Cheboygan State Park and the Lake Huron shore

Cheboygan isn’t only an inland-lakes county — it has a long Lake Huron coastline, too, and the best way to enjoy it is Cheboygan State Park, a few miles east of town along US-23. The park spreads across Cheboygan Point and wraps around Duncan Bay, with sandy beach, low cedar forest, and miles of quiet shoreline. It’s one of the less-crowded state parks up here, so even in summer you can usually find a stretch of beach to yourself.

There’s history on the point as well. You can hike out to the foundation ruins of the old Cheboygan Point Light, a shore lighthouse that guided ships until the 1930s, and on a clear day you can look across the water and see the Mackinac Bridge. The park has a campground, a few rustic cabins, and trails that thread through the woods and out to the lighthouse site.

For buyers, the Lake Huron side of the county has its own character — a little wilder and more open than the busy inland lakes, with big-water views and freighters passing offshore. As with any waterfront, check how your lot meets the lake and the condition of any older septic system (see the well-and-septic note). You can find the park’s maps and camping at Michigan.gov/DNR.