From Pellston Regional Airport in Pellston, the surrounding region opens up quickly, with lake towns, ferry docks, and forested shoreline within easy reach. Pellston is a small village at the tip of the Michigan mitten, the gateway to the Straits of Mackinac and the resort towns of Little Traverse Bay. The area is all about water, pine, and summer cottages, with a quieter, snowier side in winter. Up North Michigan starts here.

Standout experiences around Pellston: - Ride a ferry from Mackinaw City to Mackinac Island, where cars are banned and fudge is everywhere - Walk across the Mackinac Bridge on Labor Day or admire it from the shore - Hunt for Petoskey stones along the beaches of Little Traverse Bay - Drive the Tunnel of Trees on M-119 between Harbor Springs and Cross Village - Wander the Gaslight District shops in downtown Petoskey - Hike the dunes and beaches of Wilderness State Park - Tour Colonial Michilimackinac, a reconstructed 1700s fur trading fort - Ski or snowboard at Nubs Nob or Boyne Highlands in winter

Pellston is minutes from everything at the top of the Lower Peninsula. Mackinaw City is 20 minutes north, Petoskey and Harbor Springs are about 25 minutes southwest, and Charlevoix and its stone mushroom houses are 50 minutes away. Cross the bridge and Sault Ste. Marie and the Soo Locks are about 90 minutes north. Order a whitefish dinner and a slice of cherry pie, then watch the sun drop into Lake Michigan. Summer is peak season, but fall color and winter snow are just as good.