This Rare Road Sign is the Most Photo Worthy In Michigan

Driving along the roads in Michigan there is one particular sign that may cause you to pull over and snap a picture. If you do, you'll join a long line of travelers who couldn't resist this sign.

You may be thinking the sign we're talking about is the ubiquitous Pure Michigan signs found at the state lines. While they, like all state line signs, are popular (there's even a Facebook group dedicated to the subject), these signs are hundreds of miles from a state border and only found one place in Michigan

The Popularity of 45th Parallel Signs on Michigan Roads

The Michigan road signs you'll find most popular on social media are the rare signs posted at the 45th parallel of latitude. The signs mark the point that is halfway between the equator and north pole. Michigan is fortunate enough to be in the correct geographic position to have the 45th parallel across the state.

The photo above is along US 23 near Alpena with Lake Huron as the backdrop, the first 45th Parallel sign in the state going east to west.

The 45th also passes just south of Gaylord. It's not just state roads that mark the significant line. This sign is along a county road:

The 45th Parallel passes through fields north of Mancelona on US 131.

Along US 31 the line cuts through Torch Lake.

Michigan's Upper Peninsula does not have any 45th Parallel signs as the line passes through Wisconsin, just south of the Peninsula's southernmost point at Menominee.

So next time your travels take you through Northern Michigan, whichever road you're taking be on the lookout for the 45th Parallel signs and commemorate the moment you were halfway between the North Pole and the Equator.

And while you're exploring the highways and byways of Michigan, these are the roads you want to scope out.