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I think it's widely acknowledged that the Upper Midwest is blessed with immense beauty. But which is most beautiful? Which would you prefer to visit? Where would a National Geographic photographer go first?
While this thread is focused on nature, you can factor in towns and cities in these states as well (aka you can like Minnesota's scenery because it's so close to Duluth, or the same for Michigan and Traverse City).
I'm a parks and bikes person if the Ocean and Mountains aren't an option. I'd go Minnesota personally since it excels in both biking and parks. Minneapolis is probably the most park friendly city in the U.S.
Michigan and Wisconsin are close. Missouri is definitely after that when one considers the whole Midwest, in my opinion. There are some nice areas of Minnesota, but there’s also a lot of flat plains, so it doesn’t really rise to the top, in my years of experience living in the Midwest.
Michigan gets points for the most Great Lakes shoreline.
Wisconsin is no slouch.
Minnesota’s north woods and north shore are also pretty great.
They’re all good for biking and parks. Missouri’s been mentioned, but it’s not on the same level as the others because for those things. Also, it’s weather is more unpredictable with very hot summers. I wouldn’t plan a vacation in Missouri unless I lived there again or in an adjacent state.
Of the three in question I’m partial to Wisconsin but can’t decide which one to vote for.
Michigan, both in quantity and quality. No knocks against either Wisconsin or Minnesota, but there is just a lot more land area in Michigan that fits the description described by the OP.
I think a much larger percentage of Minnesota is comprised of farmland, and thus you can almost exclude everything Southwest of I-94. The southern parts of MI and WI also fit that agricultural description, but they also compose a much smaller % of those state’s land area. Michigan also has a lot more miles of Great Lakes shoreline. By pure math, it is hard to argue a Michigan doesn’t win in the quantity of square miles of “outdoorsy” category.
As far as quality, it gets more debatable. I would argue the most beautiful spot is the Sleeping Bear Dunes area (Michigan). My number two and thee are Isle Royale and Pictured Rocks, both also Michigan. Rounding out the next 5 in no particular order are Apostle Islands (WI), Door County (WI), Boundry Waters (MN), Taquamenon Falls (MI), and Keweenaw Peninsula (MI).
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