Adventures around Traverse City

Category: Beach

Hiking and Nachos

Those are a few of my favorite things, and I was able to do both on Tuesday. Despite a smokey evening because of the Canadian wildfires, it was time to get outside.

I visited the Lost Lake Pathway for the second time this year. From my house on the Leelanau Peninsula, there isn’t a straight and easy way to get there, having to come around Long Lake and passing through a neighborhood, but it’s worth it, especially this time of year. With the summer crowds having arrived in Traverse City, I spend more of my time heading north and west onto the peninsula than east into town or to the east bay.

Lost Lake Pathways map

Lost Lake has a very “Up North” feel. The trail is sandy and winds through a pine forest with plenty of ferns for ground cover. And it also felt like Up North because of the mosquitoes. They have been a mostly unfelt presence this year because of the lack of rain, but recent storms have apparently refilled the mosquito ponds, so they were out in force and looking for blood. Literally. So if you plan on spending time in the north woods, I recommend a head netting to keep the bugs away from your face.

Lost Lake trail

After the exercise portion of my night, it was time to replenish those burnt calories, so it was to Rico’s I went. This was my first time there and I was pleased with everything. The beef nachos were good and a nice amount of food. You can see my giant beer in the background, in this case a Summer Fling by Ludington Bay Brewing Co. I hadn’t tried this one before and it’s one I would have again. The people were nice and there were zero of the gaudy colorful flags you too often see around TC, especially in June, just a nice place for a meal.

Nachos at Rico's

My evening ended with a beer at Fresh Coast Beer Works to visit my mug – I have not spent enough time with it recently – and a walk along the way to see the waning summer light over Leelanau. Not a bad day.

Sunset over Leelanau

A Quiet Morning at Good Harbor

A lot of people head south for Spring Break. But why? Leelanau County has many beautiful beaches to choose from, such as Good Harbor:

Good Harbor beach

Yes, perhaps the 40-degree temperature of last weekend was not quite what you would like, but there is plenty of space to lay out your blanket, and the views are incredible. And the peace and quiet – priceless.

As an added bonus, Good Harbor also has hiking trails nearby. It has been a little windy as of late, and several trees didn’t make it through, but you can practice your Limbo ability. Or just walk around – whatever you feel like:

Good Harbor trails

Again, if peace and quiet is your thing, these trails are calling. Even in the summer they are not too busy. Just remember to bring your Sleeping Bear pass – this is part of the national lakeshore.

Sleeping Bear trails

A New Year’s Day Hike at Maplehurst

Happy New Year! I hope your celebration involved lots of fun whether or not it involved champagne. For you playing at home, mine did. And wine at Bluestone and Rove. And cocktails at Mammoth. It was a fun evening.

I like to hit the trails on New Year’s Day. We had company – and the day was a gray, drizzly mess – so I didn’t go for too long of a walk, but did have a shorter on at the Lake Ann Pathway. But as my office was closed to observe the holiday on the 2nd – well, a day late is better than nothing. And the day was gray and drizzly, just gray.

My day started quite well. It only took 15 minutes to get from my West Bay home to Acme which is almost unheard of – apparently, I wasn’t the only one with the day off.  I continued my way up through Elk Rapids to Maplehurst. This trail has a special place in my heart, becoming a favorite when we spent our first five months in the Traverse City area on the East Bay and on Eighth Street.  It’s a bit of a drive now from my Leelanau Peninsula house, but if I have the time, I do like to make the trip. The land was a summer camp for over 50 years before closing in 2011 and later being purchased and used as a park.

Maplehurst trail

The trails were nearly empty which makes me happy – I was walking an hour before I finally saw anyone else. The big snows of a week ago (those two feet just before Christmas) were nearly gone, though the parts of the trail were a slippery mess because of all the mud. But the views of Torch Lake were still nice.

