

North of the closure near Good Hart, reached by the detour above: the Good Hart General Store, A Studio, Woollam Family Nature Preserve, Turtle Moon Farm, Goodhart Artist Residency, and Graham Real Estate. Trillium Woods Coffee has limited access via Stutsmanville Road only — traffic is not permitted past it.

North of the closure near Cross Village, reached via State Road: Legs Inn, Crow’s Nest Restaurant, Three Pines Studio, Black Barn Farm, Peninsulas Gift Shop, The Village Mart, and the Curio Shop.

The Petoskey Area Visitors Bureau closure page keeps the current business list updated, and the MDOT MiDrive map shows live road conditions.

About the Tunnel of Trees Scenic Drive

The Tunnel of Trees Scenic Heritage Route follows M-119 along the northwest coast of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, hugging a bluff above Lake Michigan from Harbor Springs north to Cross Village. It’s one of Michigan’s Pure Michigan Byways, and the road narrows considerably once you pass through Harbor Springs and the Petoskey area — from there it weaves beneath a canopy of hardwoods and cedars for the full 20-mile run.

Much of M-119 is so narrow it carries no painted centerline. The road winds, the shoulders are thin, and there are tight bends with limited sightlines. It’s not suitable for RVs or large vehicles, and even in a standard car you’ll want both hands on the wheel. Keep your speed well under the 45 mph posted limit on the curves, watch for cyclists, and respect the private property lining the route.

Along the way you’ll catch glimpses of Lake Michigan, and on clear days you can pick out Beaver Island far offshore. The lake views come and go between the trees, which makes each one feel earned.

How Long Does the Tunnel of Trees Drive Take?

Driven straight through at the posted limit with no closures, the Harbor Springs to Cross Village run takes about 40 minutes. With the current detours in place, budget 3 to 4 hours for a version of the drive that still feels worth it — the reroutes add mileage, and you’ll be doubling back rather than making one clean north-south run.

Weekdays are noticeably quieter than weekends, and that matters more than usual right now — the detour roads are narrow and carrying traffic they weren’t built for. During peak fall color, typically the second and third weeks of October, plan a Tuesday or Wednesday and leave early. The morning light through the canopy is worth it anyway.

Where to Start the Drive

Start in Harbor Springs and drive north. Heading north opens the lake views more consistently and puts the best stops in a natural sequence. It also matters logistically right now: both detour options begin in Harbor Springs, so starting there gives you the choice of the Good Hart reroute or the State Road run to Cross Village.

Coming from the south, pick up M-119 just east of Petoskey off US-31. Allow time in Harbor Springs first — it’s a far better place to fuel up and grab food than anywhere north of it.

💡 PRO TIP: Screenshot the detour map before you leave Harbor Springs. Cell service drops out in stretches along this corridor, and the reroute involves four turns onto county roads — not something you want to be guessing at with no signal.

Where to Stop Along the Tunnel of Trees

Thorne Swift Nature Preserve

Thorne Swift Nature Preserve sits 3.8 miles northwest of Harbor Springs on Lower Shore Drive — south of the closure, reachable on M-119 as normal. Short trails run through cedar swamp and hardwood forest to a dune observation deck and down to the Lake Michigan beach, manageable with kids in well under an hour. Elizabeth Kennedy donated the property to Little Traverse Conservancy in 1981.

Lady’s Slipper orchids grow here in spring. I walked past one twice before a naturalist pointed it out, which is how I know it’s easy to miss.

Pond Hill Farm

Pond Hill Farm is a rustic farm café, market, and seasonal activity hub just off M-119 — south of the closure and open as normal. Trails, a market stocked with local jams and wine, and a kitchen making the kind of food you want after a morning outside. In winter it runs fat tire biking and skiing on a trail loop, one of the few reasons to drive this corridor in January. Give it an hour.

Good Hart General Store

The Good Hart General Store is a proper stop, not a stretch break, and it’s open — you just have to take the detour to reach it. Michigan-made gifts, apparel, and the gourmet pot pies people come back for specifically. A landmark on this drive for decades. Allow 20 minutes and expect to leave with more than you planned to buy.

