Elk Rapids, Michigan: marina, recreation, downtown, dining, brewery

August 2021, 2-nights, weekdays

The weather was a bit stormy on our way to Elk Rapids

Edward C. Grace Memorial Harbor marina slips 59 and 61

I was able to make a reservation over the telephone when we decided to visit this marina a couple of days before our stay. When we arrived, we were assigned slip 59. We were not crazy about the slip location when we saw it, as it is right next to the main walkway and seats under the gazebo. We decided to make the best of it; figuring we had been assigned this slip because we have a smaller boat. 

Entrance to Edward C. Grace Memorial Harbor in Elk Rapids

After our first night, we asked if we could move. There were many open slips in the marina, and there were two reasons we did not want to sleep in this same spot again after the first night: There are very bright lights in the gazebo that are on all night. These shone directly into our boat, and we do not have curtains, like many larger boats have. We have a dark screen for our center hatch, but not the rest of the windows. And, there is an electrical transformer on the dock in front of this slip, which hums very loudly. We do not have A/C, so we sleep with all the windows open when it is hot out. The electrical box noise did not bother my husband much (who sleeps through just about anything), although it did keep me awake. We were able to move to slip 61 for our second night, and the evening was much more peaceful. 😊

Edward C. Grace Memorial Harbor in Elk Rapids

Shoreline Photos

click on this photo of the Aruba shoreline to enlarge it

When I created the sunset photo album on Facebook, I had a request to share shoreline photos, as not everyone has had the opportunity to view our beautiful planet from that vantage point. 

The photo at the top of this post is the Aruba shoreline, and you can find more shoreline photos on our Facebook page. I have started two shoreline albums: Shoreline views from Lake Michigan & within the state of Michigan, and Shorelines-Landscape views from the water. The second album contains photos of Alaska, inland US lakes, and the Caribbean.

Since I live in Michigan, I tend to have more shoreline photos from our lakes than other areas, so I made a separate album for those. I may break the second photo album into segments, also, if it gets too large as I add more photos. For now, I have the two albums ~ Enjoy, and please continue to share your requests!

Elk Rapids, Michigan / Honcho Rest Campground

July 2013, Sunday night, Lot 105 with water and electric

Check-in

We arrived shortly after check-in time, and the campground host was ready for us. When I entered the office, he stated my name, and quickly completed the check-in process. He must have known who I was when I entered, because we were the only guests arriving with a truck camper that day. A travel trailer arrived just after us, and they were heading toward the office when we returned to our truck.

Lot 105

 Lot 105 is located along the tree line at the far end of the park. I had requested a lot in this area (#'s 104 - 110) when I called to make a reservation, because that section looked more private. We prefer this to being back to back, and side to side, like the center lots.

Lot 105 is shady, flat, and grassy. The spot where we parked was gravel, and the picnic table was on a concrete slab. The fire pit was located near the back of the lot.

There were not many people camping the night that we stayed, and lot 106 on the west side of our lot, was empty. There was a travel trailer on lot 104 on the other side when we arrived. We observed a couple of people in one of the cabins, although most of the campers in this park appeared to be permanent.

Restrooms and showers

The outside of the restroom and shower building looks like the picture on the Honcho Rest Campground website. In fact, all of the pictures on the website look accurate to me. Each room in the building was a combination toilet and shower room. The bathrooms were not sparkling clean, although they were not filthy either. There were signs posted in both of the restrooms that I used, that made it sound like guests were expected to clean and dry the showers when done. We did not use the showers, so I did not read the note very closely.

Bass Lake

The lake that the campground is on is not very big, and we did not see a beach, unless there is one straight ahead from the campground entrance. We walked out to the water on the dock that is shown on the site map between lots 50 and 51. There was not a beach area by this dock, and we did not walk out to the water at the other end.

Misc. and overall

The site that we had, without sewer hookup, was the same price as the sites that also have sewer hookup--$40 per night. 

Other than being able to take a small boat out on the lake, this campground did not have much to offer in the way of outdoor activities. I did observe a small playground for children. The wireless Internet connection was better than it had been at the Petoskey KOA, where we had stayed the night before.

We stayed at this campground for one night to visit friends at the Elk Rapids marina 1.5 miles away, so the location suited us just fine. If you are interested in visiting the Elk Rapids area, rather than just camping, this campground is in an excellent location.