Topic
The Great Outdoors
From Great Lakes shoreline to waterfalls, trails, state parks, and quiet two-tracks, Michigan was made for getting outside. These notes connect the outdoor places to the communities around them.
From the Porch
Notes from this topic.
Porch Note
Black Lake and the sturgeon season
Black Lake anchors northeast Cheboygan County and hosts Michigan's only lake-sturgeon spearing season.
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Bois Blanc, the island time forgot
Bois Blanc Island is a remote, wooded Mackinac County island with dirt roads, state forest, inland lakes, and quiet shoreline.
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Cheboygan State Park and the Lake Huron shore
Cheboygan State Park gives Benton Township a quiet Lake Huron shoreline, with beach, woods, camping, and the old Cheboygan Point Light site.
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Clear Lake State Park
Clear Lake State Park north of Atlanta offers a clear spring-fed lake, camping, paddling, fishing, ORV access, and elk-country quiet.
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Fishing Sleeping Bear: Lakes, Fish, and the Rules That Matter
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore holds more than 90 native fish species and some great fishing spots — here's what licenses and permits you'll need, and which waters are worth your time.
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Forty Mile Point and the Hoeft shore
Rogers Township's Lake Huron shore includes P.H. Hoeft State Park, the Huron Sunrise Trail, and the Forty Mile Point Lighthouse.
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Glen Lake: Two Depths, One Glacial Story
Glacier-carved Glen Lake sits inside Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, split into a 130-foot-deep Big Glen and a shallow Little Glen, with public access for swimming, paddling, and fishing at the Little Glen Lake Picnic Area.
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Harsens Island and the St. Clair Flats
Harsens Island in Clay Township sits in the St. Clair Flats, a remarkable freshwater delta of marshes, canals, wildlife, and freighter views.
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Lake Leelanau: Two Basins, One Lake
Lake Leelanau runs as two connected basins — North Lake Leelanau near Leland and South Lake Leelanau — joined by the Lake Leelanau Narrows before draining to Leland's waterfront at M-22.
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Lewiston and the Twin Lakes
Lewiston and the Twin Lakes anchor Montmorency County's southwest resort country, with lakefront, golf, fishing, and four-season recreation.
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Loda Lake: the only wildflower sanctuary in a national forest
Loda Lake is a national-forest wildflower sanctuary north of White Cloud, with an easy trail through woods, lake edge, and marsh.
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Michigan's first rail-trail
Hart is the northern end of the William Field Memorial Hart-Montague Trail, Michigan's first paved rail-trail.
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Mullett Lake, Burt Lake, and the resort towns
Burt Lake and Mullett Lake anchor Cheboygan County's Inland Waterway lake country, with Indian River, Topinabee, and two state parks.
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Naubinway, the top of Lake Michigan
Naubinway is a tiny Garfield Township fishing community known as the northernmost town on Lake Michigan.
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New Era's farm country
New Era sits beside Oceana County farm-country destinations like Lewis Adventure Farm & Zoo and Country Dairy.
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Newaygo and the Muskegon River
Newaygo grew up on the Muskegon River and is still one of the county's main gateways for tubing, paddling, fishing, and river parks.
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Ocqueoc Falls, the Lower Peninsula's biggest waterfall
Ocqueoc Falls is the Lower Peninsula's largest waterfall, a family-friendly swimming spot, and an accessible state-forest destination.
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Onaway State Park on Black Lake
Onaway State Park gives North Allis Township a historic Black Lake shoreline park with CCC-era stonework, camping, beach, and wooded trails.
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St. Clair's riverfront
St. Clair's riverfront offers Palmer Park's boardwalk, close-up freighter watching, and the restored St. Clair Inn.
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The Brown Trout Festival
Alpena's Michigan Brown Trout Festival brings a long-running Thunder Bay fishing tournament and summer waterfront events to the city each July.
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The High Country Pathway and the sinkhole country
The High Country Pathway crosses Montmorency County through remote state forest and ties toward the sinkhole country near the Presque Isle line.
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The Inland Waterway
Cheboygan is the Lake Huron doorway to the Inland Waterway, Michigan's longest connected chain of inland lakes and rivers.
