I love this place. And hesitate making it more known. But this place, even with the summer crowds…read moreis extremely peaceful and soul feeding place. It's beautiful and relaxing. I've had my kids get their senior photos taken here. It's out of the way, but it's so beautiful, it's a place you have to go to. Historical information, the falls are one of the key locations that the lamprey were discovered to be in the Great Lakes and a great deal of research still takes place within a few miles of this location.

Fun place to explore and very beautiful. You don't have to walk that far to get to the falls.read more

We came north to see the elk in the forest. We hit 4-5 viewing areas during dusk and dawn, and…read moredidn't see any. That's not the reason for the three stars. Signage for the viewing areas is non-existent. Get a map of the park (not of the viewing areas) before you go, as GPS will not take you to the right places, in my experience. Also, maybe check out a trail app. We were told to check out viewing area #9. We were told to follow the "trail." Um. There is no trail. It is tree and branch covered path that I can't imagine trying to get through in the dark. Also, viewing area #9 is a FAR walk from the road, through and over and under branches and logs. Be prepared.

Well marked trail system. With river, sinkhole lake, natural lake, backcountry camping etc. the…read moretrail loop can be as short as 5 miles to 11 miles. It has a bunch of drive in front country campgrounds too. This nature forest is popular for elk hunting.

I walked that trail a few years ago with my son, I know since then, it's one of his favorites to…read morerun through with his dog The trail we took was challenging. A long down hill slope to a creek bed, which travels perpendicular to the downhill, the trail meanders down a little further, and then a nice steady trip back to the parking lot

There is a lower and upper level you can park at when you arrive. The upper parking does have one…read moreouthouse style restroom if needed. It was clean for being an outhouse. I appreciate that. It was a short gravel walk to the overlook. You could push a buggie or wheelchair if needed. There is a walking path that is clear. The area is established so there are large tree and tree roots to contend with while you walk about so watch your step. Maps are posted and trails are marked. We completed the 3 mile loop and loved every minute. Definitely a must see during the fall. This place would be spectacular for color! We will be back

Like most reviews, yes, it's just $1 per person. It's not the most amazing view but it's a great…read moreworkout and gives a nice view of Mackinaw Island. Don't get me wrong, I was super petrified since I was so high up lol but so worth visiting when in the area. Note: make sure to wear comfortable shoes because the steps are concrete, hard, and steep.

Old school roadside tourist attraction for just $1!!! Nothing costs one dollar. Sure you have to…read morehoof up 170 steps but on a nice day the view is great. Plus they have a big statue of Paul Bunyon and Babe. The gift store is total tourist kitch and junk but it's all part of the charm. I wouldn't go out of my way to see this but if passing by take a few minutes to enjoy this blast from the past.

Arch Rock Lots of…read morepeople here. All waiting for a photo. There is a restroom nearby also. You can walk/ride bike to this location or you can ride by horse carriage. Horse carriage is the easiest because you don't need to climb the 207 steps. Highly Recommended

The most famous of the rock formations on the island, this arch towers above the water and is more…read morethan 50 ft wide. It attracts the vast majority of the tourists to the island, and can be reached by foot, taxi, carriage or bike. It can also be viewed from below, on the perimeter tour of the island. The rock was a mile uphill behind the Grand. Had we gone from the harbor we would have climbed up 200 steps.

This spot isn't even a secret but it feels like one when you are there. Easily one of my favorite…read morespots in Charlevoix. You are basically driving through a neighborhood and just come up to the dirt road path and it feels like you're not supposed to be driving on it but there is a little dirt parking lot with signs where you park. Then you take a quick 5-10 minute walk down the path and it opens into the beach! It's basically a sand dune so be aware that it may be kind of a journey to get back up. But definitely do-able. There isn't buoys or anything for swimming boundaries but you can definitely swim here. The beach is so sandy and nice. And there is very rarely crowds here. There has never been no more than 15 people here when I've been on the beach. There is tons of room to spread out too. A beautiful spot to watch the sunset as well.

BAD management, awesome little hill with a cool progression terrain park for any skill. Sadly Bo…read moreBoss the manager discourages any progression on this park. I did a front flip 180 (misty 540) and all the local kids loved it and filmed me until Bo Boss said that it wasn't safe and also wasn't allowed on any hill in Michigan. This is not true as I have done flips in many competitions and during free-riding in Michigan at Boyne, Pine Knob, Mt. Holly, Alpine Valley, and Nubs Knob just to name a few. Also after politely agreeing to Bo Boss' skewed rules of how a ski hill is supposed to be run, I attempted to shake his hand but he disrespectfully did not want to take part. Great Hill but unfortunately since Bo Boss is stuck in the 1970's and discourages any modern progression of the skiing sport I would not recommend this hill until Bo Boss gets with the time or until management changes.

Two parks for the price of nothing! The north entrance leads to a very nice beach with great views…read more Their are some great rocks for people into rock collecting. Their are places to park and trails to hike. At the south entrance you park then there are trails to hike. 1 leads back to the north park. The other one leads to about a 5 minute hike to a stream view area. You'll see the stream almost right away, but in the distance and between foliage. It's a very nice stream, though nothing epic. There is then a 3 minute hike to the beach where the stream meets Lake Michigan. Again here the views are spectacular. Thetrails could be better marked and better upkept to get rid of low branches. The trail connecting the two parks is about 0.8 miles. Overall a 5 star review.

Well, this was a delight of a park - though the hike didn't work out too well. We came here for the…read moretrail/hike, but the trail was mostly washed out from rain and it became impassable the further in we went. This is actually right along a gorgeous little stretch of beach though, a nice spot for looking for charlevoix and petoskey stones. Gorgeous shore, plenty of distance to walk, dog-friendly - what could be better? Lots of fairly rocky shoreline, but some areas that were pretty sandy as well, for folks wanting a place to lie down. I will say the main area right near the parking lot was very crowded, but the further down you walked you could get to some pretty quiet areas. You can also go partly down the trail and connect to another stretch of beach that is very quiet.

Wolf Creek trail is a wide, clear, well-marked path following the Au Sable river just below Mio dam…read moreand winding through the scrubby red pine-jack-pine-red oak woods (including some red pine plantation areas) that are typical of this area, with plenty of evidence of past burns. We hiked the longest loop, which took us about 4.5 miles. No steep climbs or descents. Access is easy from the trailhead at the Mio boat launch, where there are toilets and drinking water available. I doubt anyone comes to Oscoda County seeking the hiking experience of a lifetime, but if you're looking for a pleasant place to stretch your legs, this is a fine choice.