This is the best beach in Northern Michigan to watch the sunsets. We enjoy watching the boats in…read moreand out of the harbor, too.

The water is so shallow you can walk super far out! Not crowded! Peaceful! & Clear water! Be kind…read moreto the locals!

If you're visiting Traverse City, you need to drive up to Old Mission Lighthouse Park! We came on a…read moreSaturday and it wasn't super crowded. The beach was absolutely beautiful. The water was super clear and shallow. You could walk far out into the water and the it would still only be a little bit above your knees. It's the perfect place to just relax and enjoy the nature. It was a little too chilly to swim when we came, but I would have loved to come back to enjoy the water more. Unfortunately we didn't have the time to come back during this trip, so maybe next time! To go up to the historic lighthouse, it costs money but you can go inside on the bottom floor to view the gift shop and infographics for free. We chose not to go up because it didn't seem worth the money.

This is a gorgeous spot in the Traverse City area! Beautiful clear waters with ample beach space…read moreand shaded areas. The beach was very clean and well kept. The shallow water allows for wading in and just enjoying the surroundings. The water isn't deep enough to swim for quite a ways so if you're looking for a swimming area I would go elsewhere! Parking is somewhat limited depending on what time you arrive. We got to the beach around 1:30pm and parking was a little hard to find. This doubles as a dog beach so there were plenty of dogs here as well! As a first time visitor to the traverse city area, I would definitely return to this spot!

This is a beautiful place. All seasons. No public restroom, plan accordingly. Plentiful parking…read more Bumpy access road. Glorious beach. You can search for geocaches here, too. Hiking trail begins with a steep, but gradual incline. Sorry for the contradictory statement, but it's true. Walk to beach is probably 1/4- 1/2 mile. I just noticed that the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy also put in a trail along the bluff top at the edge of the farm fields. Kinda a steep drop off, but very nice. Visit their website to find other cool places to go walkabout/hike/recreate. P.s. Your furry friends are welcome here. We told people that all summer long at the TC State Park! Maple Bay and acme Bayside park are the doggy stops on our side of town. Cheers!

Lovely campground with nice level sites for the most part. We somehow lucked out and got what I…read morefigured was a handicap spot. No complaints here

Its a pretty nice spot. Located right within the city limits actually. So its not far from good…read moreawesome city fun. It was packed when we first arrived. It was labor day weekend, which was to be expected. But the site was pretty big. 2 cars and 2 tents took up only a fraction of our site. But on the next day, everybody left and it was hella quiet. Loved it! The facilities were pretty good. Although i kept hearing from 2 campers in our group that one of the shower rooms didnt have hot water. Mine was fine, but i believe them. They're like family to me. Plus the noise from the main road is hella extra. Specially when obnoxious farmers with the loud aftermarket exhausts. Fire pit was pretty dope, we cooked some of our food on it. Sausages, giant tomahawk steak, and our smore dessert. I had a pretty good time camping here. Aside from the cold shower stall that my fellow campers experiencee. I would totally camp here again. Thank you so much for reading my review. I hope this helps with your decision making experience. Enjoy your awesome yelptastic day!!!

This is probably one of the best playgrounds up north, the only real downside is the location…read more Kalkaska is a humble and honest small town, but beyond grabbing a bite to eat there isn't much else to do in town... this is only relevant if your traveling to the area from down state. Not much touristy things to do if you plan to come to this park.... downtown is cool but there isn't really shopping... back to the park: this park is tucked behind some buildings and easy to miss if you are driving through. The structure is completely wooden and connected completely through bridges, tunnels, and monkey bars. There's a sign with rules and restrictions and beyond guardians and parents the playground is meant for 12 and under in age. I brought my sister in law and nephew after we grabbed lunch at the up north grill in town (only 5 minutes away so highly recommend for lunch) my nephew is almost 2 years old but there was still tons of interactive stuff for him to do which was unexpected based on the size of this huge castle themed park. There's about 5 different slides so age shouldn't restrict enjoying. The structure is very well built and laid out so, as adults we were for the most part able to maneuver it with our little guy. A bouncy tire contraption that reminded us of a bull was a win as well as a swing that allows an adult to swing with your baby which was SOOOO COOL. Better that just pushing because it adds safety and gives you a chance to do something enjoyable with your baby while making eye contact. Wyatt was all giggles. The park was busy when we visited but it never felt crowded because how it's designed. It's both 40 minutes from my sisters house in grayling but left enoug of an impression that she plans to take Wyatt with my brother this weekend again!

