Upper Peninsula, Michigan: Recreation in Porcupine Mountains State Park, and Black River Harbor Recreation Area

May 2023, 8 days of hiking, waterfalls, rivers

Union Mine Interpretive trail sign and Union River
gorge overlook in Porcupine Mountains

Hiking

We hiked over 32 miles in the Porcupine Mountains! One of the hikes I enjoyed most is underrated, in my opinion; Union Mine Interpretive Trail. This is an easy trail along the river with some beautiful views.

  

Union Spring and Union Spring Trail in Porcupine Mountains

We hiked Union Spring Trail in this same area, which was a wet hike in May! Union Spring is a smaller version of Kitch-iti-Kipi Spring, and is just as beautiful. 

Government Peak Trail

We tried to hike Government Peak Trail one of the first days after we had arrived, and the bridge was out before Trap Falls. The bridge had been repaired a few days later, and we hiked the trail as far as Union Spring Trail junction. 

Union Spring Trail and Government Peak Trail connection
River crossing below

To get to Union Spring Trail from Government Peak Trail, you need to go through the river, as there is no bridge.

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

Grand Traverse Bay, Michigan: Suttons Bay, Traverse City, Marion/Power/Bassett Island, Northport

August 2020, 8 nights 

I have previously written several posts about all of these areas with information, so this post will not have as much detail. You can click on the labels at the end of this post for areas you are interested in for more details.

Sunset from our slip at Suttons Bay facing west and east (below)

Marinas: Suttons Bay, Duncan L. Clinch (Traverse City), G. Marsten Dame (Northport)

We stayed at Suttons Bay marina for four of our eight nights, as this is our favorite marina. Great staff, great rates, well maintained, and nice beach/park next door. The rate was $2 higher per night than previous years, which is still reasonable. COVID-19 protocols were in place, and we did not encounter any issues. 

Sunset in Traverse City from our boat slip on the walkway
at Duncan L. Clinch Marina

Bay City and Mt. Pleasant, Michigan: Riverwalk Trail, Lumber Barons Brewery, Tavern 101, Soaring Eagle Casino...

March 2019, weekdays-weekend

Walking south from the DoubleTree along Saginaw River

Recreation: trails, parks, boating

Bay County Riverwalk Trail runs along both sides of Saginaw River, around Bay City, and as far north as the state park. Future plans include connections to BayZil Rail Trail on the south, and Pere Marquette Rail Trail to the west. I could not find information about when the connections will be completed.

Ludington, Michigan / Harbor View Marina, beach, shopping, boat launch, and trailer parking

August 2018, 2-nights, Harbor View Marina Slip #D24

Anchored on Lake Michigan in Ludington

This post is not very detailed, as some time has passed since our stay. I thought about skipping it; however, we learned some new information that I would like to share with others, and that I want to be able to find next time we visit.

Peter Copeyon Park boat launch and trailer parking

We learned about this boat launch when I inquired during my call to the marina to make a reservation. We liked it better than the more popular boat ramp in the arms on Lake Michigan (Loomis Street). The charge is the same at both places; $10 per launch, and overnight parking is not allowed. Peter Copeyon Park is about a 1 mile walk from Harbor View Marina, and Loomis Street ramp is just a tad closer (.8 mile). 

Frankfort, Michigan / Marinas and Town

August 2018

We usually stay at the Municipal Marina in Frankfort. This trip, we stayed at two different marinas (one being the municipal), and we learned about a third one.

Sunset from beach in Frankfort, Michigan

Frankfort Municipal Marina

We pulled up to the marina dock after we launched our boat to see about a slip for the night. This marina takes transient reservations, and they usually have a few slips open for people who do not make a reservation. The last two times we have stayed here, we were initially told they did not think they had anything, and then after some conversation, we got a slip both times. The next morning, when we asked what time we needed to be out, we were told, "11ish," as the marina was going to be full on Saturday. We stayed in the area another night after we left this marina, and the slip where we had stayed the first night was open the entire time (along with a couple of others). I am not sure why this marina always gives the impression there are no available slips. The cost for our 25' boat was $40.

Suttons Bay and Traverse City, Michigan / Recreation, Marinas, Camping...

August 2018

This post goes along with the previous one about dining and area info. We stayed in Suttons Bay and Traverse City two different times in August (7 nights total). 

Sunset in Suttons Bay from boat slip 58

Boating, marinas, campground

We enjoyed fabulous boating weather in Grand Traverse Bay! We stayed at Suttons Bay Municipal Marina for two nights. This is one of our favorite marinas: the water is beautiful, it is a peaceful town, there is a beach next door, and the rates are reasonable. We were in slip 58 one night, and 59 the second night, which is our preferred area in this marina. We were supposed to be in slip 58 both nights; however, a vagrant boater tied up his boat in that slip the night we were gone, and he did not return to cover his boat and then sneak out the next morning, until the office had closed. Fortunately, slip 59 was open, and the dock hand reassigned us.

Arriving at Power Island. About 15 boats already anchored.

