would love to visit Michigan, but where?

[jtink]

My wife always mentioned visiting Michigan, I don't know anything about it. I would like to go up and visit and scout out some potential lakes.

Any suggestions: not to big of a lake (like lake erie) great to cruise and hangout, maybe some nice sites to see

 

[GiddYupJoe]

Torch lake has always been on my bucket list.

 

[David D]

We are considering Torch Lake. We've been there, but without a boat. One of the most beautiful lakes in the world, according to National Geographic.

 

[GTBRMC]

Torch Lake, absolutely. Also visit nearby Traverse City and it's large, semi-protected Lake Michigan bay: Grand Traverse Bay.

Mackinaw Island is also great.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

I heard that the water is awesome in Flint.

 

[Team Bristow]

Torch is beautiful and huge.
Higgins is Caribbean blue and crystal clear. No bars or restaurants
Houghton is the largest inland lake and is really shallow. Has a few restaurants and marinas.
The Mullet - Burt lake chain "The Inland Waterway" is a must do. Through various lakes and rivers and you can navigate from Lake Michigan to Lake Huron and you get to go through two locks.

We are on either Higgins or Houghton just about every weekend and try to hit a few others as well.

If you have not been, northern Michigan is one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Feel free to reach out. I can send you pics from just about all of them.

Cheers!

 

[GiddYupJoe]

Torch is beautiful and huge.
Higgins is Caribbean blue and crystal clear. No bars or restaurants
Houghton is the largest inland lake and is really shallow. Has a few restaurants and marinas.
The Mullet - Burt lake chain "The Inland Waterway" is a must do. Through various lakes and rivers and you can navigate from Lake Michigan to Lake Huron and you get to go through two locks.

We are on either Higgins or Houghton just about every weekend and try to hit a few others as well.

If you have not been, northern Michigan is one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Feel free to reach out. I can send you pics from just about all of them.

Cheers!

It's winter... You should probably just go ahead and post those pictures right here in this thread!

 

[Team Bristow]

We don't go lakes unless they have a sandbar to sit at. Here are a few samples.

 

[jawsf16]

My BIL got married in Traverse City last July and it is gorgeous up there. We looked into renting a boat just to go cruise Torch. We opted to just checkout the beach due to time constraints and my only complaint is that the water is freakin cold!! Man I haven't lived up north in a few years and forgot that even though the weather warms up, the water never really does!

 

[RiverRat]

Wow! The water at Higgins looks unbelievable. How warm does the water get in summer?

 

[GTBRMC]

Torch is beautiful and huge.
Higgins is Caribbean blue and crystal clear. No bars or restaurants
Houghton is the largest inland lake and is really shallow. Has a few restaurants and marinas.
The Mullet - Burt lake chain "The Inland Waterway" is a must do. Through various lakes and rivers and you can navigate from Lake Michigan to Lake Huron and you get to go through two locks.

We are on either Higgins or Houghton just about every weekend and try to hit a few others as well.

If you have not been, northern Michigan is one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Feel free to reach out. I can send you pics from just about all of them.

Cheers!

Had an extended discussion on this Inland Waterway with "nucleuscracker" over at YJB. By extended - I mean 2009-2015! LOL. Anyway, worth a look if this lakes & rivers voyage is interesting to you.
http://yamahajetboaters.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=414&t=23808&p=202697&hilit=burt#p202697
http://yamahajetboaters.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=414&t=66262&p=539057#p539057

 

[Team Bristow]

@RiverRat We swim in the water all summer and I am sure that it is similar to a WI lake. The shallow waters at Higgins are warm from mid-June through Labor Day but it is a few hundred feet deep in the middle so it never really gets that warm. We tried to get in at Memorial Day but even touching the water gave you muscle aches. Same with Torch. As warm as they get I bet that it would never get warm enough for some of our southern friends.

 

[lddv1224]

The family and I are heading to Torch Lake at the end of the July. We found a cottage 2 miles from the lake on Home and away.

 

[biglar155]

Whenever I see one of these threads, I feel compelled to point out that there are TWO Torch Lakes in MI. One in the Lower Peninsula near Traverse City and one in the Upper Peninsula just a few blocks from my childhood home in the little burg of Hubbell MI. To add to the confusion of those not from the area, there is a lake and city by the name of Houghton Lake in the Lower Peninsula and a city called Houghton in the Upper Peninsula. These locations are about 7-hours apart if you're driving so you really don't want to mix them up.