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The Lake Michigan shore and the Cut River Bridge
Brevort anchors a quiet Lake Michigan shore of US-2 beaches, dunes, Hiawatha National Forest, and the nearby Cut River Bridge.
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The Les Cheneaux Islands
Clark Township is the gateway to the Les Cheneaux Islands, a sheltered Lake Huron boating and cottage region.
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The Pere Marquette: where America's brown trout began
The Pere Marquette River near Baldwin is where brown trout were first planted in American waters, and it remains one of Michigan's great trout streams.
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The Port Huron to Mackinac sailboat race
Every July, Port Huron hosts the start of the Bayview Mackinac Race and its Boat Week celebration.
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The Silver Lake sand dunes
Silver Lake State Park in Golden Township is the only place east of the Mississippi where the public can drive private vehicles on open sand dunes.
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The sinkhole country
Rockport and the karst country north of Alpena reveal sinkholes, disappearing water, fossils, and dark-sky shoreland.
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The Sinkholes Pathway and karst country
The Sinkholes Pathway near Shoepac Lake shows off Presque Isle County's karst country, deep forest, and unusual collapsed limestone terrain.
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The Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail
The only bike trail in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore — about 22 miles of mostly paved path through rolling hills, dunes, and forest, open to cyclists, walkers, and winter skiers.
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Thompson's Harbor State Park
Thompson's Harbor State Park protects a wild Lake Huron shoreline in Krakow Township, with quiet trails, dwarf lake iris, cabins, and dark skies.
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White Cloud and the North Country Trail
White Cloud is a North Country Trail town on the edge of the Manistee National Forest, with easy access to hiking, rivers, and lakes.
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Wolverine and the Sturgeon River
Wolverine and the surrounding Nunda and Wilmot township countryside sit on the fast, trout-filled Sturgeon River.
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Caberfae Peaks: Michigan's oldest ski resort
Caberfae Peaks opened in 1937 in the Manistee National Forest and remains Michigan's oldest ski resort.
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Ludington State Park and the Big Sable Point Light
Ludington State Park stretches between Lake Michigan and Hamlin Lake, with dunes, trails, beach, river paddling, and the Big Sable Point Light.
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The Manistee River and the Hodenpyl backwater
The upper Manistee River and Hodenpyl backwater make the Mesick area a quiet Wexford County gateway to big woods, trout, and paddling.
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The Muskegon headwaters and the Dead Stream country
Eastern Missaukee is Muskegon River headwaters country, with Reedsburg Dam, Dead Stream Flooding, and state forest land.
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Arcadia Dunes and the southern corner
Arcadia Dunes, Watervale, orchards, and quiet farm country define Benzie's southwestern corner.
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Arcadia: the bluffs, the dunes, and a famous flyer
Arcadia's Lake Michigan bluffs, golf course, dunes, marsh, and Harriet Quimby history shape the far northwest corner of Manistee County.
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Bear Lake, Copemish, and the countryside
Northern and inland Manistee County mixes Bear Lake, old railroad villages, Manistee Lake, farms, and wooded acreage.
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Crystal Lake
Crystal Lake is Benzie County's clear, deep centerpiece, with prized shore property in Benzonia, Crystal Lake, and Lake townships.
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Grand Traverse Bay and cherry country
Grand Traverse Bay, Old Mission Peninsula, cherries, orchards, and wineries shape the county's bay-shore townships.
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Inland Leelanau: Cedar, Maple City, and the farm country
Cedar, Maple City, orchards, vineyards, farms, and wooded acreage define the quieter inland side of Leelanau County.
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Long Lake
Long Lake is Grand Traverse County's largest inland lake, with wooded islands, loon habitat, and in-demand lakefront west of Traverse City.
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Onekama and Portage Lake
Onekama's Portage Lake harbor, Lake Michigan beaches, and famous 1871 Cut make it a classic Manistee County resort community.
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Point Betsie and the south end of Sleeping Bear
Point Betsie, Platte Bay, and the lower Platte River anchor Benzie's wild Lake Michigan shore.
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Sleeping Bear Dunes
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore protects Leelanau's dunes, Glen Lake gateways, trails, and scarce private property near the park.