Torch Lake

My hour-and-a-half walk concluded, I stopped by the roadside cairn on Cairn Highway, a most-appropriately named road. The cairn is made from stones from each of Michigan’s 82 counties and sits on the 45th parallel.

Cairn

And I took pictures of the two counties I have lived, just for fun – my current one, Leelanau, and the one I lived in while in Haslett, Clinton County.

Clinton County rock

Leelanau County means “Land of Delight”. Well, it actually doesn’t. Henry Schoolcraft, who was responsible for many of the county names in Michigan, like the sound of the word and named a county after it.

Clinton County rock

Clinton County is named after DeWitt Clinton, the seventh governor of New York, and a presidential candidate. And we have a county in Michigan named after him. Go figure.

You know what places don’t have a lot of people during the winter? Beaches. They are nice places to walk, and just north of Elk Rapids is Old Bathing Beach. No, seriously – it is on Google Maps. As it was on US-31 on my way home, I stopped for a walk on the partially frozen beach for a nice view of Old Mission across the bay.

Old Mission

And there were these neat little ice balls floating between the beach and the frozen swells of the bay.

Ice balls

It was a good start to the year, and I hope I get the opportunity to go on many more.

The new sand for the volleyball courts has arrived:

Sand!

This was taken two days ago, and the posts have been restored, though as of this morning the nets were not back. Should be soon. The sand is a softer type, and shouldn’t retain heat like the old stuff did. 

In other volleyball news, The Ticker reported that despite approval for two new courts, the city manager said they would have to revisit the discussion because of not too much land. True, there isn’t a lot of space, but there is enough space for two more courts between the existing courts and the parking lot. No one would miss though scrub bushes occupying the space now.

Volleyball map

I like being on the move a lot. My daughter plays volleyball all year round – during the fall, it’s school volleyball, so we travel amongst the northern town. During the winter and spring, club volleyball takes us to many places in the state (Detroit, Grand Rapids) and beyond (Indiana). And during the summer, it is beach volleyball. So it for that reason we were at Grand Haven State Park for a day at the beach. Though there was not much swimming, there was a lot of sun and sand – about eight hours’ worth of them.

There is one lesson I learned from our time there – get there early. Arriving on a Sunday morning around 8:30, there were plenty of spots. By 10:30, there were lines out to the road trying to get in, and they never stopped. When we left at 4:00, there were still lines out to the road. If you are hoping to spend a day at the beach, get there early. And hope there isn’t a volleyball tournament – we take up a lot of room.

Grand Haven beach

Though most of the day was spent watching matches, we did get a smidge of swim time. I also took a trip to the lighthouse. There has been a lighthouse in Grand Haven since 1839, though the current lighthouse is from 1893. It’s a pleasant walk to the end of the pier, but watch out when you reach the end. The concrete was very slick with algae. I recommend shuffling to avoid a spill.

Grand Haven lighthouse

I had never spent much time in Grand Haven during my youth – we just weren’t a lake-going family, which has changed since I have become an adult. But I can see why so many people make the trip – the beach is huge and even with the enormous amount of people there, plenty of room on the sand and the water was available. I don’t understand the appeal of the campground, though. No trees provide shade, just a bunch of concrete spots, one next to the other, like an RV parking lot. But to each their own.

This summer, the beach house is closed, so you’ll have to make do with the port-a-potties. There were lots, so no problem there. Because the snack bar is also closed, there were three food trucks if you don’t feel like buying your own food. And on your way out of time, stop at the Dairy Treat for some ice cream before your beach day is done.

Dairy Treat, Grand Haven

Deepwater Point, a quiet Traverse City beach

We have been enjoying our time in Williamsburg, on the East Bay, the first of two temporary homes before our final one is completed in November. Our time of departure grows near – Monday – and we have been taking advantage of the nearby beaches. East Bay Beach and Maple Bay Natural Area are two that are quite close, the former is walkable and the latter is only a 7-minute drive from our condo at Grand Traverse Resort.