Power Island (previously known as Marion Island) is located in the west arm of Grand Traverse Bay between Suttons Bay and Traverse City. We anchored there for the night on a Saturday evening. The water was perfectly calm, and we observed the most boats we have ever seen anchored at the island--over 25! We ended up having to re-anchor after dusk because a boat with a very loud generator came later in the day, and then rafted up with a nearby boat for the evening. Our previous stays in this anchorage have been more peaceful with less boaters.

Sunrise from Power/Marion Island.
We heated up egg bagels on our grill, visible at the bottom of photo.

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

Frankfort, Michigan / Marina, Stormcloud Brewing Company, Betsie Valley Trail, and more

July 2017, Weekday-weekend, 2 nights

Sunset over the pier in Frankfort, Michigan

We stopped in Frankfort on our way south from Suttons Bay, as we wanted to visit Stormcloud Brewing Company and do some biking on Betsie Valley Trail. We ended up staying for two nights!

Frankfort beach, boat launch, and marina

It is about a half mile walk from boat slip #2 at the municipal marina to the beach. Lake Michigan was warm enough for swimming, and the water and beach were both packed even though we visited on weekdays. I took the photo below when we walked on Friday morning. We passed many people heading to the beach already on our way back to the marina. 

Frankfort beach in the morning

The cost to slip our 25' boat overnight was $40, and the launch ramp fee was not included. Most marinas we have stayed in comp the boat launch fee when staying overnight (Suttons Bay and Muskegon municipal, for example). When I asked about this, I was told that the boat launch is separate, so they could not do anything about that. I thought that was odd, since they are both run by the City of Frankfort. The boat launch fee is $7 per day. Frankfort municipal had the best price for gasoline on the water that we saw this week; $3.60 a gallon, and it had been closer to $4 a gallon everywhere else.

Suttons Bay and Traverse City, Michigan / boating, Leelanau Trail, wineries, breweries, dining...

July 2017, Weekend-weekdays, 6-nights

Beautiful clear aqua colored water in Suttons Bay and Grand Traverse Bay!

Suttons Bay Marina, north slips 

We made a reservation at the marina for Friday and Saturday night in advance. You can do this online, and then pay online, or you can mail in a check. We opted to mail a check because there is a service charge to pay with a credit card at this marina. Our home port marina (Muskegon) also charges a service fee to pay with credit card, which is new this year. We did not make an advance reservation for our next stay, as this was during the week, and we were not sure exactly which day we would be returning. Harbormaster Edie was very easy to work with.

View from picnic table in front of slip 68

We stayed in slip #34 for two nights when we arrived. This slip is located in front of the harbormaster office near the boat ramp. It was surprisingly quiet, although there is no view from this slip. When we returned, we stayed two nights in slip #67, which is located farther down on the north side. There is a nice view from this location, although the hike to the restroom is a bit farther. The marina facilities are located in the same building with the public restrooms next to the marina entrance from Front Street. The facility was always well maintained and clean.

Grand Haven, Michigan / Municipal marina and area

June 2015, Saturday - Sunday

View behind slip 46

Grand Haven Municipal Marina floating dock #46 

Arrival and check-in experience

We arrived in Grand Haven by boat around 11:00 a.m. We called the marina on the radio to inquire about a boat slip for the night, and we were told that slip 44 would be available around 1:00 p.m., which is checkout time. Slip 44 is on the floating docks at the east end of the marina. The floating docks are barely long enough to accommodate a 30' boat unless you back in. We like to bow in because we prefer watching the water activity to the folks on shore. We have a 28' boat, with an overall length of over 30', so we asked about a slip at the west end of the marina. The female who had answered our call said that there was not anything available at the west end.

We idled past the length of the marina and saw that every slip had an "occupied" sign in the post. We made note of the boat in slip 44, and then departed to tie our boat up on the channel wall where we could see the boats coming and going.   

The boat in slip 44 was still there when we walked by around 12:30 p.m. After this, we stopped in the office to register for the slip and pay. The computer system was not working, so they were not accepting credit cards. We had to pay in cash or by check. Before we completed check-in, we asked again about the open slips with numbers in the 20s because there were still four of them open.

Last stationary docks #s 27 & 28

Garden, Michigan--Upper Peninsula / Fayette Historic State Park Harbor

August 2011, Fayette Historic Marina, weekday, 1-night

Fayette Harbor

We had camped at Fayette State Park several years ago, and always wanted to visit by boat. The trip to Fayette wasn't very pleasant because we traveled in 2 - 4' waves, and we have a 28' powerboat. We did not see any boaters traveling when we were on the way to Fayette, and travelers who were already there, seemed surprised to see a boat pull in.

After docking, we learned that at least one boater had planned to leave the day we arrived, and had changed his mind. The wind was coming out of the SE, so we thought it would be calm after we got inside the harbor. The water was not rough in the harbor; however, the wind was funneling right down the hill, so it was quite windy during our stay. We were even more surprised to see two more boats arrive later that day, because the water became rougher as the day went on. One couple who had traveled on a large sailboat lost their dinghy during their trip over. They said they have been sailing for 12 years, and this day was the roughest weather they had ever traveled in.

