I kind of randomly picked this campsite, I was headed somewhere else when I saw the sign and…read moredecided to take a chance. It really paid off. The campground was clean, the spaces are not cramped together and more than a few have lake views. There is running water, pit toilets, and steps down to the lake, and each campsite has a picnic table, fire ring, and parking spot. A few are against the forest, some are in the middle of the site, and the others kind of by the lake (these were my favorite, nothing like waking up in the morning and looking out on a clear blue body of water). Overall I was very happy with this campground, it seemed underused, which was kind of surprising given the beauty and quietude of the area. My only complain was that it had a lot of yellow jackets that wanted to eat my lunch more than I did. Bring spray or something, you're probably going to want it. Or maybe it was just my site, who knows. You can fish in the lake, it's stocked with trout. The water also seemed very clean, I almost went for a swim (it wasn't that cold either). There is also a day-use area, so you can just picnic or fish if you feel like it. To get here you have to drive down S Stephan Bridge Rd and will then take a left - keep your eyes peeled for the sign. There is also a sign on MI-72 which will point you in the right direction.

As long as you know how to swim, it's a great lake.not much shallow. Long set of steps.read more

I shopped here when this was The Fly Factory, and frankly I prefer this incarnation of the shop…read more Although I miss the more rustic atmosphere of TSS, I do like the clean, updated look of the OAFS, and the customer service is miles better. I'm always greeted when I walk in, and the clerks will come help you whenever you ask--seems like at some places you've got one chance to get there attention and then you're on you're own. And they are always willing to talk fishing, a privilege reserved for a few regulars and big spenders elsewhere. Merchandise selection is good for a shop of this size--and the place is expanding. I like all the fly shops in the area, but if I visit only one in the course of a trip to Grayling, usually this is it.

OAFS has been my go to shop when fishing the holy waters almost my entire life. Best selection of…read moregear around and something's usually on sale. Andy and his crew know the river and like to have fun and will put you on fish!!!!!

Finally found a weekend 4 of us could all be same place same time so we decided to go fishing. 7AM…read morestart we got there at 645. Never heard from the "captain", waited until 715 and left. Luckily in that half hour of waiting to see or hear from ultimate charter, we were able to get all the info of the other charter in town. If we find ourselves another weekend together we will definitely be trying out Reel Addiction instead. It literally couldn't be any worse than a no call no show to your own business? Tough look.

What an amazing hidden gem! We are from Florida and have done several charter fishing trips at…read morehome but we have never been lake fishing, so we thought our Michigan vacation would be a great time to try! Captain Dale was AWESOME! He and his mate made us feel so comfortable! We really had no idea what we were doing with lake fishing but they did everything for us and really worked hard to make sure we were having a great time! And that hard work paid off for us, we caught tons of fish!! It was so simple from beginning to end. We met them at the slip, purchased our fishing licenses there, fished and then they cleaned our catch! If we ever happen to be in this area again we will definitely be back!

An amazingly calm lake. Came here to watch the sunset one evening and just had to come back the…read morenext day for some fishing. Seems to be somewhat of a "hidden gem," as our group was alone the whole time. There are some trails around the lake as well, so there are various other activities to do here. The lake is meant for only sixteen years or younger children to fish in as noted by the sign. We managed to catch a bass which was exciting. The water was very calm. We occasionally pulled out some weeds but that's to be expected. We will definitely be returning.

Been coming here for 3 years now, and the new owners are absolutely fantastic. The rooms are very…read moreclean and comfortable. Owners are very hospitable and helpful and kind. My family and I have also gone kayaking a few times while there, and the kayaks are all in great shape, the routes are well marked (I know they dealt with a lot of fallen trees this year but it's all been cleaned up). But, the kayaking from this location is the best IMO. Every other guest I've met here is also super nice and affable, so they seem to attract great people to stay here. I look forward to coming back here annually for years to come. Thank you for making Grayling even more special.

If you are looking for a comfortable, relaxing and quaint location to make your Basecamp for an…read moreAuSable river vacation, Borchers should be your first choice. Amazing rooms with clean, comfortable beds, each with their own full bath. A few yards from the river or a block from downtown, it just doesn't get better than this. We loved the staff, and it's always comfortable just hanging out around the property. Definitely a family favorite of ours and we would recommend this for anyone looking to stay near Grayling.

I have been going here for years j have always had great service they always have the bait i need…read moreand a great fishing lure selection

I've been coming to this bait shop well over 10+ years! Amazing people with amazing knowledge of…read moretheir products and area! Never let you down, highly recommend to stop by if you're near Houghton lake!

