The Tunnel of Trees: Good Hart and Cross Village

One of the most beautiful drives in America runs through this stretch of Emmet County: the Tunnel of Trees, a narrow, winding 20-mile run of M-119 north from Harbor Springs along a high bluff over Lake Michigan. The road threads through a dense canopy of hardwoods — a carpet of white trillium in spring, blazing color in fall — with the lake flashing through the trees. The townships it passes through (Friendship, Readmond, and Cross Village) are quiet, wooded, and largely undeveloped.

Along the way is Good Hart, a tiny hamlet of just a few buildings anchored by the beloved Good Hart General Store, a grocery-bakery-post-office that’s been a landmark since the 1930s. At the north end sits Cross Village, an old Odawa settlement once known as L’Arbre Croche, “the crooked tree.” It’s home to Legs Inn, a famous Polish restaurant built of stone and timber, and to small galleries and Lake Michigan beaches. This whole shore has deep Native American roots.

For buyers, this is some of the most scenic — and tightly held — property in northern Michigan. Lots are wooded and private, shoreline is rare and pricey, and there are few services nearby, so people come here for quiet and beauty rather than convenience. Homes are on wells and septic (see the well-and-septic note), and on the narrow, shoulderless road, think carefully about your driveway and winter access.