Applying the term "cities" to anything in the U.P. could cause some laughter. It is mostly rural, with a few large towns, and Marquette tipping the scales at just under 20,000. Due to its rural nature, those downstate sometimes find no reason to visit the region. The population is generally of Northern-European heritage, though there are certainly exceptions, including a substantial Native American population. The U.P. is very similar in topography to Finland and therefore a large Finnish-American population in the region is not surprising. Most towns were formed as mining or logging operations in the nineteenth century, and have not seen much economic success since those days. There are several ski resorts which offer some of the best skiing and snowboarding in the Midwest (including a substantial snowcover) thanks to Lake Superior located in the U.P. A good example of the heritage of the area is preserved at Fayette Historic State Park south on 183 from US-2. For a taste of one of the most remote, wild and rural places east of the Mississippi, head to the U.P., a world of its own!
"Say ya to da UP, eh?" This is the UP's answer to the state tourism office's slogan "Say Yes to Michigan!"
Yoopers (inhabitants of Upper Michigan) have an accent with a Canada-meets-the-Midwest flavor. "Ya" and "eh" are the most well-known and often mocked of the colloquial slang. "Eh" (''ay'') is often appended to statements to turn them into a question or to ask for agreement, much like in stereotypical Canadian usage.
In the Western U.P., the accent is more attributed to Finnish influence rather than Canadian. After all, Detroit is closer to Canada, ey? In Finnish, the expression of "ey" means "no" in much the same sense as the English appendage "isn't it?" or the general-purpose French "n'est pas?" Also, a lot of Yoopers tend to drop their prepositions; the Finnish language doesn't use them. So, to ask if we are going to Green Bay, for example, it is rendered in the vernacular as "We go Green Bay, ey?"
Many of the town names have a distinctive lilt to them, such as Escanaba (ES kuh NAH bah), Ishpeming (ISH peh ming), or Ontonagon (ON tuh NAH gun).
The most scenic route from the lower peninsula would be US-31 along the coast of Lake Michigan over the Mackinac (pronounced mack-in-aw) Bridge and through St. Ignace.
Access from Wisconsin is most common through US-45 (central), US-141 (central-eastern), US-41 (far eastern) or US-2 (western). US-41 and US-2 are probably the most scenic choices.
You need a car, unless you are sailing. If it is winter you need to be prepared to drive on snow and ice. Snow tires and four-wheel drive would be helpful, as snowfall and drifting can get quite deep. Driving at night during a snow storm can be dangerous, especially because of the distance between towns with gas stations that stay open late. Be prepared to pull over and wait out storms; keeping a warm blanket in the back seat for this purpose is a very good idea. On the bright side, motels are cheap, if they haven't been abandoned.
There is very little public transit in the UP.
The pre-eminent scenic east-west route in the Upper Peninsula is US-2 along the northern shore of Lake Michigan. It follows the coastline very closely for miles and there are several areas in which you can pull off and park to access the beach directly, especially close to St. Ignace. M-28 also runs along the Lake Superior shore for long stretches, especially as you get close to Marquette, but contains the infamous "Seney Stretch", a segment of two-lane highway west of Seney, without a curve, bump in the road, or turn-off for 34 miles.
Large tracts of the Upper Peninsula are devoted to national forests, and are not breathtakingly scenic, although they do have their charm. An example of this would be M-28 through much of the central portion of the UP. However, for camping opportunities and the outdoors, M-28 leads to some extraordinary finds, as it passes through both Hiawatha National Forest and Ottawa National Forest. Another recommendation is going from M-28 to 94 through the Seney National Wildlife Refuge. Sticking to the posted "circle tours" and following roads close to the lakes are probably your best bet for scenic road trips.
During the winter months snowmobiling across much of the UP is possible and trails are maintained.
Road and off-road mountain biking is getting more and more popular. Wear bright colors!
The most dangerous situations you can encounter in the Upper Peninsula are often weather related. During the long winter season, major snow events and subzero temperatures are fairly common. Snowfall totals from large storms are often measured in feet, not inches, especially in the Western UP. While the locals cope very well with all the snow, it is NOT a good idea to attempt to travel if heavy snows are possible. Even with a four wheel drive vehicle you may get stuck. Pack your car/SUV/truck for such an event if you do head out! (Including a cell phone, bankets, food and water, a snowshovel, flares, kitty litter and snowchains for your tires.)
Trips to Ontario, northern Wisconsin, or northeastern Minnesota are nice complements to a trip to the Upper Peninsula if you would like to continue to explore the Lake Superior coastline.
Eastern Wisconsin, northeastern Illinois, and the lower peninsula of Michigan can make for a good addition to a trip based around Lake Michigan.