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The Leelanau wine peninsula and the bay shore
The Leelanau Peninsula's Grand Traverse Bay shore, vineyards, orchards, Suttons Bay, Peshawbestown, and Greilickville shape this side of the county.
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The Manistee River and the National Forest
Eastern Manistee County is big-woods country shaped by the Manistee River, national forest land, fishing, paddling, and cabins.
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Thompsonville and Crystal Mountain
Crystal Mountain, the Betsie River headwaters, and wooded resort country shape southeast Benzie County.
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Torch Lake's south end and the Rapid River
Clearwater and Rapid River townships are Kalkaska County's Chain of Lakes corner, with Torch Lake, Lake Skegemog, and the Rapid River.
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Trout rivers, the state forest, and the gas country
Kalkaska County's rural interior is shaped by trout-stream headwaters, state forest land, and northern Michigan oil and gas history.
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Whitewater Township and Lake Skegemog
Whitewater Township connects Williamsburg, Turtle Creek Casino, Lake Skegemog, Elk Lake, and the Chain of Lakes side of Grand Traverse County.
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A four-season outdoor county
Osceola County offers state forest land, rivers, rail-trails, hunting, paddling, snowmobiling, and the Evart motorcycle trail.
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Alcona's forest interior and the Au Sable
Alcona's inland townships are Huron National Forest country, with the Au Sable, Alcona Pond, Alcona Park, and quiet public land.
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Boyne Mountain and Boyne Falls
Boyne Mountain makes Boyne Valley Township and Boyne Falls a four-season ski, golf, waterpark, and resort-property area.
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Crawford County's forests and public land
Crawford County's public forests, sandy trails, and wooded parcels shape the county outside Grayling and the rivers.
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Elk country: the Pigeon River Country State Forest
The Pigeon River Country State Forest is Otsego County's Big Wild, with elk, backcountry roads, trails, rivers, and quiet public land.
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Gladwin County is built for the outdoors
Gladwin and Beaverton work as hubs for state forest land, trails, rivers, lakes, and four-season recreation.
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Hartwick Pines State Park
Hartwick Pines State Park preserves old-growth white pine, logging history, trails, lakes, and a paved link to Grayling.
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Inland Arenac: rivers, woods, and the Rifle
Inland Arenac County is shaped by the Rifle, Au Gres, and Pine rivers, state forest, hunting, paddling, and rural space.
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Inland Emmet: Alanson, Pellston, and the Inland Waterway
Littlefield, Maple River, McKinley, Center, and Springvale townships are Emmet County's quieter inland side, with Alanson, Pellston, and the Inland Waterway.
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Inland Iosco: the Huron National Forest and the quiet west
Inland Iosco is forest, trails, hunting country, and the quieter west-side communities around M-65.
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Lake Charlevoix
Lake Charlevoix anchors summer life, boating, fishing, and waterfront buying across seven Charlevoix County townships.
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Lake living in Mecosta County
Mecosta County lake buyers should ask about assessments, wells and septic systems, and legal lake levels.
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Little Traverse Bay and Petoskey stones
Little Traverse Bay anchors Petoskey and Harbor Springs, with premium shoreline and classic Petoskey-stone hunting.
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Living on Higgins Lake: deep, cold, and famously clear
Higgins Lake is a deep, clear, premium lakefront market in Gerrish, Lyon, and Markey townships.
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Living on Houghton Lake: Michigan's biggest inland lake
Houghton Lake is Michigan's largest inland lake, a shallow year-round resort lake with sewer and lake-board details buyers should check.
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Living on Hubbard Lake
Hubbard Lake is Alcona County's big inland-lake market, spanning Alcona, Caledonia, and Hawes townships.
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Living on Lake St. Helen
Lake St. Helen is Roscommon County's east-side all-sports lake, with legal lake levels and special assessments to ask about.
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Living on the Lake Huron shore in Alcona County
Alcona County's Lake Huron shore brings harbors, beaches, parks, fishing, dark skies, and Great Lakes buyer basics.
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Living on the Lake Huron shore in Iosco County
Iosco County's Lake Huron shore centers on Tawas Bay, sandy beaches, harbors, and shoreline-buyer basics.
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