Beaches, which abound along both sides of the Lower Peninsula, make great spots for picnics. Some are lonely and deserted, some are noisy and crowded, and some are ideal for people to quietly hunt Petoskey stones, the fossilized coral that washes up on Lake Michigan shorelines. The stones, more than 350 million years old, are proof that shallow seas once covered most of the state.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore offers lots of secluded beaches along its 70-some miles of coastline. Northport and Suttons Bay in Leelanau Country, Traverse City, Charlevoix and Petoskey all offer great public beaches for picnics. The same goes for the Tawas area, Rogers City and Cheboygan on the Huron side of the state.

A favorite quiet mountain picnic locale is Avalanche Peak near Boyne City. Located on the south side of town, it offers one of the most panoramic views in the Lower Peninsula. You can see just about all of Lake Charlevoix, which stretches for several miles between Charlevoix and Boyne City, and all the way to Straits of Mackinac, 50 miles to the north. The hike to the top is strenuous, but a set of stairs helps ease the difficulty.