Captain Todd and First mate Mike were great hosts on a clean and well run boat! We limited out on…read moreLake trout and caught a nice 22lb. King as well. My sons and I highly recommend this boat and crew!

My husband, 10 year old son, and I had a wonderful time fishing with Captain Todd and First Mate,…read moreAustin. We targeted King Salmon, & my son, who was afraid to let go of the seat on the boat at first, ended up reeling in 4 big fish by himself...altogether we caught more Salmon than our freezer will hold! (apparently this was not even what Captain Todd considers a big catch!) We stayed out later than promised and caught a gorgeous sunset as well as quite a few extra fish. Captain Todd and Austin cleaned them all for us so they were ready for our midnight meal. I wouldn't look anywhere else for charter fishing in Northwest MI! We are guaranteed to be back out on the boat with Captain Todd next time we're in Traverse City!

Renters BEWARE!!!! I would not recommend renting the Aspen cabin from Jeff with Crystal Adventures!…read moreWe had a horrible experience at this cabin. Upon arrival, we discovered a lady bug/beetle infestation. The dishes in the kitchen cabinets were dirty and also had beetles on them. The kitchen is also not a full kitchen as advertised. of the two bedrooms, one of them does not have heat, and the other one has a hidden baseboard heater which you are not made aware of. This resulted in us sleeping without heat before the first night. The bathrooms are absolutely filthy. Only 2 of us (out of 6 people) showered the entire weekend as the showers were very unclean. We had dog hair in the sheets of our bed. We realize mistakes can happen with cleaners so tried to work with the property owner, Jeff in hopes of working something out and issuing a partial refund for everything we encountered last weekend. He was very unprofessional and left us no choice but to contact AirBNB for help. After seeing our photos and videos, they agreed that we deserved a partial refund. I just wanted to help inform others to avoid renting from Crystal Adventures at all costs! It was a very unfortunate situation for our family.

The staff at Crystal Adventures were very friendly and helpful. They helped us get our canoes and…read morekayaks into the river and explained what to expect (portages/timing etc.). The river was just beautiful and less busy than others in the area. In hindsight I wish we had each gotten our own kayaks instead of doubling up in canoes as the river is tricky to navigate in the larger sized vessel at times. I'll definitely come back to Crystal Adventures.

It's a beautiful place to visit, but just be very careful if there are high winds, waves or storms…read morecoming in. This USCG rescue happened Tuesday September 7, 2021: A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew rescued two fishermen who were stranded on the Frankfort Pier in Lake Michigan overnight. UpNorthLive.com reports the two men went out on the pier to go fishing on Tuesday night, but strong wind gusts and high waves rolled in, making it too dangerous to leave the pier. They ended up staying overnight hoping conditions would calm down, but eventually called the Benzie County Sheriff's Office for help. https://www.mlive.com/news/2021/09/fishermen-rescued-by-uscg-helicopter-after-spending-night-stranded-on-lake-michigan-pier.html

One of my all-time favorite spots to pier-jump because one side of the pier is super protected from…read morethe wind and waves, it's plenty deep, you have lots of company, everybody cheers the rest of the group on and so many et ceteras. It doesn't hurt that every time I pier-dive there people are totally wowed by my back dive, even though it really isn't that snazzy a trick (I saw a guy do a gainer flip off there this week -- now THAT'S brave). On our recent visit, the water was Caribbean clear on the calm side of the pier, and we had the best time watching the fish and oohing and aahing at the beautifully rippled sand beneath us. This is also a stellar spot to watch the sunset, to lie down on at night and watch the stars, and it's adjacent to the most awesome beach in Michigan (although glass is prohibited, alcohol isn't, and they even have a dog-run area where pooches can play off-leash). It's all a big bunch of "la" (my favorite joy-word), if you ask me!

