Montague and Whitehall, Michigan / attractions, lodging, boating, beaches, bicycle trails, food & beverage

July 2018

We stayed at Trailway Campground in Montague for a month starting at the end of June. I am sharing some of our experiences and area finds for future travelers. I have condensed much of the information to keep this post from becoming even longer. Please let me know if you want more details about any places we visited.

Sunset colors over the field behind Trailway Campground

Lodging: Trailway Campground, White Lake Municipal Marina, Elllenwood Landing

We stayed on site 46 at Trailway Campground, which is a pull through site near Montague Foods. This is a grassy site with plenty of shade. All of the sites are grassy, and other than a few tent sites, they all have full hookup. There is one community fire pit, and wood is provided. Although this campground is located in town, it is peaceful. We were not disturbed by any traffic noise during our stay.

Partial view of campground from trailhead parking where we kept our boat

We wanted to leave our boat in the water a couple of times during our stay, so we rented a boat slip two different times: Ellenwood Landing Marina for one night, and White Lake Municipal Marina for two nights. Ellenwood Landing is located across Dowling Street from the campground. This marina has a clubhouse, swimming pool, and hot tub. White Lake Municipal Marina is located next to Goodrich Park in Whitehall, ½ mile away. Both are decent marinas with locked bathhouses and Internet access. The municipal marina does not have the extra amenities that Ellenwood has, and the cost was half as much per night for our 25' boat (Ellenwood $60, Municipal $30).

July 4th fireworks from our slip at White Lake Municipal Marina

We purchased a seasonal nonresident boat launch permit from the city of Montague for $40. We could have gotten the resident rate, if we had been seasonal residents at the campground. There is no overnight trailer parking at the boat launch; we were able to park our boat and/or boat trailer in the bicycle trail parking lot behind Montague Foods. The parking area is visible from campsite 46.   

White Lake Pathway, just south of town in Whitehall, MI

Recreation & attractions: boating, swimming, biking, special events...

The paved bicycle trail alongside the campground runs in three directions: across the road past Ellenwood Marina to Whitbeck road in Montague, north 23 miles to Hart, and south where it connects with the trail into Muskegon. The trail is paved, scenic, and well maintained.

Sunset from the trail crossing the river between Whitehall and Montague

When heading north, there are not many businesses between Montague and Hart. We had lunch at Trailside Restaurant in New Era, and I would not recommend the restaurant. Maybe it is better for breakfast; however, the lunch menu was limited, and not very healthy.

View of Medberry Park from the channel

There are a few beaches in the area: Medberry Park on Lake Michigan (north side of the channel in Montague), Duck Lake State Park in Whitehall (beaches on Lake Michigan and Duck Lake), and you can walk out the pier to access Lake Michigan on the south side of the channel in Whitehall by the White River Light Station.

View of White River Light Station from the channel

There is no charge to walk around White River Light Station or on the pier. The cost to visit the museum inside is $5 for adults, and $2 for children. The lighthouse is open seven days a week for the 2018 season, from May 25, 2018 - October 28, 2018, with shortened hours during the month of October.

Inside Montague Museum; no charge, donations accepted

Other area events and attractions worth visiting: Cruz'in Car Parade from Whitehall to Montague held the last Friday in July, Classic Boat and Car Show in Goodrich Park on Saturday after the car parade, Montague City Museum (an easy walk from town with an amazing view from the hill on Dowling Street along the way), Caboose and MD museums next to the White Lake Visitors Center along the bike trail in Whitehall.

Car parade

Classic car show

Caboose Museum between Visitors Center and MD Museum

Dining, etc.: Book Nook & Java Shop, Dive Restaurant & Bakery, Fetch Brewing, Pub 111 (One Eleven), Buzz's Lakeside Inn...

We loved most all of the restaurants and bars we visited in the area!

Dive Restaurant

In addition to the coffee beverages at The Book Nook, they have a full bar, and local musicians play many evenings. Breakfast at Dive Restaurant was amazing! I suggest arriving before 9 AM to avoid waiting for a table.

View from patio at Fetch Brewing

Fetch Brewing offers outside patio seating. Inside seating includes a loft overhead, and seating in a vault off the main seating area! Pub 111 has great Happy Hour specials, and tacos are $1.50 on Thursdays.

View from patio at Buzz's Lakeside Inn

Buzz's Lakeside Inn is on the southwest end of White Lake. The view is great, and there is a dock for boat parking. We stopped for lunch because we had picked up a coupon booklet at the Visitors Center, and there was a coupon to buy one entree, get one half off. We were surprised when my husband ordered a burger, and the server asked if he wanted it on a bun or rye bread. Although we thought this was odd, my husband decided to go with the rye bread. We were glad we did, because it was amazing! I had the fish basket, which came with a side of rye toast. Apparently, rye bread is one of their specialties. We thought the quality and taste of both items was good, although the prices were a tad high.

Fish basket (what's left of it!) at Buzz's

We stopped at the Ice Box Brand Ice Cream Bars store on Whitehall Road because we had a coupon in the booklet we got from the Visitors Center. The ice cream cost was the same in the store, as at local establishments, except the store also has a large selection of discounted bars for half price.

Seating at Dog 'n Suds with river in background

The view at Dog 'n Suds is nice, and we visited mainly for the nostalgia. They are famous for their root beer, which we tried: regular and sugar-free. The regular root beer was delicious, although the burgers were a disappointment. Still, a great experience.

Here is a link to a post from our visit to this area in 2016 with more information. Feel free to share this post, and let me know if you have any questions!