Trillium Woods Coffee

Worth knowing about specifically because of how the closure works. Trillium Woods Coffee can only be reached via Stutsmanville Road to M-119, and traffic is not permitted past it — the barricade sits just beyond. It’s the northern edge of what you can drive from the south side, which makes it a natural turnaround point if you’re not doing the full detour into Good Hart.

Saint Ignatius Catholic Church at Good Hart

A small historic mission church in the Good Hart area, tied to the L’Arbre Croche Odawa community that has lived along this shoreline for generations. The setting — a chapel with a Native American burial ground alongside it — is quiet in a way that stays with you, and a path leads from the church down to one of the most secluded stretches of public beach on the route.

This is one of my go-to spots. I’ve brought people here who didn’t know it existed and watched them go quiet for a while, which is usually the right reaction. Access depends on which side of the barricades you approach from — check MiDrive first.

Readmond Township Park

A pull-over with Lake Michigan access that rewards sunset and rock hunting more than swimming — there are a lot of large rocks along the waterline. As a place to watch a Lake Michigan sunset with almost nobody around, it’s hard to beat. Confirm access on the MiDrive map first; it sits in the stretch affected by the closures.

Woollam Family Nature Preserve

Woollam Family Nature Preserve is the best swimming beach on the drive: 3,300 feet of Lake Michigan frontage across 69 acres, reached by a walk in from a parking area that’s easy to miss. It’s 18.7 miles north of Harbor Springs on M-119, lot on the west side, or about 1.7 miles south of Cross Village. Beech-maple hardwoods near the road give way to upland conifers as you near the water.

This is the stop I plan a whole day around. Pack a lunch, bring a towel — and leave the dog at home, because dogs and horses aren’t allowed here at all. That rule catches people out constantly, and it isn’t seasonal.

More Conservancy Preserves Along M-119

Little Traverse Conservancy protects several smaller preserves along this corridor, including Five Mile Creek, Hoogland Family, and the Goodhart Scenic Preserve created in 2025. These are the quiet ones — rarely crowded, free, good for a leg-stretch. Not all Conservancy properties have marked trails or parking, so check the Emmet County preserve list first.

What to Do in Cross Village

Legs Inn

Legs Inn is open, and it’s the single best reason to drive north on State Road right now. Polish and American food in a hand-built interior unlike anything else in northern Michigan — driftwood, roots, and carved stonework on every surface, built by Polish immigrant Stanley Smolak beginning in the 1920s. Order the smoked whitefish dip and the pierogi. Patio in season, live music on weekends, and it earns a long lunch.

Crow’s Nest Restaurant

Open and a solid backup if Legs Inn has a wait, which it often does in season. Casual, unfussy, and a much shorter line — worth knowing about before you drive all the way to Cross Village and find yourself with an hour to kill.

Three Pines Studio and Gallery

A quiet art studio and gallery in Cross Village, currently open. Good for browsing original work and craft supplies in a peaceful setting. Worth 20 minutes if art is your thing, easy to skip if it isn’t.

Black Barn Farm

Black Barn Farm sells naturally grown vegetables, flowers, herbs, eggs, and homemade pastas and pesto, and it’s open. Worth a stop if the stand is staffed — the pastas travel well and beat anything in a grocery store. Peninsulas Gift Shop, The Village Mart, and the Curio Shop are open in the village too.

Sturgeon Bay

A few miles north of Cross Village, Sturgeon Bay at Wilderness State Park offers three miles of sand and dunes — one of the most remote and least-crowded stretches of Lake Michigan beach in the Lower Peninsula. Worth the extra miles if you want to finish the day with a proper swim, and it sits well clear of the closures.

Side Trips: Harbor Springs & Petoskey

Things to Do in Harbor Springs

Harbor Springs is worth an hour, and with detours eating into the day it’s a smart place to build in extra time. Walk Main Street for the shops, stop at American Spoon for Michigan-made preserves, and grab a Tom’s Mom’s Cookie. Zoll Street Beach sits on Little Traverse Bay for a quick swim before you head north. OTIS Harbor Springs and Birchwood Farms Golf & Country Club are both open north of town.

