Cadillac, Michigan: Hemlock US Forest Campground and Clam Lake Beer Company

August 2020, 1 night, weeknight

If you do not happen to know about Hemlock Campground, it is difficult to find online. I wish all primitive campgrounds showed in the same place. Currently in Michigan, I need to search under Michigan state forest campgrounds, US state forest campgrounds, and National forest campgrounds. So confusing and time consuming!

View of Hemlock Campground site 15 when arriving.

Hemlock US forest campsite #15

The overnight rate at this campground is $20, and it is first come, first serve. It has vault toilets, hand pumps for fresh water, and a boat launch on Lake Mitchell. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring. It is staffed with a Host on site who came over to talk with us after we chose a site.

View of Hemlock Campground site 15 from road in front of site.

There are three or four sites just after the boat launch on the water side of the campground loop. You may be able to see the lake from those sites, although I do not know for sure. All of those sites were taken when we arrived. We chose site #15, which is just past those sites on the opposite side of the road. It is wooded in the center of the campground loop, so the site we chose was quite private. It was spacious and level, as well. The drive into the campground is tar, as is the parking area on the sites.

Another view of campsite 15 at Hemlock Campground in Cadillac.

We camped in our boat on our way north to Grand Traverse Bay. We loved this campground, and would definitely choose it again--when traveling in our boat or camper!

Club Melt sandwich at CLBC.

Clam Lake Beer Company

We have been to Clam Lake Beer Company several times. We recently visited for to-go during the pandemic, and this time we dined inside. Our experience this time was not as great as past experiences. It was not awful; just not as impressive as usual. We shared a Club Melt with sweet potato fries, which was delicious. We also each had a beer using our Hop Passport. We ordered their Hodgepodgery (double IPA) and Iron City IPA. We liked both beers once we got them. Our server initially brought us some kind of sour instead of Hodgepodgery. This was our first time having this beer, so we casually questioned him after tasting it. He insisted it was the correct beer. We had a few more sips, and then flagged him down again. He again insisted that it was the correct beer. I then became politely insistent myself, about the fact that it tasted more like a mild fruity sour than an IPA (which we had both told him the first time). He finally returned to the bar, and learned he had given us the incorrect beer! Some kind of special/limited edition sour--imagine that. 😳 He never apologized, and he also charged us incorrectly with our Hop Passport. It was only a 50 cent overcharge, which we did not bring up since we had to wait for our check at the end. Luckily, this experience was not our first visit to this brewery.

Club Quarantine Beer from CLBC; view of Lake Cadillac.

Since I never wrote about our takeout visit in May at the start of the pandemic, I am sharing a photo from that visit in this post, as well. The service, beer, and food was all great. The beers were packaged in clear [food] containers with lids, and the labels said Club Quarantine. I was able to remove the stickers after we got home, and then I affixed one to a generic growler we had received from a different brewery. 

Let me know if you have any questions, and feel free to share!