I am hesitant to divulge this location but its too beautiful not to share. This is one of the best…read morefresh water beaches in Michigan, in my opine, you will experience. A hidden gem to most but once you arrive at this location you will be left wondering why it took you so long to figure it out. Enjoy the small inland body of water, North Bar Lake, or cross the dune to Lake Michigan for much grander scenery. You could literally walk a mile down the beach and stake out exclusive real estate. Pack a full cooler and make a day out of it. The gas station as you enter town is the only place to stock up supplies. Get there before 11 am and grab a parking spot as it fills up pretty quick after noon. This simple equation will equal a successful day. The secret is out and I provided an address that gets you to the doorstep. The rest is up to you.

Beautiful lake and beach. Natural beauty part of Sleeping Bear Scenic route. We had a great picnic…read morelunch in the picnic area in the shade. Definitely worth a visit. Can't wait to bring family back.

This is a nice little park with a lovely view and beach space. There are two playground spaces, a…read morelittle lighthouse (possibly just decorative, but it was cute and added to the scenery), basketball and volleyball courts, and a boat launch. Restrooms are available, and there are parking lots (for a fee). Benches and picnic tables are also available. The playground we opted to check out was set right in the sand and was much enjoyed.

We took a trip from traverse city to check out the dunes & this was the closest beach we had found…read more We came in May and there was literally no one there. It was peaceful! Water was clear and we found so many rocks. It had two playgrounds and a shallow side on the opposite side of the lake. Although, the water was shallow enough for my two year old to play in on the actually Lake Michigan side. We loved this beach so much!! Parking is $1 an hour. Bathrooms on site as well

Family owned business that has been my lifeline to surfing when away from California. I love that…read morethere is a local shop for surf, stand up paddle, and skateboarding in this neck of the woods. I bought my stand up paddle board here a few years ago as well as a trailer to carry it behind my bicycle. The carrier needed some customizing to make it fit my board, which they happily helped me with. A great part of the Empire/Sleeping Bear Dunes community!

I really hate posting bad reviews, but based on this experience with the owner, I wanted to let…read moreothers know, and hopefully she'll change policies to prevent future scenarios like this. Had 2 SUP full day rentals scheduled for one of our vacation days in the area. At about 10:00 am we got a call asking when we would be there. Our full day was from 9:30am-5:30pm. Since we wouldnt be on the boards all day, we were having a leisurely morning walking our dog and eating breakfast. She informed us that she would charge us 20$ per board for not being there at our pickup time. Nowhere in any communication that she had sent via email or during the order process was this stated. This was the first I heard of it. Upon getting there, I stated I was there for my rental, the woman, the owner stood up to check us in. I asked if she could wave the $40 fee and she laughed at me, saying she is too busy and showing up late messes them up. I was the only person in the store at this point. She also did not further explain what what she meant when she said it "messed them up". She seemed uninterested in explaining the policy and uninterested in my viewpoint. Rental pick up times should be clearly stated on emails if they are so important. And you would think the owner would clearly explain this rather than laugh at us. Again, I literally had no idea. She had already charged the fee prior to us arriving which I thought was weird. The rest of the interaction was very awkward and forced. She went on to make sure we knew if literally any scratches were on the boards we would fit the bill, instilling a level of fear in us that almost ruined the trip alone. To get the boards to lake Michigan they provide hand carts with a wheel to roll. They are very awkward, and she said if they touch the cement at all they would "charge us." Literally everything down at the beach is cement, so were were pretty terrified down at the beach. In addition, you are given a paddle, life jacket and ankle cord. When I asked how to carry the rest of the equipment down she shrugged, and offered no information. At this point I've given this business $130 and she's presented us with the snarkiest demeanor the entire time, and we have no idea why. If she's really that concerned about people not showing up outside the "pickup window " she should clearly put that in the communications with customers. As someone who interacts with customers for a living, I was baffled by the interaction. I gave her an opportunity to make it right, but I have not heard back and she has not removed any fees. When we got back the owner did not interact with us and an employee kindly helped us, missing any opportunity to make it right again. And honestly the fees aren't really the issue, its how we were treated. Had she nicely explained why their policies are in place, rather than laugh and fail to acknowledge our viewpoint, we probably would have been fine. I hate to write a bad review, but I also hate being treated poorly while on vacation.

I hiked this trail in 2018, and again this year in July. It's not a difficult trail and the views…read moreare 10/10. We hiked it at 7:30a and only saw one other hiker on our way down. We saw wildlife and enjoyed looking out at the water and sand dunes at the top. If you're going to the Sleeping Bear Dunes, this hike is a must.

Wow is this trail absolutely beautiful! My friend and I recently completed this hike and we were so…read morehappy we decided to make a pit stop here on our road-trip up north. This 1.5 mile hike is short, relatively easy, and offers some of the best views in the area. There is a small parking lot with a bathroom accessible at this trail. You mainly walk through wooded areas with small inclines before you reach the overlook. This is perfect for families, friends, and anyone who is interested in exploring the outdoors.

