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.

Such a great time! This is a yearly tradition in my family and Carlisle is the place to start! The…read moreAu Sable river is breathtakingly beautiful with many stopping points along the way. We stayed over night and got picked up at McMasters bridge the next day. Our family loves Carlisle and will be back for many years to come!

We had a great trip down the river. They were very accommodating for our group which included a…read morelittle one. Owners were extremely nice. They go above and beyond to accommodate you for your trip. Highly recommend.

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!!!!!

Came to grayling for a weekend trip on the river, my buddy forgot his fly fishing line and we…read morestopped here to get some. We didn't realize how expensive they got up too but we were still getting it just so we could fish. The owner comes from the back and hands us a freshly opened line for free, just so it would get us through the weekend. I highly recommend this business as they have anything you could think off for fly fishing.

I mainly go here to walk around the ice hockey arena. I also swim laps and this is a very nice…read moreclean indoor pool. The place is always really clean and sometimes it's very busy. I'm very thankful that we have this in our area. I've had a lot of fun here as well and met up with some friends.. I really can't think of anything they could do better because it is a wonderful Sportsplex

Beware going if you don't plan to swim or skate. They have…read morelimited seating for non-participants and don't hesitate to kick you out of those seats when they have reserved all of them for parties.

Owned by a husband and his wife who just love puzzels and create all the games themselves, this…read morehole in the wall escape room joint is perfect for group outings or dates. It's clear that this couple makes the rooms themselves as the overall production qaulity lower as you'd expect as a lot of the rooms are hand made. However, the quality of the puzzels are high. We did the two person, closed quarters submarine room as a date and loved it. We were not that good, the the game masters were great about giving us hints along the way to keep us engaged. They were so enthusiastic and generous with us as they let us share in the games they've created. After our game we had a chance to hear about other strategies and tactics other teams had taken. What a fun way to spend time together and work on our communication and teamwork skills as well.

Great escape room, better than most, even those in high tourist areas. The owners have used great…read moreimagination to utilize the space they have and created some great logic puzzles. Highly recommend and a great way to spend an hour when you tire of the snow.

Safe space for families & children... Highly recommend folks traveling through to visit here…read more.. thank you for offering events for families to have! Great stopping point before crossing the Mighty Mac!

Amazing, wondeful find!! My husband and I bought a Groupon for this place and we could not have…read morebeen more pleased. The room is the size of a small apartment with a fireplace, full kitchen and living room. There is also a back porch to sit and look at the stars at night or watch the golfers in day. They also give you a round of golf with each night you stay and have a wonderful restaurant onsite. This was a great place to getaway from the city and recommend to all. They are also known for elk viewing ..which we havent tried yet..but if youre into elk..even more reason to come out this way!! Also- there is a lot of naturey stuff to do in the area..the biggest main city Alpena, is about 20 min away and its right on the lake. There are a lot of trails nearby, biking, swimming and kayaking.

Golf course is very well maintained! Great deals on Sunday and Tuesday! RV park is excellent, a…read morebit pricey.

Loooooooove Camp Barakel so much. We have had many great weekends here while enjoying couples and…read morefamily retreats. This is a Christian camp, and they preach God's Word and apply it in a meaningful way. They tell about God's grace and Jesus's forgiveness, and bring it full circle to teach about improving and healing relationships. Every time we have attended, we have been blessed by it. Thank you!!!!! They are on a beautiful spring-fed lake, and there are tons of activities and opportunities to get back to nature. And as a true Yelper I can honestly attest: The food is good, too! Some of the sleeping accommodations are more rustic than some newer ones, but they are in the process of renovating every cabin, as I understand. The newer lodges are really nice!! I'm sure they can fully fill you in about where you would stay if you call. Life is simple here and it provides an opportunity to focus on what is most important. I have huge respect for their dedicated staff. They treat others with such love, and you can feel an attitude that demonstrates their care and dedication in their ministry. I have seen their worship leaders gracefully serving others as staff in the dining hall. There is a lot of walking involved. My dad went with a walker and could get around, but some places were a little harder than others, and a few were just too hard. There are two camps, one on each side of the lake, so they can run two different camps at once, or one big camp. I also love singing hymns in chapel, especially Ancient Words. It really sums up what they are trying to do here. Holy words long preserved for our walk in this world, They resound with God's own heart Oh let the ancient words impart. Words of Life, words of Hope Give us strength, help us cope In this world, where e'er we roam Ancient words will guide us Home. Ancient words ever true Changing me and changing you, We have come with open hearts Oh let the ancient words impart. This is not just a summer camp or a lake getaway. Barakel means "The place where God has blessed" and we have encountered Him here. Barakel is not fancy, but it's real, and I mean that in deepest and best sense of the word.

I just spent a weekend fishing while at a Christian Men's Retreat at Camp Barakel in Fairview, Mi…read more(near Mio in Oscoda County), and I wanted to blog my experience because I could find no fishing information for the camp's privately owned Shear Lake. https://www.bing.com/maps?q=shear+lake+michigan&FORM=HDRSC4 https://www.campbarakel.org/ Shear Lake is a shallow, clear water, spring fed lake with a sandy bottom and sparse aquatic vegetation. The perimeter of the lake is peppered with many lay downs of fallen trees. While staying at Camp Barakel, the campground provided small rowboats, canoes, kayaks, and paddle boats for recreational use. At peak times of the day, there can be a lot of campers using the small lake, so fisherman will need to be patient with the recreational users who are attempting to paddle around it. Prior to fishing on Shear Lake, the only fishing information that I could find was that the lake contained Blue Gills. Having fished the lake last fall and this spring, I can verify that Shear Lake has Large Mouth Bass, Rock Bass, Perch (some are jumbo size, being12 inches or larger), and Blue Gills. The lake is rumored to have Pike, but I am not aware of any being caught. Although the lake may contain only a few lunkers (last fall, I failed to set the hook with a weedless frog on what was probably around a four pound bass), the overall Large Mouth Bass fishing seems to be quite good. Some 16 to 18 inch bass were caught while while standing on the docks. Even though the lake has sparse vegetation, the lake's shallowness makes it easy for lures that come in contact with it's sandy bottom to constantly pick up clumps of plant material and algae. Also, it's easy to get hung up on the many branches and tree trunks that line the shore. Consequently, weedless lures (like a Texas-rigged soft plastic worms), plus mid-water and top-water lures (which are fished away from the shore) work well. I caught ten Large Mouth Bass (12 to 16 inches) and one Rock Bass last weekend on a Texas-rigged soft plastic worm. Some had good luck using spinners or top water lures that worked in the mildly windy conditions, like Jitterbugs. Others had good luck with live baits such as Big Red Worms or Minnows. Last fall, I had some luck swimming small curly tail jigs, but I now now prefer to drag Texas-rigged worms along the lake's bottom, near the many fallen trees.