Some years over 200 inches, with snow on the ground from late November through late April
Tires for sand and snow, with no traction law to satisfy
Michigan writes no traction law, so the choice is entirely yours. The Vehicle Code allows a tire chain of reasonable proportion when snow or ice makes it necessary for safety, as long as the chain does not touch the road surface. Studded tires are effectively off the table: the state police say no manufacturer has shown MDOT that its studs meet the pavement wear standard.
Sand is the reason most people here air down. At the Silver Lake dunes the DNR sets a maximum of 15 psi and recommends 12 to 15, which is a useful benchmark for soft ground anywhere in the state.
Tires are the only part of the vehicle that touches the ground, and on a loaded rig they work close to their limits. A good tire shop starts with load rating and size, then tread. It will also tell you when the tire you want will rub, need different wheels or throw off your gearing.
Expect help with
01Choosing a tire by load, terrain and season
02Wheels with the right offset and load rating
03Mounting, balancing and tire pressure sensors
04A matching full-size spare
05Alignment, rotation and repairs
How to choose tires for overland travel
Tread pattern is the last decision, not the first.
01Match the load rating to your real axle weights, not to the badge on the fender.
02All-terrain tires suit most overland travel. Mud-terrains are louder, heavier and wear faster, and earn it only in real mud and rock.
03Buy five. A matching full-size spare that you rotate in is worth the money when the nearest tire shop is a day away.
04Check the wheels too. Wheels have load ratings, and the wrong offset stresses bearings and rubs.
05Ask whether the shop can move or reprogram your tire pressure sensors.
What to have ready before you ask for a quote
A tire quote is quick when the shop knows what the tire has to carry.
01Vehicle, current tire size and wheel size
02Lift height, if any
03Loaded weight, or a list of what is on the vehicle
04Where you drive most: pavement, gravel, rock, sand, snow
05A budget range for five tires
Questions people ask
What does load range mean?
It describes how much weight a tire can carry at a given pressure. Heavier builds, vans and truck campers usually need a higher load range than the vehicle came with. The tire's sidewall and the placard in the door jamb are the places to start, and a tire shop can work through the numbers with you.
How big can I go?
Every platform has a size that fits at stock height, a size that fits with a modest lift, and a size that needs trimming and gears. Tell the shop your lift and wheels and ask what fits without rubbing at full steering lock and full compression.
Should I air down?
On washboard, sand and rock, lower pressure gives a better ride and more traction and is easier on the vehicle. It also means you need a way to air back up before pavement. How low depends on your tire, your weight and your speed, so ask your tire shop and start conservatively.
How high is Michigan?
From Oscoda at 588 feet to Mount Arvon at 1,979.
Altitude decides what your engine, your brakes and your lungs have to work with, and how late in the year the passes open.
02,000
Feet above sea level
Towns
WatersmeetWhere US 2 meets US 45 in the middle of the Ottawa National Forest. Nearest town to the Sylvania Wilderness and the forest’s highest ground.1,598 ft
IronwoodFar western corner on US 2, at the edge of the Ottawa National Forest. The Ottawa calls it the largest city on the forest boundary, at about 9,000 people. The Black River byway leaves from Bessemer just east.1,503 ft
CadillacSupervisor’s office town for the Huron-Manistee National Forests. The USGS puts the geographic center of Michigan in Wexford County, 5 miles north-northwest of here.1,308 ft
GraylingOn I-75 at the Au Sable River, with state forest road country in every direction and the Huron National Forest to the east.1,135 ft
BaldwinMiddle of the Manistee National Forest, on the Pere Marquette. Sections of the Michigan Cross Country Cycle Trail and the forest’s motorcycle trails run either side of town.837 ft
MarquetteThe largest city in the Upper Peninsula and its main stop for parts, tires and a hospital. Commercial flights serve it, and Munising is about 43 miles east.664 ft
HoughtonKeweenaw Peninsula service town on US 41, and the mainland headquarters for Isle Royale. The Ranger III sails from here and your vehicle stays behind.634 ft
Grand MaraisEast end of County Road H-58 and the Grand Sable Visitor Center. The road east of Adams Trail is not plowed in winter, so this end goes quiet.628 ft
Copper HarborNorth end of US 41 and of the Copper Country Trail byway, 52 miles from Houghton by the Park Service’s reckoning. The other Isle Royale ferry leaves from here.615 ft
Sault Ste. MarieBorder city at the east end of the Upper Peninsula and the start of the Whitefish Bay byway south on the Mackinac Trail, H-63.613 ft
OntonagonOn Lake Superior about 20 miles east of Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, per the DNR. Last real services before the park’s campgrounds and the South Boundary Road.613 ft
MunisingWest gateway to Pictured Rocks and the Hiawatha’s Munising Ranger District. The Grand Island ferry leaves from M-28 about 2.5 miles west of town.607 ft
ManistiqueOn US 2 on the Lake Michigan shore, in the Hiawatha’s Rapid River and Manistique district. Forest Road access to the single rustic lake campsites runs north on M-94.600 ft
Traverse CityLargest town in the northwest Lower Peninsula, on the M-22 byway and about an hour from Sleeping Bear Dunes. Full services before the smaller lakeshore towns.596 ft
St. IgnaceNorth end of the Mackinac Bridge, where I-75, US 2 and M-134 meet. The place to wait out a wind closure rather than sit on the approach.590 ft
OscodaLake Huron end of the River Road National Scenic Byway, where the Au Sable reaches the lake. Eastern gateway to the Huron National Forest.588 ft
Passes, high roads and summits
Mount ArvonThe highest point in Michigan, in Baraga County. Our own reading of the USGS elevation surface at the summit is 1,978 feet1,979 ft
Mount CurwoodA few miles from Arvon and within two feet of it on our reading. The USGS names Arvon as the state high point1,977 ft
Summit PeakHigh ground of Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. Our own reading, because no state page publishes an elevation for it1,956 ft
Pass, road and summit elevations are the figures published by the agency that manages them. Town elevations are the town’s or county’s own
figure where it publishes an exact one; the rest are from the U.S. Geological Survey (3D Elevation Program at the place’s official coordinates),
retrieved September 18, 2026. Every source is listed at the foot of the page.
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