I've been here before, but never by myself. This is a big thing for me... you see, I am deaf. I…read morewent on this trip thinking it was insane, but I wanted to push myself. I was able to book online. Showed up a half hour early, and they helped me find a good water proof case for my phone and stuff. It was early: I was probably the first person out. They were ready, smiling, and didn't have any issues with the fact I couldn't hear a word they said. The Crystal River itself is absolutely stunning. The name says everything: that river is absolutely crystal clear... and very shallow in spots. As a bigger guy like me, you will probably bottom out multiple times. This may not be the "beginners" choice: the first half is full of obstacles. Trees, stumps and more. What a lovely, summer challenge with excellent staff service.

I love how many people have had an epically great time- but I want to be honest about my experience…read morein case it helps someone. I am an experienced canoe/kayaker. I have been on rivers, lakes and the ocean before. I like a challenge. However, this was really hard for me to be in the back of the canoe for the whole trip. The obstacles are nearly constant for the first hour and if you go with a group like we did it was hard to stay close to them because of them. *That might be what you want! * Great! I have always loved canoe trips because they feel so chill however this was not chill. I couldn't look away. The current, wind, trees and other kayakers/canoes in the river made this stressful. Probably not great for those brand new to canoeing and kayaking- or those that don't feel like non-stop hard paddling for an hour. The second half was more what I was hoping for- Open river. Fewer trees down. Fewer people. If I had been in the front of the canoe it all would have been delightful. My son was in the canoe with me and enjoyed it (but he didn't have to navigate). The staff was friendly, helpful and kind. The space and gear were great. They were very family friendly and an experienced person can easily take their kids.

Honor Trading Post was our go-to for kayaking down the lower Platte River! Everyone was so nice &…read morehelpful, it really made the trip down the river a memorable experience. The livery had all the essentials for your trip; water shoes, sandwiches, cold drinks, ice, souvenirs, and so much more! They were stocked with whatever you needed. The team unloaded our kayaks & brought them down to the river with us, along with our paddles & life floats. For the record, they have plenty life jackets for whoever needs them. Any child under the age of 6 is required to wear one. The river flows gently & most of the trip is shallow enough to touch, I never felt in danger without a life vest. My favorite parts of the river were paddling through Loon Lake, the crystal clear water, and the end of the trip where the Platte meets Lake Michigan. The dunes were breathtaking & the kids absolutely loved it! We will definitely be back. Honor Trading Post was my livery of choice!

I booked a kayaking trip on the Platte River for my (almost) 10-year-old son and I. It was easy to…read morereserve everything on their website (we actually booked the morning of our trip.) The staff was super friendly and knowledgeable. My son had only been kayaking one other time, and he loved being in his own kayak. The river was slow and calm, perfect for a child to learn how to kayak. Parts of the river did get quite busy (we went on a beautiful Saturday) - there was one area where we navigated around a group of about 50-60 "innertubers." We packed up a couple of sandwiches and purchased some drinks and a cooler at the Trading Post before parking our car at the end of the river (at Lake Michigan.) I loved how at the end of the trip, we could hop right out of the river and into our car. One of the staff members drove us back to the drop-in spot (they had already prepared our kayaks for us to hop right in!) Note: there is an extra $25 fee involved to park your car in the lot at the end of the river. Would highly recommend booking with The Trading Post for anyone looking to check out the Platte River! We were staying in Glen Arbor, and it was only a 30-minute drive away.

Rented a pontoon boat to take the kids out for the day and it was perfect. Prices were right,…read moreemployees were young but polite knowledgeable and helpful. We had a great time swimming tuning and hanging on the water.

I've delt with Terry, Andy,and Brooke for over 30 years and their late father Chuck before his…read morepassing . They've maintained my 1963 Century Resorter and now my 1950 CC U 22 Sportsman. They're honest in all their dealings. Always fix whatever problems I might have caused Andy's the President. I see his truck pass by my house at 7:50am every work day as he's enroute for a 8 am arrival. Very few owners do this these days Thank you Stander Marine for your great service and friendship over the years Bob Hubbard Leland Naples Atlanta

We purchased a wake board and a beautiful Radar Water ski. Dave gave us great service and cut us a…read moremuch better deal than we could find online. We bought the ski...bindings....ski rope and wake board rope. We were very pleased with the final deal! it's a ways to drive from the lake but worth the drive.

REALLY REALLY BAD. We were told the engine needed to be replaced. The compression test numbers did…read morenot support that recommendation, and we ran the boat all summer without an engine issue. We felt misled and would strongly recommend getting a second opinion... My family brought in a boat we purchased from them, we were told the engine needed to be replaced (Less than 500 hours) essentially taking away any profit my family would've made on a sale. THANK GOD I work for a boat dealership myself. We got the compression test numbers and the engine was MORE THAN FINE. In fact I ran it ALL SUMMER AT HIGHER ELEVATIONS, with ZERO problems whatsoever. My service manager and team were appalled. They tried to take advantage of my family. I WOULDN'T TRUST THIS DEALERSHIP WITH ANYTHING. Tread carefully and get second opinions, just so sad to see people bend the truth to make a quick buck. Disgraceful really. We will never work with them again.

Thank you. THANK YOU!!…read more Kenny, James, and Zack and his crew did a GREAT JOB taking care of my boat, dock, and boat lift on August 27. Excellent examples of competence, teamwork, and efficiency. With great customer communication and interaction! Much appreciated! Eight months to go, and I'm already looking forward to greeting them again in the Spring!

Got a flat on the road near this business and they helped me get it changed and saved me. Very…read morefriendly people who helped me in a time of need. Thank you!