I lesser known beach is Deepwater Point, at the end of Shore Road, just north of the US 31 – M 72 intersection. A small dirt parking lot sits at the curve in the road with trails leading back through the stands of pines and spruce. The great things about these trees is the needles they shed – walking through pine forests is like walking on carpet. And if you need to sneak away from zombies, they’ll never hear your footsteps. Deepwater Point

There are multiple paths in this small park. The most direct way to the water is next to this mysterious gate. It’s locked, and I don’t really know what it is guarding, but a path leads around it and heads to the beach. Some thoughtful people have arranged boards over the muckier parts of the trail.

Mysterious Gate

It’s a short walk to the bay, with postage stamp-sized beaches stuck between the water and the trees. In drier years, there may be more sand space, but this year, there is room for a few beach towels and little else. It’s not possible to walk along the water – you will have to walk in the water.

Beach

The water deepens gradually, with a sandy bottom and few rocks – it’s a nice area to swim. The water is pleasant the views of Old Mission on the East Bay area of Traverse are within sight. And with no crowds – there isn’t any room for them – it is a semi-private swimming experience. You may see a pontoon anchored nearby, but this isn’t one of the more popular beaches – enjoy the quiet.

Deepwater Point view

Weekend in Pentwater

Pentwater

We all have those spots that are special to us, and Pentwater is one such spots for us. We first started going to the area (as a family) when my daughter was very young. We would rent a cottage south of town in Shelby and make trips into Pentwater and Silver Lake and other great beach towns in the area.

This year, we were coming to Pentwater from our new home in Traverse City, taking a break from our home in a resort town to visit a resort town. We stayed at the Channel Lane Inn, just across the street from the channel that connects Pentwater Lake with Lake Michigan. If you enjoy watching boats, this is a good place to sit and relax. It is also a great place for a stroll or, in my daughter’s case, a smooth ride on a skateboard.

Channel

The big draw of the town is Mears State Park – specifically, the beach. The beach is large and the water is shallow enough to wade quite a ways before being over your head. (I’m 6’2″, and despite being fairly distant from shore, I didn’t go out far enough to be completely submerged.) It’s one of those beautiful beaches that the eastern shore of Lake Michigan is known for, and despite the crowds , there is always a spot of open sand.

If you are not in the mood for the big-crowd scene of the main beach, a narrow strip of sand runs north along the shore. This strip has gotten even narrower in recent years, but there are still plenty of space for a beach blanket and cooler.

Mears State Park

I’ve noticed a trend lately, from time spent at Pentwater, Traverse City, and visiting friends in Port Huron – the boat invasion. As you sit on the beach, enjoying a clear view of the lake and horizon, here come the boats to anchor as close as they possibly can to your spot. Nothing says relaxing day at the beach better than wall-to-wall boats, each with their own playlist. Is there a place online I can purchase torpedoes? Asking for a friend.

Downtown Pentwater is made for shopping. If you’re in the mood for lake-related knick knacks, you are in the right spot. T-shirts and ice cream can be found is large amounts. Which is not to say you can’t buy nice things – there are several shops with high-quality stuff, several of which we visited and to which we made a generous contribution. Also, Cenzo’s, the local market, has ready-made sandwiches to take to the beach if you’d prefer to limit your fried food intake, at least for one meal.

If you’re there early enough, you will not be able to buy much – perhaps coffee – but it is peaceful.

Downtown Pentwater   

I want to single out one store, Storybook Village. This children’s book and toy store where 6th Street curves and turns north into Hancock Street, Storybook Village was the favorite place for us to buy books when my daughter (now a teenager) was younger. These are not your normal kids books, but really interesting stories with nice artwork, many of which you will not find in a big chain bookstore. If you have young children in the circle of people you buy for, definitely give SV a visit.

And my personal favorite way to end the day in Pentwater is with a sunset over the lake. Sunset over water just never seem to get old.

Pentwater Sunset

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