Located on Grand Traverse Bay just north of Torch Lake. Barnes Park is open year-round offering an…read moreextensive Lake Michigan beach, playground, and trails, with additional seasonal camping and pavilion rentals (Memorial Day through October.) Various outdoor recreational activities including Lake Michigan beach access, trails, and playground. Electric and rustic campsites. Dump station & water fill station. They have a well stocked camp Store offering ice, firewood, beverages, candy, etc .. Each campsite is outfitted with a fire ring and picnic table. There were two bathhouses with shower facilities that were clean and ADA accessible. Showers are coin operated ($0.50 for 5 minutes of hot water, quarters only). Also two spacious pavilions with electrical outlets. Each pavilion has 10 picnic tables and 4 BBQ grills (You can reserve a pavilion for the day by using our online reservation.

All ways a great place for camping Nice beach and showers…read moreto clean up after. Staff is way better cleaning then they have been in the past they make hourly rotation cleaning 2 things they need to fix one make it Easter to schedule other than some day in March at midnight absolutely stupid 2nd the fire wood has roaches and they get in your camper and vehicle then you bring them home they should spray and bug bomb that and the camp ground mosquitoes and roaches were thick I understand it's camping but man just hire a spray serves to spray the area once's a week

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.

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.

I'm not much of a nature walking person, but it's been a very long time since I've been up to this…read morepart of Michigan. We discovered this place while on our way to the tunnel of trees, and I said "hey, let's stop here and check it out!" So we did. Pulling in, the parking and area isn't all that huge, but it's cute none the less. It's kind of an off shoot of the Tunnel of Trees, and we also wanted to catch a glimpse of the water if possible. There was a nice gentleman who greeted us and told us about the paths. He said to stay on the trails, check out the water and it's about a mile and a quarter of a walk. So, off we went. There's a nature center at the front with bathrooms and some educational stuff, but we skipped it and went right to the trails. They have a little map area at the front, but basically this place is one big circle and a designated path so you can't really get lost here. While it is cool to look at, it's also a lot of dead and down trees. They have signage throughout about what you're looking at, and tells you a little bit about it. Things like flowers, trees, bugs and birds. It was pretty busy even for a cooler September day, which was impressive. The coolest part of the walk was getting to see Lake Michigan. It was really super cool and you walk right onto the beach. It's not a huge area at all, literally enough to have one person at a time. There's some great photo opportunities along with a view of the lake and boats, which was fabulous to see. Overall, the place is a good stop to get some exercise at if you've been cooped up in the car and start getting antsy like me. LOL. There is a bathroom along the trail, but it's not a flushing toilet one of those holes in the ground with very little privacy. No doors just walls. Kind of weird because I was afraid someone was going to walk in. Anyway, go check it out, you can do this in less then an hours time!

Our family never tires of visiting Thorne Swift. The pathways are easy to walk, some are wood and…read moresome mulch. There are steps down to the beach area and an overlook of the dunes. The pond is lovely. If you are fortunate, you may catch a glimpse of some wildlife, today there were a number of cedar waxwings at the pond. All the paths are mostly shaded. Caretakers are on hand to answer questions and give information. The nature house features some interesting animal facts and specimens. Monarch butterfly releases are scheduled and an aquarium with the caterpillars is just inside the door. A variety of classes and talks are offered. Informative signs are scattered along the trails, some with photos. Many of the trees and plants are labeled with signage. There is a donation box in front of the nature house, and ample parking.

This rustic state park is one of our favorites. The scenery is gorgeous, with miles of sandy and…read morerocky beachfront, walking trails, 5-mile road for biking and spacious wooded lots and a prized few water front lots. There is firewood and ice at the check-in station which is very convenient. T h e grounds are well maintained and the vault toilet stalls are mostly clean (though can become odiferous when the park is full). It is usually the case that visitors to the rustic parks are more respectful of the quiet. We are bird watchers and always love spying the eagles and variety of other birds in the area. Close to the town of Charlevoix, there are plenty of options for sight seeing, eating and finding supplies. Beautiful area of our state.

If you love collecting Michigan rocks, come to this lovely state park. You can take the short trail…read moredown to the water, where you will find rocks om the sand. The park is secluded, and we only saw about 5 others there during the duration of our stay. It appears that because this location is not so heabily populated, you can find some Charlevoix and Petoskey rocks in the water as wel as on the rock bed. You just have to know what to look for. I suggest finding a walking stick for the water. It helps guide you, and it helps you move some rocks. The next time I come here I definitely want to bring a sifter because I saw so many cute tiny ones with the rock pile. My twchnique was to pull the ones near the water down, and I found quite a bit this way. James used the stick to look in the water, where you will find medium to large rocks. Overall the secluded atmosphere is soothing and relaxing.

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!

We actually came up this way for the beach but lucked out that we had to pass by the lighthouse…read moreitself on the way down. The historic lighthouse was very cool to see, unfortunately when we went to the museum was already closed for the day, but we were able to read some of the historical plaques. The beach was amazing, warm, and shallow enough we were able to walk out quite a way without the water even making it to our waists. As an aside, make sure to bring water shoes. As cool as it is the rocks and broken shells can make this beautiful spot rougher.

Great Lake fun for everyone. Not super packed and great for water skiing and tubing. Lots of good…read morefishing out here as well.

One of the things I hate most about the breakup with the ex is not getting to go visit his family's…read morelake cabins on Lake Bellaire. When I used to come up here I would be so surprised that the lake bottom was sandy and that the water was clear. What a shocker right?? This lake is the perfect size. It's small enough that as a good swimmer you can swim across it, but large enough that you can take out the ski boat and ski, pontoon boat and relax, or sail on the catamaran. Being part of the Chain of Lakes means that it's connected, through a series of rivers, to multiple other lakes so you can spend the day boating through nature areas and rivers to gain access to other local lakes. You can also boat your way over to the Dockside, park, and hang out on the porch. The other great thing about this lake is that it is located next to some really cute little towns like Bellaire and Alden. Day trips out to Traverse City (the only large city around) take about 45 minutes and Charlevoix is close as well. For a slightly longer trip away, about 2 1/2 hours, you could go to Mackinac Island which is an island filled with historic houses and no cars, only horse and buggies are allowed (in the summer at least). Finally, my favorite thing about Lake Bellaire is the fact that the majority of lake cabins are truly cabins, not monstrosities of the like that line the shores of southern lakes. You really feel like you are going back in time and that there is nothing better than a day at the lake minus tv and outside influences.