Arcadia: the bluffs, the dunes, and a famous flyer

Along the M-22 scenic route, in the far northwest corner of Manistee County, high bluffs drop straight to Lake Michigan. Up on the bluff tops sits the Arcadia Bluffs Golf Course, a links-style course with wide views of the water that regularly lands on lists of the best public courses in the country.

Just north, straddling the Benzie County line, is Arcadia Dunes: the C.S. Mott Nature Preserve, the largest preserve held by the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy, with miles of trails and the high overlook known as Old Baldy. Down in the valley, the Arcadia Marsh is one of the last Great Lakes coastal marshes in Michigan, with a boardwalk for birdwatching. Arcadia is also remembered as the childhood home of Harriet Quimby, who in 1911 became the first American woman to earn a pilot’s license and in 1912 the first woman to fly across the English Channel; a state historical marker marks the spot.

For buyers, Arcadia offers bluff-top and lake-view property and wooded lots near the preserve, in a quiet corner where the nearest stoplight is a long drive away. Homes here are on wells and septic (see the well-and-septic note).