1. Petoskey State Park

    1. Petoskey State Park

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    Petoskey, MI

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    Petoskey State Park

    4.2 (53 reviews)

    Petoskey State Park Photos

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    Liz P.

    This beach was super nice. We went here today to lay out and go into the lake. First off, you need a MI rec pass - if you don't have one, I believe they make you pay the $12 or whatever it is now to get one; luckily my friend has one, and we were in her car. It was pretty windy out today but still nice, around 70-75 degrees out. There are bathrooms on-site and apparently changing rooms. There is also a concessions area and I think I saw some Dippin' Dots for sale too. Overall this was a really nice beach and I'd return when in the area.

    AJ M.

    We hiked through Petoskey State Park on Dec 30, 2023. While it was a bummer there was no snow this season and we weren't able to ski, a hike in this state park was a perfeft substitute. We were lucky enough to walk the trails while it had flurried in the morning so we had some white on the ground. Perfect spot to go on a quick pavement-walk in nature with the family, or take the dog on a woodsy hike. Our puppy had a blast. Excited to come back in the summer and future winters!

    Beach
    Julie B.

    Great place you can swim with the minnows. The waters are clear and cold.you can rent bikes and canoes I think you can also rent paddle boards. cleanish beach (some stupid people littering banana peels, cigarettes butts and a few food wrappers I saw but not many). Tom's of ROCKS and shells to find.

    Dune/beach at sunset
    Becky N.

    This is one of my favorite state parks to camp in Michigan, but I really wish they would find the funds to renovate the campground shower/bathroom facilities as they are terrible. Buy your state park pass each year and help them out, Michiganders! The sites are spacious, feel somewhat private from your neighbor unless you don't want them to be, and are wooded. The beach and dunes that are just a short walk away are gorgeous. There is a swimming area with a bathhouse and kayak rentals, but there's plenty of space down the beach in both directions to have a little more room to spread out! The shore is typically clean though it was a little dirtier this last trip a few weeks ago, possibly owing to a recent storm (keep your garbage out of Lake Michigan, people). You can spend the time hiking, swimming, kayaking, boating, sunbathing, or head into town for ice cream and fun shopping. Plenty of good restaurants, farmer's market, and a brewery nice and close. Expect some traffic in the summer months and if you have to choose between a weekday to be in town vs a weekend maybe go with the weekday! There is a marina in town as well and a water sport rental place on the main drag. And ohhh, the sunsets. Now the shower facilities - gross. Old and gross and why I bought my own camp shower tent. The shower spigots are chest height. Cleaning efforts even at their best (and they are not the best) couldn't make these facilities look much better. The bathroom ceiling is typically a maze of cobwebs and bugs, with dirty stall doors and walls. I know you are camping and I'm no stranger to the general baseline dirty that comes with that but these facilities are beyond that. Many other state parks are much better in this regard. That aside - easily fixed with a shower tent and lugable loo- this is one absolutely beautiful spot to spend your days.

    Petoskey State Park Beach
    Anita G.

    Beautiful, big, clean, sand beach. $9.00 car entry fee. Small park. Went here to search for Petoskey Stones. Water was a bit chilly the end of September, but tolerable for stone searching. A lady nearby was kind enough to let us use her kitty litter scoop for searching.

    My friend trying to look for petoskey stones
    Jessica P.

    Such a beautiful and well kept park! My friend and I visited the beach before we began our long journey back home and we had an amazing time. The beach is beautiful and the bathrooms are extremely clean (which is appreciated during these times!) I plan on coming back and spending a few days here to really explore, rather than a couple hours!

    Patti A.

    One of my favorite parks in Michigan.! Definitely deserves better ratings except the bathrooms are In Dire need of updating! One great addition would be consistent warm, possible even HOT showers! A picture is worth a thousand words. I have been camping here for 20 years and never do I get sick of the beach and the views.....but the bath houses need some attention. I have sent letters to the DNR prior to posting this in an effort to keep this off social media.

    Carolyn G.

    Great beach, sandy, clean, clear, huge and just plain beautiful. Turquoise water, big sand bar you can walk out for quite a long while.

    K D.

    We went here on a family getaway and fell in love with the area. The highlight of our visit was the breathtaking sunset over Lake Michigan from the beach. We then spent tome playing in the surf and hunting for Petoskey stones. The area around the beach is just as beautiful and we can't wait to return!

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    12 years ago

    Great sandy beach, toilets on site, paved parking, clean beach.

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    15 years ago

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    Page 2 of 2

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    Review Highlights - Petoskey State Park

    One night a bunch of adults and children on their bicycles rode through camp all aglow with glowsticks.

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    Thorne Swift Nature Preserve

    Thorne Swift Nature Preserve

    4.7(15 reviews)
    8.2 mi

    I'm not much of a nature walking person, but it's been a very long time since I've been up to this…read morepart of Michigan. We discovered this place while on our way to the tunnel of trees, and I said "hey, let's stop here and check it out!" So we did. Pulling in, the parking and area isn't all that huge, but it's cute none the less. It's kind of an off shoot of the Tunnel of Trees, and we also wanted to catch a glimpse of the water if possible. There was a nice gentleman who greeted us and told us about the paths. He said to stay on the trails, check out the water and it's about a mile and a quarter of a walk. So, off we went. There's a nature center at the front with bathrooms and some educational stuff, but we skipped it and went right to the trails. They have a little map area at the front, but basically this place is one big circle and a designated path so you can't really get lost here. While it is cool to look at, it's also a lot of dead and down trees. They have signage throughout about what you're looking at, and tells you a little bit about it. Things like flowers, trees, bugs and birds. It was pretty busy even for a cooler September day, which was impressive. The coolest part of the walk was getting to see Lake Michigan. It was really super cool and you walk right onto the beach. It's not a huge area at all, literally enough to have one person at a time. There's some great photo opportunities along with a view of the lake and boats, which was fabulous to see. Overall, the place is a good stop to get some exercise at if you've been cooped up in the car and start getting antsy like me. LOL. There is a bathroom along the trail, but it's not a flushing toilet one of those holes in the ground with very little privacy. No doors just walls. Kind of weird because I was afraid someone was going to walk in. Anyway, go check it out, you can do this in less then an hours time!