The reason I think of this is that one time my Dad was working the desk at the Sheriff's office in Houghton when a truck driver came in wanting to know where Houghton Lake was. (This was pre-cell phone or GPS.) The guy just about cried when Dad told him that he had overshot by about 7 hours. When he called his company to tell them what had happened they just told him "Leave the trailer, we'll take care of it. Your final paycheck will be used for the gas money."

 

[Team Bristow]

The Houghton vs Houghton Lake thing happens with weather.com for us all of the time. We will be a few days out from a trim and quickly check the weather only to see that it is going to be 50 this weekend when we thought it was going to be in the 70's. Big sigh of relief when you realize that you're looking at the wrong city.

 

[JTC1016]

This is my first post on here, and I don't have a jet boat yet. I currently have a Bayliner I/O and am shopping 24' Yamahas. But I do boat Michigan so thought I'd jump in.
Northern Michigan is beautiful. It's definitely worth a visit if you haven't been there. Charlevoix is nice too, in addition to the other places listed.
I'm not sure where you're coming from, but if you don't want to go all the way up north Grand Haven is a fun town in the summer. Plenty of bars and restaurants and the channel connects the Grand River, Spring Lake and Lake Michigan. Then by way of Lake Michigan, you can also go to Muskegon and Bear Lake just a few miles away, which offer some more waterfront dining and bar options. Also won't be quite as packed as some of the towns up north, and great white sandy beaches along Lake Michigan. I live in Spring Lake so let me know if you think about coming this way.

 

[GTBRMC]

This is my first post on here, and I don't have a jet boat yet. I currently have a Bayliner I/O and am shopping 24' Yamahas. But I do boat Michigan so thought I'd jump in.
Northern Michigan is beautiful. It's definitely worth a visit if you haven't been there. Charlevoix is nice too, in addition to the other places listed.
I'm not sure where you're coming from, but if you don't want to go all the way up north Grand Haven is a fun town in the summer. Plenty of bars and restaurants and the channel connects the Grand River, Spring Lake and Lake Michigan. Then by way of Lake Michigan, you can also go to Muskegon and Bear Lake just a few miles away, which offer some more waterfront dining and bar options. Also won't be quite as packed as some of the towns up north, and great white sandy beaches along Lake Michigan. I live in Spring Lake so let me know if you think about coming this way.

@JTC1016 Great insight, thanks. And...welcome aboard!
Don't be afraid to make the jetboat leap, you won't be sorry and you won't look back.

 

[BobJohnson]

... Grand Haven is a fun town in the summer. Plenty of bars and restaurants and the channel connects the Grand River, Spring Lake and Lake Michigan. Then by way of Lake Michigan, you can also go to Muskegon and Bear Lake just a few miles away, which offer some more waterfront dining and bar options.

Grand Haven looks real nice. Lots of boating options and only 3 hours from Chicago (or up to 6 hours depending on time to get through Chicago for us north siders ).

Anyone been there and can recommend a place to stay that has on site boat slips to rent? I did some quick searching and came up with a couple possibilities. But better to ask as someone might know of the hotel to stay at with great boat slips and a wonderful pool and bar.

 

[Julian]

And if you are up there, check out Sleeping Bear Dunes State Park....those are some HUGE dunes!!!!

 

[JTC1016]

Grand Haven looks real nice. Lots of boating options and only 3 hours from Chicago (or up to 6 hours depending on time to get through Chicago for us north siders ).

Anyone been there and can recommend a place to stay that has on site boat slips to rent? I did some quick searching and came up with a couple possibilities. But better to ask as someone might know of the hotel to stay at with great boat slips and a wonderful pool and bar.

The Holiday Inn Spring Lake has a great outdoor bar and restaurant and a nice pool. There is also a Marina attached but not sure if slips are available short term. Worth a call. There is also a brewery walkable from the hotel and downtown Grand Have is a 5 minute drive if that. Might check vrbo too. There are some cottages and bed and breakfasts in the area.
Also, I feel your pain on the traffic. We moved here from Chicago 3 years ago.