• American Spoon — Main Street, Harbor Springs
• Harbor Springs Lyric Theatre — classic and current films in a small-town theater on Main Street
• Stafford’s Pier Restaurant & Pointer Boat Tour — lakeside dining and a guided cruise of Little Traverse Bay

Things to Do in Petoskey

Petoskey sits on Little Traverse Bay just east of where M-119 begins. The historic Gaslight District and Bayfront Park are both worth time — and with the drive shortened by closures, Petoskey is the obvious place to spend the hours you get back. See our full Petoskey travel guide.

Where to Go After Cross Village

Cross Village is the northern end of the route, but the drive doesn’t have to stop there. Continue north to Sturgeon Bay and on to Mackinaw City — from there, the ferry to Mackinac Island or the Mackinac Bridge into the Upper Peninsula. With the closures making this a half-day rather than a full one, pairing it with Mackinac makes more sense than ever.

Before you leave Cross Village, look for the tall white cross on the bluff above Lake Michigan. It catches you off guard, and it’s a reminder that this shoreline has been drawing people north for a very long time — longer than the road, and longer than whatever it takes to rebuild it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Tunnel of Trees open right now?

Partly. M-119 is closed to through traffic from Terpening Road to Robinson Road at Good Hart, and again between Island View Road and Cross Village, after spring washouts. Detours are in place and nearly every business along the route is still reachable, but you cannot drive the full 20 miles end to end.

What is the Tunnel of Trees detour?

To reach Good Hart from the south, take M-119 to Terpening Road, turn left on Stutsmanville Road, right on Townline / Church Road, then left on Robinson Road. To reach Cross Village, skip M-119 and take State Road north from Harbor Springs instead.

Is Legs Inn open during the road closure?

Yes. Legs Inn in Cross Village is open and reachable by taking State Road north from Harbor Springs rather than driving M-119. Crow’s Nest Restaurant, Three Pines Studio, Black Barn Farm, Peninsulas Gift Shop, The Village Mart, and the Curio Shop are also open in Cross Village.

Where does the Tunnel of Trees start and end?

The Tunnel of Trees runs along M-119 for about 20 miles from Harbor Springs north to Cross Village, on the northwest coast of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula near Petoskey. Most visitors start in Harbor Springs and drive north.

How long does the Tunnel of Trees drive take?

Without closures, about 40 minutes driven straight through at the posted 45 mph limit, or 2 to 3 hours with stops. With the current detours in place, budget 3 to 4 hours to see both the Good Hart side and Cross Village.

Are dogs allowed at the Tunnel of Trees nature preserves?

Not at the two best-known ones. Little Traverse Conservancy prohibits dogs at both Woollam Family Nature Preserve and Thorne Swift Nature Preserve to protect nesting birds. Check the Conservancy’s preserve rules before bringing a dog to any property along M-119.

When is the best time to drive the Tunnel of Trees?

Fall color typically peaks in the second and third weeks of October and is the most popular time. Spring trillium blooms in late April and May are beautiful and far less crowded. Summer offers the fullest canopy. Weekdays are significantly less crowded than weekends, which matters more than usual while detours are routing traffic onto narrow county roads.

Can you still see the tree canopy with the road closed?

Yes. The stretch of M-119 running north out of Harbor Springs as far as Terpening Road is open and fully canopied, and it includes some of the densest tree cover on the whole route. You lose the middle section and the continuous run to Cross Village, not the canopy itself.

Where can I check current Tunnel of Trees road conditions?

Two places. The MDOT MiDrive map shows live state highway closures, and the Petoskey Area Visitors Bureau maintains a Tunnel of Trees closure page listing which businesses are open on each side of the barricades. Check both the morning you travel, because the detour boundaries have shifted more than once.

Is there a fee to drive the Tunnel of Trees?

No. M-119 is a public state highway with no toll or pass required, and the Little Traverse Conservancy preserves along it are free to enter with no parking fee. Sturgeon Bay sits inside Wilderness State Park, which does require a Michigan Recreation Passport for vehicle entry.

Can RVs drive the Tunnel of Trees?

No. M-119 is narrow and winding with tight bends, thin shoulders, and long stretches with no painted centerline. It is not suitable for RVs, trailers, or large vehicles even when fully open, and the current detour roads are no better.