Boating Traverse City

by Boating America Webmaster Mark Cameron

Crystal Clear Blue Water. Sugar fine sandy beaches. Hundreds of miles of shoreline. This is Grand Traverse Bay. If you fly in a plane just east of this bay you will be surprised at just how little land there is. Trailering up I75 about 200 miles north of Detroit we head west on Michigan 72 in Grayling, through Kalkaska and into Traverse City. The town itself is built on the west bay of Grand Traverse Bay.

The East Bay divided by Old Mission Peninsula features hotels with crystal white sandy beaches. The west bay has the downtown area including a zoo basing itself on Michigan animals, a shopping district with the five and dime store style atmosphere, a park wrapping the southern end of the bay, and a well kept marina.

Downtown Traverse City

The city over the past 50 years has grown at the southern end of the east bay. It is starting to look like a small version of Myrtle Beach. The water sells the rooms. Even though hotels are only at capacity three months out of the year the fall and winter bring in traffic as well with nearby skiing and snowbilling. Tall pine trees give this eastern bay its inland character. It’s also usually much less humid then Detroit and points south.

As we pulled into our hotel (which had ample room for pulling a trailer) I immediately checked in, dropped of the suitcases and headed back to the van. The kids never left the van; we were off to the lakes. Which one, there are so many to choose from? Based on the weather that day (the winds were calm) we headed to Lake Michigan but instead of Grand Traverse, we headed west to the dunes. Another 25 miles up to Glen Arbor and the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Seashore. We ramped in Glen Arbor right into the lake. This area is the far northwestern area of mainland meeting Lake Michigan. The water was relatively calm near this heavily wooded but beautiful area. On the water the kids and I headed out towards the sand of the Dunes. The Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes is a great way to start a trailer boating vacation (from Glen Arbor you can follow the signs to a ramp and for a small fee head right into the lake). It’s the perfect far out reaches away from the hustle and bustle of interstates and jammed cities. Due west of Glen Arbor you will see Sleeping Bear Point that looks like a picture of the Sahara Desert. It’s the far western reaches of the famous Dunes.

Boating near the Manitou Islands

This area is off limits to jet skis so you will only find boats from 18 ft up. The kids and I pulled into a spot where there was a small former sand landslide (1971). It was the perfect place for them to climb and the whole area is still relatively untouched. The kids spent nearly in hour climbing and running barefoot through the sand. I meantime looked for the rare Petoski stones found only in this region of Michigan. The stones have a look of 20 or 30 small shells that fossilized its self into the stone hundreds of thousands of years ago. They are easy to spot in calm water and more abundant after high winds from storms. From Sleeping Bear Point we spotted the Manitou islands just 8 miles away. We started for the islands but ran into relatively high waves about four miles out turning us back. What started out at 1-2 foot waves turned into 5-foot swells. However on visits in prior years I have always been drawn to these islands. The Manitou Islands features two islands and are part of the Sleeping Bear National Sea Shore, plus there are ferry services available to both the north and south islands from Leland. South Manitou is the smaller of the two and has one public dock on the south side of the island called Sandy Point. Also on the south side is the sunken wreck of the Francisco Morazon, a 283-foot long freighter that sunk in 8 feet of water in 1960. South Manitou also contains some of the most impressive White Cedar Trees marking them as the oldest and largest in the country. It’s very impressive for an 8.3 square mile island. North Manitou is just six miles northeast and is much larger and even has its own 1 ½ mile across lake. Docking is available on the East Side of the island.

Dusk on the East Bay just south of Acme

Sand Dunes also dot the western and southern shorelines at Donner and Dimmicks Points. If the weather is good on your visit I highly suggest a trip to these islands. I am going to try again on my next visit and hopefully plan on an early morning trip when the water is calmer. If you are using your own vessel be sure to obtain a chart marking the shipping lanes and shoals that you will need to avoid especially near the southern end of the larger North Manitou Island. Stay south of the flashing red light known as "The Crib," (a light on stacked concrete reaching 79 feet above the lake) and you should be OK.

