Vacation!
PETOSKEY,HARBOR SPRINGS, MACKINAC, BOYNE
Beaches is a bit of a secret, tucked away in a pretty 30-acre preserve near Harbor Springs. It’s just 300 feet of frontage, but on most days you’re likely to have it all to yourself. A great spot for young families, there’s 1.5 miles of easy hiking trails and boardwalks through dunes and cedar swamps, and an interpretive nature center for kids. On Lower Shore Drive, off M119 four miles north of Harbor Springs. 213.526.6401, LANDTRUST.ORG.
Zorn Park: A great little slice of sand sidled up to a natural harbor
on Little Traverse Bay, just steps from downtown Harbor Springs. The beach has lifeguards, a swimming raft and a sandy-bottomed swim area; the spring-fed waters are clean, clear and exhilaratingly cold. A grassy knoll and shade trees provide a spot to roll out the picnic blanket and enjoy a take-out lunch from Harbor Springs’ many great eateries. 231.526.7999, HARBORSPRINGSCHAMBER.COM.
SHEA HADDAD
Petoskey State Park: This expansive beach on Little Traverse
Bay, smack between Harbor Springs and Petoskey, is a local favorite. Sand volleyball courts, campsites, hiking trails and lots more; be sure to climb the stairs to Old Baldy, a stable dune just behind the beach, for a fabulous view of the bay. On M119, four miles northeast of Petoskey. 2475 M119, PETOSKEY, 231.347.2311.
Crooked Lake: This meandering lake northeast of Petoskey is part of the Inland Waterway—an interconnected chain
of rivers and lakes stretching all the way from Petoskey to Cheboygan. On the lake’s western edge is the community of Conway, where Township Park has a petite beach, a bubbling artesian well and a picnic-perfect grassy park. On Merritt Street/US31 in Conway.
Peninsula Beach: A short walk from downtown Boyne City,
this public beach on Lake Charlevoix is primo for picnicking or just parking a lawn chair to spend the afternoon with a good read. It’s actually one of two Boyne City beaches; the other, Tannery Beach, is the perfect place to launch a canoe—and is also popular among dog lovers for letting the pooches jump in for a swim. 310 FRONT ST., BOYNE CITY, 231.582.6597, CITYOFBOYNECITY.COM.
STURGEON BAY DUNES
Thorne Swift Nature Preserve: This Lake Michigan beach
One of our all-time favorite destination beaches is this remote, seven-mile-long shoreline that borders Wilderness State Park. Low dunes, tall grass, scrubby pines, and a beach that you can walk for miles and miles. Park your beach blanket closer to Cross Village for the most pristine sand, or head farther east where the shoreline becomes pocked with stones for great rock picking. On M119 about five miles past Cross Village. landtrust.org. MyNorth 2014 Vacation! 7