Beautiful park and walk in the water, some people swim too. Although you need to pay $5 parking…read morefee, it's worth it.

One of our hands-down favorite places to hike. There's tons of hike-in camping spots along the…read more11-mile hiking trail, which largely follows the shoreline of the Manistee River with a few inland jaunts on a few of the oxbows. Despite being fairly well known, it's pretty pristine and doesn't feel overly busy but it's also never completely vacant. The river views are lovely, there's plenty of wildlife (great fishing & birdwatching), and there's a cliff swing over the water (huge adrenaline rush for this 43-year-old) on an off-shoot path just past the suspension bridge and a waterfall at mile 3.5 if you're coming from the north. You can return on the main path or on the other side of the river on a section of the North Country Trail.

What a great hiking trail! Parking wasn't bad at Red River Bridge Access…read moreOnce on the trail it is well marked. Campsites were clean and it looks like the hikers who enjoy the trail take good care of it. I didn't see one bit of trash the whole day. It was pretty busy, with folks heading both directions, everyone was very friendly and they all seemed to be enjoying the day! The views are beautiful. Absolutely the best hiking we have done in the lower peninsula. We will absolutely be back!

We love this spot for a bit of a view and some great stairs! You can also choose to go the 'back…read moreway' and hike through the woods to get to the overview which is what we do! I prefer going down stairs than up them so that is my secret hiking too! Always a lovely time to hike here as there is quiet and lots of tree cover so it is cooler and restful. The hike is not too strenuous but also not just a walk which is perfect. We didn't get many bugs which was also nice and could go without a walking stick too. I love that they have separate trails for biking and hiking as well as a disc golf course that meanders through the woods. We are usually almost alone when hiking which is perfect if you want to just focus on nature. The overview tends to be a bit busier so we did meet up with more people toward the end, but everyone is very kind and friendly. Love this spot and we go as often as we can!

The hike starts off rough if you're unable to walk up 450+ steps. It definitely makes you wonder…read morehow good of shape you're in. There's plenty of benches along the large staircase to assist your travels. The overlook at the end of the stairs makes it worth it. Absolutely stunning. The view of all the house, trees, and lake blew me away. I could sit up there for hours. Once you reach the overlook, the hikes starts. It's a beautiful 2+ miles hike. Plenty of trees, animals, and plants to keep you company on the walk. I would live in the woods here If I was able.

This is a beautiful and well maintained park. There's a nice playground for the kiddos and plenty…read moreof scenery to take in. There's free parking right up front. You can walk right up to the water. A great park to stop at if you're in the area. Or even if you aren't in the area.

Nice park area near the marina. Has a breakwater that you can walk out on to to a small lighthouse…read more It was getting ready to rain when we were there so the walk out to the lighthouse was very chilly. Nice place to search for stones and watch boats come in.

The vast array of hiking trails found behind the historic State Hospital grounds is one of my…read morefavorite discoveries since moving to TC a couple of months ago. It is a perfect place to "get lost", but not in the sense that a search party has to come and find you later! The trails are easy to follow and routes/loops are well marked. You can easily spend several hours wandering around in here. When you get tired of hiking up the big hills, there's usually a bench waiting for you. There are bridges over the creeks and nice boardwalks over wet areas in a cedar grove. If you make it up to the top, which isn't hard to do, you have beautiful views of the bay through the trees. Dogs are allowed and so are bikes - the hubs is looking forward to biking the trails when spring arrives. Park anywhere at The Village and head on up any of the trails going in to the woods and you're there. I like to park by Left Foot Charley and go up Yellow Dr., past the Underground Cheesecake Factory... that way, when you come back, you can easily grab a tasty snack, sip of wine, or cup of coffee from Higher Grounds.