The Jordan Valley and Antrim's wooded interior

East and south of the lakes, Antrim County turns quiet and green. This is the inland side — big stretches of the Mackinaw State Forest, rolling wooded hills, and small farm towns, a world away from the busy lakeshore. It’s also the most affordable part of the county, where you can still find acreage and elbow room.

The scenic heart of it is the Jordan River Valley. The Jordan rises from cold springs in the county’s northeast hills and was the very first river in Michigan named to the state’s Natural Rivers program, protected from dams and development. It’s famous for brook trout and quiet canoe trips, and the Jordan River Pathway winds through the valley to Deadman’s Hill, a high overlook with one of the best views in northern Michigan. Mancelona, on US-131 in the southeast corner, is the main town out here — a practical, working community and a handy base for the state forest and the snowmobile and ORV trails that cross it.

For buyers, the inland townships are about land and privacy more than water frontage. Parcels are larger and prices are gentler, but the rural basics apply: a private well and septic system (see the well-and-septic note), and a good look at where your property lines meet any state forest. It’s a great fit if you want woods, trails, and room to breathe.