Vacation! LEELANAU
Beaches
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Glen Haven: One of Lake Michigan’s best destination beaches is located in this historic ghost town in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Park yourself on the sandy shoreline just past the Cannery Boat Museum; from the beach, you can spot the Manitou Islands and see the weathered pilings that remain from the once-thriving town’s shipping dock. Parking available (with a vehicle pass) at the museum off M109. For pass info: 231.326.4700, NPS.GOV/SLBE/PLANYOURVISIT/FEESANDRESERVATIONS.HTM.
get your swim on. The Lake Michigan side boasts striking bluff views and a wide beach perfect for staging stand-up paddleboard gear, while South Bar offers warmer water and respite from the elements. Grills, restrooms, a playground, and picnic tables, too. Located at the end of Niagara Street.
Leland: If long walks on the beach are your thing, step away from the summer crowds in Leland’s Fishtown and head to North Beach, where you can walk the sandy shoreline for miles. A favorite spot for rock pickers (Petoskey and locally prized Leland Blue stones can be found here), this spot is also ideal for catching a gorgeous Lake Michigan sunset. Follow North Street west toward the lake, where you’ll find a short trail to the beach.
Suttons Bay: The east-facing waters of West Grand Traverse Bay at
ANGELA BROWN, KAITLYN BUSSELL
Suttons Bay’s Marina Park are warm and shallow, making this a perfect spot to bring young kids. There’s a playground, picnic tables and grills, too; find all the summer essentials, like ice cream and fudge, plus shops and restaurants (most of which are casual enough for your post-beach flip-flops) in the walkable downtown. Find it on Front Street just off the downtown.
Omena: There’s a gem of a beach on Omena Bay’s covelike shoreline, just past the point where M22 doglegs in this teensy town. Find picnic fixin’s just a few steps away at the authentically old-timey Omena Bay General Store, then settle in for a lazy day of swimming, snacking and watching boats sail serenely in and out of the harbor. On Omena Point Road just beyond M22.
Empire: Empire’s in-town beach straddles a thin strip of land between Lake Michigan and South Bar Lake, meaning there’s more than one spot to
NORTHPORT
This rejuventated burg at the tip of Leelanau Peninsula has a sweet municipal beach just steps from downtown, on the calm waters of Northport Bay. Take a dip, enjoy a picnic on the grassy lawn, or bring a fishing pole to cast a line off the long pier protecting the marina. Public restrooms onsite. At Bay and Nagonaba Streets. MyNorth 2014 Vacation! 5