Why This Tiny Street to Nowhere in Northern Michigan is ‘Million Dollar Road’

That's a lonely stretch of road in Michigan's Upper Peninsula that appears to be a patch of pavement that's worth investing in.

A short stretch of road named Million Dollar Road runs west from Lake Michigan north of Menominee.

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Drive 9 miles north from Menominee along the shores Lake Michigan on M-35 and you'll encounter Million Dollar Road. So why Million Dollar Road? That's a great question and one without an immediate answer.

Does the road have a million dollar view? The road does end at Lake Michigan's Green Bay. It's a nice view, but million dollar's worth? That would be in the eye of the beholder but the view to the east over Green Bay looks like many Great Lakes vistas.

The road extends inland for about 5 miles though vastly dense woods.

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There are very few website hits when searching Million Dollar Road in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Other than real estate listings, there's little more. Similarly, on Menominee local Facebook groups, there's nothing to glean about the road with the memorable name.

When searching Million Dollar Road, a much more famous route comes up, Million Dollar Highway in Colorado. This stretch of US 550 passes through a scenic pass of the Rocky Mountains. The name of that road is disputed: the million dollar views, an estimate of a million dollars-a-mile to build or a dare that drivers wouldn't travel the steep winding road for a million dollars.

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