    Our family never tires of visiting Thorne Swift. The pathways are easy to walk, some are wood and…read moresome mulch. There are steps down to the beach area and an overlook of the dunes. The pond is lovely. If you are fortunate, you may catch a glimpse of some wildlife, today there were a number of cedar waxwings at the pond. All the paths are mostly shaded. Caretakers are on hand to answer questions and give information. The nature house features some interesting animal facts and specimens. Monarch butterfly releases are scheduled and an aquarium with the caterpillars is just inside the door. A variety of classes and talks are offered. Informative signs are scattered along the trails, some with photos. Many of the trees and plants are labeled with signage. There is a donation box in front of the nature house, and ample parking.

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    Thorne Swift Nature Preserve
    Thorne Swift Nature Preserve
    Thorne Swift Nature Preserve

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    Mt McSauba Park & Recreation Area

    Mt McSauba Park & Recreation Area

    4.3(4 reviews)
    16.9 mi

    This spot isn't even a secret but it feels like one when you are there. Easily one of my favorite…read morespots in Charlevoix. You are basically driving through a neighborhood and just come up to the dirt road path and it feels like you're not supposed to be driving on it but there is a little dirt parking lot with signs where you park. Then you take a quick 5-10 minute walk down the path and it opens into the beach! It's basically a sand dune so be aware that it may be kind of a journey to get back up. But definitely do-able. There isn't buoys or anything for swimming boundaries but you can definitely swim here. The beach is so sandy and nice. And there is very rarely crowds here. There has never been no more than 15 people here when I've been on the beach. There is tons of room to spread out too. A beautiful spot to watch the sunset as well.

    BAD management, awesome little hill with a cool progression terrain park for any skill. Sadly Bo…read moreBoss the manager discourages any progression on this park. I did a front flip 180 (misty 540) and all the local kids loved it and filmed me until Bo Boss said that it wasn't safe and also wasn't allowed on any hill in Michigan. This is not true as I have done flips in many competitions and during free-riding in Michigan at Boyne, Pine Knob, Mt. Holly, Alpine Valley, and Nubs Knob just to name a few. Also after politely agreeing to Bo Boss' skewed rules of how a ski hill is supposed to be run, I attempted to shake his hand but he disrespectfully did not want to take part. Great Hill but unfortunately since Bo Boss is stuck in the 1970's and discourages any modern progression of the skiing sport I would not recommend this hill until Bo Boss gets with the time or until management changes.

    Photos
    Mt McSauba Park & Recreation Area - Lake Michigan

    Lake Michigan

    Mt McSauba Park & Recreation Area - Twilight

    Twilight

    Mt McSauba Park & Recreation Area - Dunes

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    Dunes

    Jellystone Park™ Petoskey

    Jellystone Park™ Petoskey

    3.7(22 reviews)
    1.0 mi

    This place deserves 10+ stars and above! The manager ( maria) was unbelievable kind to my family…read moreand I. Aa soon as we got to the office she clicked with us. I felt like I've known her forever. She felt absolutely bad when the rustic cabins were not what we expected as a family. I asked for an upgrade to the nice king condos. She found one open for us to stay. We loved the place so much. It had a fully stocked kitchen. Full size fridge/ stove,and a microwave. A set of adorable bunk beds,then a queen size room. It was just super cozy and clean! Had a nice deck with chairs and even a ceiling fan outside. They had a fire pit and a nice 8 person table and chairs near the fire pit. Maria even let us borrow a golf cart for free for the week. What fun! I took a ride everyday. Alicia was so sweet to do a potoskey stone class for us ,and a tie dye class , even though they were not scheduled. She arranged for boo- boo bear came out to join my husband and girls on the ' Hey, hey" ride. ( it's a tractor pulling a wagon) and he drives around the campground and give the campers a ' Hey hey" So fun and creative! We absolutely had a wonderful week there at potoskey jellystone resort . We hadn't been camping for 3 years. Thank you Maria and Alicia for your love,and kindness you shown us. I hope to be back in fall. Sincerely, the Lindens ​​​​ Stayed June 21st - 26th 2026

    I went here with my boyfriend and his parents and we all had a wonderful time! The cabins are very…read morecute with swings and grills, very rustic camping feel outside as well as having lots of facilities/things to do for children m! We had a small issue with one of the electrical outlets in our cabin one night and when we told the employees the next morning they immediately came to fix it, comped some money off of our bill, and even brought some goodies for us to make up for it. Wonderful campground and employees all around.

    Photos
    Jellystone Park™ Petoskey
    Jellystone Park™ Petoskey
    Jellystone Park™ Petoskey

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    Lake Charlevoix

    Lake Charlevoix

    5.0(4 reviews)
    14.3 mi

    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!

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    Lake Charlevoix
    Lake Charlevoix
    Lake Charlevoix

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    Petoskey State Park - beaches - Updated September 2026

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