I came here to camp (car camping/tents) for the first camp of the summer and what a great kickoff…read moreto camping season it was for me and my group! Everything here was top notch and well maintained, probably above average from the many state park campgrounds that I have camped at through the years! What that tells me is that this is probably one of the more highly trafficked campgrounds, so there is a lot of maintenance done on it! This campground had the most "modern" bathrooms. Everything was automatic, the toilets, the sinks, the hand dryers. This is by main indicator that the bathrooms are the latest and greatest update! We also loved our campsite. We had a few of Higgins Lake peeking out from around other campsites from ours and were able to enjoy the lake breeze and sunset view from our campsite alone. It was also an easy walk to the lake, where there was a little playground/swing set AND a dog-friendly beach just right off of that playground area as well! Super dog-friendly, which was great because I brought my dog along! Lots of trailers/RVs at all the neighboring campsites, which is to be expected, especially of a more popular campground! This campground also had the most campsites that I've seen as of late (minus Ludington, I'd say)! South Higgins Lake State Park also had some great hiking trails that we took advantage of! Marl Lake Trail is a trail that is very customizable for any of your time/energy level needs - 1, 3, or 5 mile loops can be done on this trail! Other than the hiking and the camping (spent 3 days and 2 nights here), we didn't do much else at the state park, opting instead to rent a boat (from the South Higgins Lake State Park Store - see my review there for details on boat rentals and our experience!) to spend a whole day on the actual lake, so I can't attest to the other amenities this state park has to offer. But for our purposes on this wonderful weekend, it was darn near perfect and we really enjoyed our time!! Hope to be back soon! :)

I've been coming to South Higgins Lake Campground (west side) for years and if it weren't for the…read morebeautiful Higgins lake, I'd go somewhere else. Each year I stay at a different site, and they are all the same: nearly all dirt, lousy facilities and crummy water issues. The water spickets that are located on each street were recently updated to include an on/off valve which sounds great, but when you turn it on it sprays outward, not downward, so you get water sprayed all over you. How hard is it to put in a proper faucet end?! And the bathrooms are similar where the faucets to wash your hands and the shower heads, are all "misting" water flows. I'm sure it's to save water but this is not helping me in cleaning my hands and body. Not to mention the water is ice cold each time (I've tried many different times of the day with no luck). As a taxpayer, we are paying for these parks and deserve top notch, simple amenities such as smooth waterflow, larger hot water tanks and a little grass on the sites. Other than this, the lake is gorgeous and great to spend time on it!

We had an amazing experience canoeing with this company. I called the day of to see if they had…read moreavailability and they did. We did the 2.5 hr paddle. It's with the current so it's very easy to do. There are a few stopping points that have portable toilets. They picked us up at the end and shuttled us back. We paid $36 for one canoe. They provided seat cushions. The staff did an excellent job previewing the route with us. It was easy to navigate. They also have mountain bikes and kayaks to rent.

With a string of hot days in Sept we were glad to see Penrod's was still open for business on the…read moreweekends. We called to confirm a canoe for early afternoon for the shorter paddle option which is a 2 to 3-hour paddle on the lovely Au Sable river. The river is quite curvy and the water is surprisingly clear, often shallow but with just enough depth to float freely. The distance is described as 8 miles, but per the GPS, it seemed a good bit shorter, so we paddled faster than we needed to. The scenery was great - lots of ducks and a mix of riverside homes along some stretches as well as quiet natural areas. Penrod's location and service were excellent, and both the launch and take-out at Burton's Landing were super easy. Definitely recommend.

This is the way to go if you want a stress free fun fishing experience! Two of my family members…read morewent on an early morning charter and came home with their limit of lake trout! We cooked it up (the way Adam suggested) and it was delicious! Adam is super responsive to inquiry and a class act. He recommended several restaurants around the areas we were going and they were also great suggestions! He was well organized. First mate was also great! Wonderful experience-they are thinking about going back to catch some salmon!

Had a great time with these guys. Only 3 of us went out for Trout fishing. Limited out in under 2…read morehours. Toked around the bay for another hour and came in for breakfast. The captain & mate were very good! Brought home more fish than we can eat anytime soon. Glad I prepared and brought my vacuum sealer!

I've been going here for as long as I can remember. Apparently, it's one of the most popular…read moretourist places in Michigan... mainly just so your kids can jump off the dam and go swimming. The campground itself is very rustic: no electricity, hand water pump, outhouse toilets. The park is free to enter and is a popular fishing spot. The dammed side of the river is very rocky and strong current, and the water level fluctuates from flooding into the forest to a bunch of rocks depending on the season. It certainly offers a rewarding fishing challenge if you can fight off the crayfish, snags, and kids jumping in the way to splash in the water. For a better fishing experience, go to the lake side. Shore fishing is met with blobs of grass and minimal catches, but if you take a small boat out into the reservoir, it's filled with sizeable bluegill, smallmouth bass, and the elusive northern pike. I go to this area several times a year for fishing, photographs, and nostalgia.