Walloon Lake will always have a special place in my heart... I swam in this beautiful lake numerous…read moretimes as a kid and as an adult and I've taken all kinds of boat rides too. With gorgeous homes all around it as well as Camp Michigania, Barrel Back restaurant, and more... I am a huge fan and the view of Walloon Lake from Camp Michigania never gets old. I hope to visit again and again!

Catch of the day is always taste's better and prepared beautifully. Can't wait until we go back. I…read moreeven bought the shirt to remind me of the beauty before my eyes.

Lake Charlevoix was such a great place to spend a day out on the water. When we picked up our boat…read morerental in Charlevoix, they told us that we wouldn't have access to lake michigan, but would have access to all of Lake Charlevoix. Without looking at a map, I didn't realize how expansive the lake was. The beautiful (million-dollar) homes on the lakefront were stunning. There was so much space to explore and get in some time tubing. Whether you're in Boyne City, Charlevoix, or somewhere else, I'd definitely recommend spending some time out on the lake. We didn't try to find any lakeside restaurants/bars due to COVID, but I'm guessing there are some and would love to venture back soon and do some more exploring. Such a great place to spend some time on the water!

Beautiful lake with Restaurants, attraction, Festivals abound: East Jordan small town Main Street…read moreUSA, Boyne City with Markets, Music, Art and FRIDAY NIGHT STROLLS should not be missed! Up and coming place to be; here in the Jordan Boyne Valley Region! Warmer waters on the South Arm w/ public Beach @ EAST Jordan, THE LANDINGS Restaurant @ Ironton Ferry M-66. Follow M-66 up to Charlevoix and float back in time with the towns nostalgic charm! Shopping is King and White Fish by John Cross Fisheries Fresh and delicious! This is were you will find all you can eat White Fish, Perch, FRIES! Cookie the Lake around and you will find yourself 23 miles to the other end in Boyne City! WOW: sure makes for a great daily Road Trip! Think Breakfast- Lunch- Dinner- squeeze in a dessert to bring with like Michigan Fudge too! My opinion the best in Northwestern Michigan!

Was charged $497 for 6 hours of boating time then, the next day they ran an unauthorized…read moretransaction of $48. Boat was left clean and gas filled up.

The boat was perfect and Doug even provided a cooler with ice! The boat was stocked with all the…read moresafety gear and even some fun equipment. Thank you Doug for making sure we had a good time!

Such a beautiful state park, whether you are looking for a perfect beach, clean campgrounds or just…read morea place to relax during a hike, this park is perfect. The beach has a concession stand with basic snacks, flush toilets, shower house and kayak rental. The campground is your typical Michigan State Park design - just double check your RV length. Would highly recommend stopping here any time of the year. Great place to spend a day at the beach.

When you first enter, they check if you have a recreational passport. If you do, it is free. When…read moreyou drive in there's a turn for the canpground. We went straight to the beach. They had a volleyball tournament. It was still a little cold so we had jackets and pants on the kids. It was their first time at a beach playing in the sand. The water was freezing and my kids wanted to put their feet in. The beach was nice and empty. We have been coming here for years. We love rock picking here.

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.

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.

Young State Park. located on Lake Charlevoix, was my first campground of the season this year! We…read morehad a great time here and this state park has a solid campground. You don't get too many views and the campgrounds are all open and organized into 3-4 loops that you can easily see and access from wherever you are by foot or car within the campgrounds and to one side they are all bordered by a line of trees that have walkways cutting through them at each loop to the beach and shore of Lake Charlevoix! Because of this, you can typically see the lake through the trees, but no campsite has direct access or prime views of the lake all that much, so no stress about there being a better campsite closer to the lake over a different one. Given that I camped here in early June, the weather was still a bit rainy, so we didn't get to spend too much time on the beach given that every time we did, it would start sprinkling. We tried a couple of the hikes, but they were all pretty muddy and one in particular was boggy and my friend's foot sank in deep past her knee! So just a few things to watch out for if you've gotten some rain leading up to your camping trip here. Other than that, there is plenty of great beaches here for laying out if the weather allows, plus Lake Charlevoix is wonderful for taking the boats out and they have a boat launch at a different spot within the park. It's wonderful for all the activities with the whole family and the furry family members as well! We had a great time even with the rain!

Review 1 for State Park 1 on the Circle Tour…read more This State Park is 5 stars all the way. Reason it ranks high is location, location, location. Nestled on Lake Charlevoix this state park was a toss-up when we were choosing. Sleeping Bear Dunes was packed and we were in search of accommodations to reserve so we didn't have to mess around. We opted to come to Young State Park. It turned out to be a diamond in the rough and a perfect place for us to spend our first nights on the escape! Our campsite was spot on, especially having chosen the site without having been there before. It wasn't secluded but it was perfect considering it was the Fourth of July weekend.It was also dog friendly and had some really cool well marked and unmarked trails. Some of the trails were a bit muddy and some were just perfect. There was one trail though that was the best and led us to the perfect view of Lake Charlevoix. There we enjoyed a day of chilling on the beach and watching our mutt romp around. This was truly the biggest highlight and I'd come back for this access alone, time and again. The sunset, the fires and the hustle and bustle of the Charlevoix area all made for a great time. We ventured into town and perused the scene with our pup as well as ventured around the surrounding area to soak up the sites. This State Park was clean and an enjoyable stay for us! Get here, relax and enjoy! Nuff' said!

This is a fun walking/biking path near downtown Petoskey that makes you feel as if you have left…read morethe city for the woods also instantly. There is a creek/river running through the middle of the trail so you can walk in either side and get plenty of nature experience. The trail is quite lengthy so choosing how long to go is the only tough choice as each bend in the trail provides a new vista. I loved how the rushing water masked any city noises, and it did feel as if you were out in deep woods. It was nicely shaded and yet the sunlight streamed through for a gorgeous view. We have been here several times and highly recommend a visit for a short or long walk!

Husband loved fishing here. He waded into the shallower part of the stream but loved fishing off…read morethe rocks near the deeper faster rapids! I sat with a book and enjoyed the atmosphere. Feels like you're in a forest, the river and trees drown out any traffic noise! We'll definitely come again on our next visit up here.

Great beach, and not very crowded at all! Clean with very soft sand! We came here to do some rock…read morehunting and had a great day.

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.

We came north to see the elk in the forest. We hit 4-5 viewing areas during dusk and dawn, and…read moredidn't see any. That's not the reason for the three stars. Signage for the viewing areas is non-existent. Get a map of the park (not of the viewing areas) before you go, as GPS will not take you to the right places, in my experience. Also, maybe check out a trail app. We were told to check out viewing area #9. We were told to follow the "trail." Um. There is no trail. It is tree and branch covered path that I can't imagine trying to get through in the dark. Also, viewing area #9 is a FAR walk from the road, through and over and under branches and logs. Be prepared.

Well marked trail system. With river, sinkhole lake, natural lake, backcountry camping etc. the…read moretrail loop can be as short as 5 miles to 11 miles. It has a bunch of drive in front country campgrounds too. This nature forest is popular for elk hunting.