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    Robert H. Manning Memorial Lighthouse

    4.0 (2 reviews)

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    3 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    Leelanau State Park - Beautiful Lake Michigan sunset

    Leelanau State Park

    4.3(33 reviews)
    37.3 mi

    Stopped here on a whim to checkout lighthouses during our mini getaway. This beach did not…read moredisappoint! It was so calm and peaceful. Beautiful water. Hardly any people. The people who did visit didn't stay for long so we had the whole beach to ourselves. We had camping chairs in the car so we just put them in the water and sat right in the water and enjoyed the view. They have a gift shop and the only restrooms I noticed were portajohns. We built some rock towers but put the rocks back when we were done because some of the rocks had snail eggs on them.

    Gorgeous park at the tip of the Mitten's pinkie finger. I got there shortly before a spectacular…read moresunset where the sky was all lit up with pinks and oranges and purples. I took a short walk where my friends who had camped there the previous night as well showed my the historic lighthouse and some message in a bottle painted sign that was very reminiscent of Steve "ESPO" Powers. I set up my trusty old dome tent and camped on the same site as my friends and nobody said peep about doubling up like that. I left out around 10:30 or so and didn't hit any trails as I had packed some snacks for late but no breakfast. Not much in the way of restaurants or groceries around here so I hit the road. Can't speak to the trails or day use part of the park but the campground and adjacent beach was beautiful.

    Photos
    Leelanau State Park - Grand Traverse Lighthouse

    Grand Traverse Lighthouse

    Leelanau State Park - Nature's palette

    Nature's palette

    Leelanau State Park - Lake Michigan

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    Lake Michigan

    Leelanau Dam - Dam

    Leelanau Dam

    4.5(2 reviews)
    20.9 mi

    Freshwater sea monsters are among the rarest of beasts. The one known simply as "Leelanau" was…read morespotted just above this dam in 1910 by young William "Billy" Gauthier, whilst the latter fished for perch. (I suppose the former may also been fishing for perch, as well as hoping to snag Master Billy in its maw.) I believe I am the latest to encounter this "Lake Monster Leelanau," but she wasn't in the water, although my encounter with her was very near the dam. She was, in all her grisly glory, rather in line for the Leland Wine and Food Festival, sitting on a star-spangled folding camp chair. I looked on in horror at her enormous girth, the flesh cascading over the sides of the camp chair; yet, others of my own species seemed not to notice, let alone flee in terror. (I haven't slept a wink since the sighting.) Oh, the dam is very nice. Built in the late 1800's to supply water power for Leland Mills, the dam created the vast double Lake Leelanau. Water spills out the lake, over the dam, and into the harbor. Basic dam. What appears to be a fish ladder, right next to the main dam. After four inches of rain, she was a gushing torrent. The footbridge connecting to a boarding house is but a minor visual detraction. You can just photoshop that part right out of the picture.

    Hard to add more than what Kevin said in 2010. This is a very nice area to visit and the dam is…read morespecial. A must see if you travel to Fishtown.

    Photos
    Leelanau Dam - Dam

    Dam

    Leelanau Dam
    Leelanau Dam - Dam

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    Dam

    Udell Lookout Tower - You could read the interpretive signs, I suppose.

    Udell Lookout Tower

    1.0(1 review)
    41.9 mi

    Don't bother. Seriously. Don't come here, no matter what you think might be here. I came here,…read morehoping the tower was open for climbing so I could look out over the countryside. The tower is on the National Register of Historic Places, so I decided to venture forth. Hah! Bad move on my part. (The tower in Mountain, Wisconsin is open for touring. Silly me, I thought this one was, too.) First of all, you have to want to come here. It is at the end of a National Forest Road, after branching off of another National Forest Road. What is a National Forest Road? Basically, it's an unimproved ATV trail and during the winter, a snowmobile trail. If you DO decide to venture back here (and judging from the debris left behind by ne'er do wells, several people do come here) don't follow your GPS. Some of the maps show roads that, when you get there, aren't roads at all. One "road" my GPS sent me to was a line of high power transmission towers. Even the Yelp map shows a road that isn't really there. Eventually, I did get here. When you (don't) arrive, you'll find some interpretive signage. One says you shouldn't climb the tower until it's made safe to do so. The message is dated 1988. The first flight of stairs has been removed and barbed wire lines the base of the tower - clearly, the US Forest Service doesn't want you to climb the tower. Judging from the work of local artisans on the outside of the cab, those artisans have more chutzpah than brains and not much talent. Other interpretive signs describe what these towers were used for and frankly describe the absolute isolation the spotters lived in. These towers are seldom used anymore, as airplanes can cover more territory at less cost than manning several towers. It is an anachronism but a piece of history, and it's a real shame the US Forest Service hasn't restored and opened the tower. Maybe someday, they will. Until then, read about towers rather than trying to find this one. Trust me.

    Photos
    Udell Lookout Tower - Considering the barbed wire and no first flight of stairs, the Forest Service recommends you not climb the tower.

    Considering the barbed wire and no first flight of stairs, the Forest Service recommends you not climb the tower.

    Udell Lookout Tower - This is what it looks like.

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    This is what it looks like.

    Robert H. Manning Memorial Lighthouse - landmarks - Updated May 2026

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