Fayette harbor in 2011

Fayette does not offer marina facilities, such as electricity and a bathhouse. There is a self-serve drop box for slip rent/park entrance fees, and a couple of different options for docking. About 6 - 12 boats can tie up to the main dock, depending on the size of the boat and how close together people park. Our cost on the main dock was $17 for the night. I had read that this was $10, so I guess I got my information from an outdated source. Other options after the main dock is full include rafting off to boats on the main dock, anchoring in the harbor, or tying up to pylons near shore. All of these options have a reduced rate. I think it was $10 to anchor in the harbor for any size boat. We were glad that there was room on the main dock during our stay. 

We always enjoy visiting Fayette State Park. The boat dock is located at the Historic Townsite, and there are picnic tables on shore by the boat dock. There are several miles of walking trails within the park, and there is a visitors center and gift shop a short walk uphill. The pathway to the gift shop is paved and cement, and there are flush toilets in this building. The only facilities other than that, are pit toilets throughout the park, and showers in the campground area about 1/2 mile away.

Washington Island, Wisconsin

 Arrival and Kap's Marina

Kap's Marina

We traveled to Washington Island by our own boat, rather than the ferry. We had planned to anchor in the harbor, as we had done a few years earlier; however, after a great ride across Lake Michigan, it started raining, and then the wind picked up. We made an uncommitted effort to set the anchor before deciding to stay at Kap's marina for the night. 

Kap's restaurant & gas dock

Our main reason for stopping at Washington Island was that we needed fuel before continuing to Fayette. Since the water was becoming rough, and Kap didn't want to explain the fuel dock entrance in the wind that was blowing when we arrived, we decided not to continue that day. The fuel dock at Kap's is a bit tricky to pull into. It's not well marked, and you need to make a loop around from the channel to avoid the shallow water. The channel into the Detroit Harbor anchorage is also shallow in spots and not very wide. There were several sailboats anchored when we were there in 2009, so they did not have any trouble navigating the channel. Ferry boats frequent the beginning of the channel, so this area is plenty deep and wide until you get past the ferry docks. We usually prefer to get fuel when we arrive so that we can depart at any time; however, it worked out fine the next morning.

We thought the slip cost of $2 a foot was pretty steep, since it did not include much except a basic dock with electricity. There were flush toilets and a shower in both the Men's and Women's side of the bathhouse. We opted to shower on the boat since the facilities didn't look that great. There was a restaurant and bar on site, which we would have visited, if the slip rent had not been so high. The person checking us in, had to check with Kap to see how much to charge us for the night (after filling out the slip with our boat size and details). This made us feel like he did not have a set rate, and charged whatever he deemed appropriate at the time. We had not asked before this, and I wish we had. I suggest inquiring about the rate beforehand in case it's negotiable.

After this visit, two acquaintances asked us if used Kap's cadillac to tour the island while we were there. We did not know this was an option before we visited, so we did not inquire about this during our stay. That would have made the high priced slip rent a better value. Kap did not offer the use of his car or anything else. In fact, after I saw Internet service was available after turning my computer on, I had to go find someone to ask about the password for use. Fortunately, there was not an extra charge to use the Internet.

Viking Train Tour                              

Since the weather was lousy, and my husband wanted to see the island, we decided to check into the Viking Train tour of the island. Transportation was not actually on a train--it was aboard a covered trailer/wagon, pulled by a motor vehicle. We liked the fact that it was covered--in case the rain continued--and the cost was reasonable ($12 per person), so we made a reservation on the telephone, and then walked the few blocks to the Island Clipper dock to board the train. There were only four of us on the tour, so the service was great! Our guide provided excellent narration and a wonderful ride. She was friendly, upbeat, and personable. We thought this outing was a great value--including the tip we gave at the end. 

The stops we made were slightly different than what was posted online. We stopped at the Ostrich Farm, which was amusing and cost us each an additional dollar. I observed a higher price posted on a sign when we entered, so I assume it costs more for walk-ins, who are not on the train tour. This stop was basically just a farm tour, which we could have done without. We did purchase an Ostrich meat jerky/stick to try, which had good flavor. The second stop was Mann's Mercantile and Uptown Den Norske Grenda. There were a couple stores at this stop, and a nice restroom open to the public. We were not planning to shop, so we spent our time taking photos of the grass covered log buildings from Norway. We did not observe any goats on the roof (or even nearby), as touted on some of the Washington Island ads. The third stop online said that it would be at the Farm Museum, which we were interested in; however, we stopped at a church instead. This was a nice stop, although I do not recall the name of the church. The last stop was Schoolhouse Beach, which we thought was worth a visit. The bay was perfectly calm--quite different than Detroit Harbor on the other side of the island where we had tried to anchor.

 Our guide made the trip worthwhile by pointing out many additional facts and points of interest along the way.