Northern Michigan recreation and breweries: Benzie, Grand Traverse, and Leelanau County

June 2020, weekdays and weekend

Following are some of the places we visited during our 6-night stay at Indigo Bluffs RV Park and Resort in Empire, Michigan.

Recreation: biking, hiking

Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive is one of the closest trail heads to Indigo Bluffs RV Resort, so we loaded our bikes in the truck, and drove there to park in the national park parking lot. This is just over five miles from camp. The national park entrance fee was being waived due to COVID-19, and I am not sure if there is a place we could have parked for no charge, if this had not been the case. 

View from Glen Haven Historic Village along Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail

We then bicycled Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail to S. Forest Haven Drive in Glen Arbor and back, which was about a 13-mile ride. The trail runs along the dunes, lakeshore, and through DH Day Campground. The route is beautiful, and extremely hilly. There are several nice stopping points along the way. Before we left, I had thought we would be able to bike to Alligator Hill Trail; however, there is no shoulder along Stocking Road where the bike trail crosses at M-109, so we chose not to bike down the road. Back at the national park, there are several hiking trails from the parking lot at Pierce Stocking Drive that travel through the woods, and out to lake Michigan. It is a bit of a hike with a fabulous view. 

Alligator Hill Trail

We drove to Alligator Hill Trail, and hiked that a different day. The location is just over six miles from Indigo Buffs RV Resort. This was another hilly climb with a beautiful view! 

Islands Lookout at Alligator Hill

Scarlet Tanager at the start of Alligator Hill Trail

Another place we hiked very close to the campground was Hatlem Creek Preserve: The Leelanau Conservancy. This was easy to find from the road; however, the trails were not well marked or used. The stream is beautiful with a sandy bottom and very clear water.

Breweries/wineries and dining

This week was our first experience visiting a location for food or beverages after they were allowed to reopen following the COVID-19 closure. All locations were handling things in a similar manner: masks were required to enter, and when not seated at your table. Disposable menus were used, or you placed an order through your phone. Most places also had sanitizer on the tables and/or at the entrance. We were usually seated by a host, and we had seats inside and outside. 

HopLot Brewing

At HopLot Brewing in Suttons Bay, seating was all outside on a first come, first serve basis. A host led us to a numbered table. We placed the order on our phone, including the payment. A server brought drinks, and we walked to the food window (wearing a mask) to pick up our food. The fried pickles were delicious, although a tad expensive, we thought ($8).

St. Ambrose Cellars

Seating was similar at St. Ambrose Cellars in Beulah. Numbered tables were spaced outside accordingly, and someone told us to go ahead and chose an open table when we arrived. A server took our order on a tablet, and the payment was processed that way, as well. This is the first time we have been to St. Ambrose since they expanded the outside area, and it is beautiful. There is plenty of room for many tables. It was sunny and breezy the day we visited, so we chose a seat in the shade under the building overhang. 

At Stormcloud Brewing, we needed to make a reservation online. Inside and outside seating was available, and we chose outside when making the reservation. We were given disposable menus, and a server assisted us, like at St. Ambrose. The food and beverages were delicious.

Outside seating at Right Brain Brewery

We spent one day walking downtown Traverse City and visiting a few places. We had lunch at The Filling Station, which was fabulous, as usual! Only the outside seating area was open when we visited. It was then an easy walk along Boardman Lake Trail to Right Brain Brewery, where we were the only customers. Seating was available inside and outside. After we got our beers, we asked if it was okay to take them outside. The lake was partially visible from our outside seats. Neither of us were crazy about the beers we had at this location. 

A host seated us at Rare Bird Brewpub. Disposable menus were used, and we went to the bar to get our beverages and pay. We observed a table nearby where it looked like food orders were placed for pickup. We had a delicious sampler at MiddleCoast Brewing, and then filled our growler at North Peak Brewing Company (for a later date!). 

We thought all of our experiences were good. It was not that much of an inconvenience to wear a mask when required, and we felt welcome at every location. We did not have to wait for a seat at any of the places we visited. None of the locations were empty except Right Brain Brewery. 

Let me know if you have any questions!