If I could give 6 stars I would. We stopped by without a reservation. Registration is DIY...you…read morecall and a lovely young lady named Amy will answer and talk you through making payment and filling out forms. Amy was great to work with...with a great sense of humor and was very adroit at suggesting places to get ice; a.bite to eat etc. She was like the magical hotel concierge you luck out and get when all.of your travel plans are falling apart. We loved the campground. It had direct access to the Betsie River, showers and bathrooms were very well.maintaimed a clean...hot water was never a problem. There's Frisbee golf and horseshoes available..firewood was a generous amount for the money. There's 400 acres of state land to the north directly abutting the property. Mostly trailer and tent camping ( we had hammocks and were allowed to choose the spot we liked with the best trees for setup). They do have a canoe and kayak livery that currently only operates on weekends. I rarely gush over a business that doesn't bring me hot delicious food and cocktails...this is an exception to the rule. Hands down one of the best camping experiences. I have been disperse camping the last few years in order to avoid people and some of the issues that come with group camping ( loud drunk ppl...fascist property managers etc) this was about as good as family camping will ever get and the location is incredible. There's a very clean Mobil gas w a pizza place about 2 miles from the campground...and plenty of activities in all direction. Thank you so much for helping make our fishing trip camping headache free and amazing.

it's got everything you need their website was a little confusing( booking wouldn't work) but when…read morewe got there amy figured it out with us. fire wood is a little expensive that's it.

The Mitten definitely has some beautiful beaches, and Otter Creek Beach is no exception. Thanks to…read moreYelp, I was made privy to this secret beach...and it was put on my to-do checklist for my up-north roadtrip. Thankfully, Mr. GPS knew where this beach is because I would have gotten so confused as we drove further and further into the woods. (that's what I love about up north beaches; you travel through woods and woods and then there is this perfect sandy beach) My guy and I grabbed the beach chairs, the dogs and a beach umbrella (for my pale ass) and marched the perfect waterfront location. The secret maybe out about this place, but not really "out" out. There was still plenty of room to roam about, enjoy the beach and get toasty. The water was cold but the sun was not. Whatevs...blue water, hot sand, a lovey day; what is there not to love? Of course, the dogs loved it as well. A cool tidbit: this beach sits where a 'lost' town once sat. You can read about the town of Aral at the entrance by the bathroom. Ahhh, the Pleasant Peninsula...what an amazing state!

Super nice beach with chilly water. Very family friendly. There's a spring feeding water so you get…read morethat chilly spring water out of otter creek.

This trail is relatively short and uninteresting, but in looking ahead at the trail guide, there…read morewas going to be a point where it would jut out to Lake Michigan, halfway through the trail. We were really looking forward to that, only to realize once we approached that this stretch of the trail did not allow dogs. The 0.3 miles (one way) of straight uphill climb it took to get to that Lake Michigan view was closed off to dogs even though this trail was listed as dog-friendly? Honestly, that was quite disappointing. So we had no choice but to continue on and loop back around to head towards the parking lot. A very underwhelming hike indeed.

A great walk to the lakeshore through the woods. Not a hard hike, great for the family, but a bit…read moreof a trudge through the sand dunes. It's worth it though as there was no one else on the beach when I was there, although it was rather early morning (got back to the parking lot at 1100). Black and Green Arrow trails are nice but take insect repellent in the summer; these trails wind around and between several ponds and marshy areas.

If You want a true trail ride. Make sure you go see Doug and Denise! Horses are beautiful and well…read moretrained. Doug and Denise are authentic cowboys! Text ahead. You won't get them on the phone!

The best guy who loves horses and super kind and friendly. Will be back , we love coming here,…read morethanks for the super ride dearest cowboy.. God bless you and your horses and your brother and your continued rides in such a beautiful setting too.. Beth Saelens

Hadn't played it in a few years, boy has it went downhill!!! No Gam's in tee boxes, didn't find…read moreONE fairway yardage marker on the nine I played. Fairways had lots of bare spots.

The staff is amazing here. Great prices for food, drink. The course is alot of fun.had a rain delay…read moreand the Manager after 4 holes and was able to restart at the 1st home.