A short walk from the parking lot to the lake. Maybe a 1/3 of a mile. The wide open beach is a…read morewonder place. there are also miles of trails. Their trail maps are a little confusing, a you are here would be helpful. I took a wrong turn and ended up going on a 2 and a half mile hike. The dog truly loved it though. Honestly so did I. Overall definitely a 5 star review and would highly recommend this place for people looking for a nice beach with a small wall or people looking to go on a hike.

Beautiful! Lovely nature area as well as views of the lake!…read moreRemember to bring bug spray if in bug season!

Marina, beach, park, and steps away from downtown?! Perfect summer chill spot! Plenty of parking…read moretoo!

We love this splash pad here for young kids. It's close to the bathrooms and food area for the…read morebeach section. The splash pad itself offers a few different sections of water features, a nice rope climbing area without water and a spinning disc thing without water as well. The only reasons I gave 4 stars are the hours are short--11am-7pm. With toddlers who nap, I really wish this was open in the morning. I also wish it was a bit more enclosed. With a busy marina parking lot right next to it, and because it's a popular spot, I feel a little more on guard here watching my kids to make sure they don't wander. It is clean, the water features are great, and the location is great for other adventures to tack on--downtown, farmer's market, beach, biking, etc.

This is one of the most magnificent beaches in Michigan. It's easy to get to. It's clean and it's…read morenot well known so it's not crowded. Definitely worth the trip when you're up in Northport.

This beach has spectacular views and for the most part, pristine water! In addition to this,…read morethere's plenty of rocks all around the shoreline. My only complaint about this beach would have to be the terrible smell. If you stray away from the shoreline (which you probably will to set up a parasol and a beach towel) by the bluffs it smells so so bad. At first I thought it was dog crap but with further inspection, it smells that way all over the beach honestly. I recommend you spend most of your time scavenging for rocks and swimming instead of sitting around by the smelly cliffs.

What an amazing place! We were looking for something to do and we found Shel-Haven on Yelp - I am…read moreglad we did. Easy to find and easy to get too. I have been to a couple canoe/kayak rentals down state and Shel-Haven is so much better! First, they will drive you to the spot on the river and then you kayak to where you car is parked. So convenient! Depending on how long you want your trip to be will depend how far up the river you get dropped off. Second, they do not hold your credit card and there is no annoying deposit. You just hand them your money for the time you want to be on the river and then you are done - transaction over! You do not have to check-in back and get your deposit back or have to pay more if you went over the time limit. Third, the staff is great. The gal who checked us in was amazing, so friendly and helpful! She also accepted the Yelp discount without hassle or questions. 2.5 hour trip in a two person kayak was only $18.00! Such a great deal. The kayaks were very nice, clean, and did the trick. Fourth, the river and trip itself is so peaceful and beautiful. A great trip to take if you are not an avid canoer or kayaker. River is decently wide and calm. Not a lot of crazy turns or quick current. We did not see a lot of wildlife.There are homes that line the river but some areas are pure woods with no homes, so it is a nice mix. The water is not that deep either. I would say the deepest we saw was 3 feet while on average it seemed to be about 2 feet deep. Fifth, easy ending place when you are done with your trip. You can also swim when you are done with your trip and the water here is about 3 feet deep. There was a worker at the return site to help you. Parking lot was also right there and you could go on your way.

We have been canoeing with Shel-Haven for over twenty years and have always had a great experience…read more We usually take the four hour trip from 612 and float the river for the day. Prices are reasonable and as the years have passed, more and more options for floating the river have become available. They also have a nice deck where you can watch the people arrive back from their trip.

I added this location on here, because it is listed on Village of Elk Rapids. It started from the…read moreHydro Power Plant off Ames Street, the Dam Beach is a favorite location for residents and families to spend time. There are lake houses in between public access, but since there are not a lot of traffic, so there are not a lot of concern about personal space or noise. Beach area is clean, sand are soft, and please keep it that way.

Very nice beach. The public access parking lot was small with a picnic table to sit at. The beach…read morewas very clean and the view was lovely. It seems that most of the beach is private but that doesn't take away from the charm of the public portion.

If you are going kayak or bike this is the place to be with both that can be rented. The Boardman…read moreLake Trail is here for biking and the lake is setup to get kayaks in. There is a pavilion with bathrooms and drinking fountains. Lots of open space to walk dogs on leash too.

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.

My family and I have been on fishing charters with the awesome Captain Tony the past three summers,…read moreJune 2021, 2022, and 2023, and I can say he delivers a memorable charter fishing experience every time. The very first charter in 2021 we headed out to catch lake trout, and he knew exactly where to go. We took turns catching many excellent fish and then my father-in-law asked Captain Tony if there was any luck we could catch a king salmon. He knew a place, and the odds were against us since it was early in the season, but we pulled up a beauty. We took our haul to Carlson's in Leland to have the fish cleaned up, and took some of it to The Cove to have a "fish party" with the whole family. This repeated each year, but in 2022, we caught our record breaker, a 20+lbs Lake Trout. He had his new boat starting this year, and it was awesome, with comfortable places to sit out of the elements. And this year, 2023, we got up extra early at Captain Tony's advice in order to seek out king salmon! We traveled out to just off the shores of North Manitou Island, and sure enough, we caught 4 beautiful king salmon, including my father-in-law pulling up a 20lbs beauty! Captain Tony is always friendly, fun, makes great conversation, and always has friendly and helpful first mates. Both the Captain and mate are great with everyone of all ages who come aboard, asking questions, making conversation, and keeping people involved in the process. He shows you how he baits and put out his reels, can tell you how deep the fish are, a bit about the geology of the lake, and more. When the fish are biting, they are always excited, "Fish on!" and the next person in line, jumps up and gets to attempt to reel in that fish! If you are in to fishing, and want to have a great time, give Captain Tony a call with Reelin' Leland!

My Pack and I came up from Northern KY for the week got to go out twice. Captain Tony and his crew…read moreare top notch. We had some heavy winds and he made the correct decisions to play it differently, which landed us some of the biggest gains! Both days across multiple charters who also went out. Extremely knowledgeable/ifficent while being engaging in a brother you never met kind of way. Will be seeing you soon!!