Despite its large geographical size, it is easy to get around in West Michigan. Major highways and a lack of heavy traffic means you are rarely more than an hour from the Lake and its sandy beaches, fresh water and quaint shoreline towns.
Highway 131 bisects the region on the north-south axis, connecting Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids to the Mackinac Bridge to the north. I-94, the highway that connects Chicago with Detroit, cuts through the southern portion of the region. Highway 196 runs along the lakeshore from the southwestern corner of the state to Grand Rapids. I-96 connects the lakeshore at Muskegon through Grand Rapids to Lansing, the state capital.