Clinch Park Marina in Downtown Traverse City

Day Two. The next day we left our hotel for another boating trip, this time up the western arm of Grand Traverse Bay. We ramped at a marina just west of downtown and headed first to Bowers Harbor. It was a nice run after viewing the air show during the National Cherry Festival (held every year during the first Sunday in July).

The Coast Guard demonstrating maneuvers during the National Cherry Festival.

Marion Island near Bowers Harbor, a former playground for Thomas Edison

Bowers harbor is on the Old Mission Peninsula about half way up the 18-mile long land area. Fuel and Ramps are also available and it’s a popular spot for watersports especially if there is a north wind. Just south and a little west of Tuckers Point is Marion Island a former playground spot for Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone. It’s a bit complicating navigating around the shoals and again a chart is recommended for approaching this island. Another sunken ship is near the south shore next to Buoy 7. Next it’s up to Suttons Bay on the west side of the west bay. Another Bay style area, this and Northport bay (just minutes north) are two of my favorite spots for summer visiting on the entire planet. Suttons Bay is a small town of a little more than 600 about the same size as Northport. The Marina includes available fuel and ramp. There is also convenient parking. A small walk of less than 100 years and you are in downtown Suttons Bay dotted with small shops, marina supply stores and restaurants dating over 100 years old. Northport about 12 miles north also offers the same small town atmosphere and some of the best Ice Cream shops around. Stay south of the Buoys to avoid shoals when approaching by boat. Northport Bay also marks the exact half way point between the North Pole and the Equator at 45 Degrees 08’ 39".56. Another 6 miles north and you will reach lighthouse point where a lighthouse built in 1852 still stands. It is is now used as a museum. A newer light tower has since taken over. Light visibility is 24 miles from this point.

Basic Chart of the Grand Traverse Bay Region

From here you can drop southwest back towards Sleeping Bear Dunes, head north towards the Fox Islands or head for the eastern bay, the latter of which we did. From here you are about 18 miles north of the dividing Old Mission Peninsula. It is also dotted by a lighthouse at its northern most point. Again we watched the buoys and in this case we stayed north of the Mission Point Light Buoy keeping us clear of the shoals just north of the Old Mission Lighthouse. Another six miles southeast and we were into my old stomping grounds of Elk Rapids.

Marina in Elk Rapids

Elk Rapids has a full service Marina complete with showers facilities, walking distance to the center of town where you can pick up a few groceries, grab a bite to eat, and even see a movie in a theater with a blacklight lit painted ceiling. This harbor is also designated the official Harbor or Refuge for all recreational craft in case of bad weather, and even has a guidance system to return in a straight line. Other harbors of Refuge include Northport, Suttons Bay, Greilickville and Traverse City. On the far western side near the dunes you can pull in at Leland.

If the weather is unpredictable and you don’t want to take the chance of being caught out on Lake Michigan or its bays, you may want to try one of the inland lakes. Popular lakes include Crystal south of Traverse City, Glen Lake near the wall of the Sleeping Bear Dunes public climbing wall (also accessible from Glen Arbor), Lake Leelanau (which runs from historic Leland deep into the western arm of the region), and my favorite, "the chain." It includes Elk Lake, Skegomog Lake, Torch River, Torch Lake (the massive and most beautiful blue water anywhere and my personal favorite), and from there you can cut in at Clam into the naturalistic Grass River and into Lake Bellaire. These lakes are so clear you can see deep into the blue water and in many cases to the bottom. You can shut off your fish finder, just look down.

Day Three. The kids and I ramped in Elk Rapids on the 11-foot higher than Lake Michigan river of Elk River. From there we headed to Elk Lake down to the southeast to Lake Skegomog and into the Torch River (when you are approaching Torch River from Skegomog you will notice river markers, you want to stay right within these markers to avoid tree stumps, be sure to watch for the Bald Eagle living in the area, he has caught more fish than I have up here). Just a few miles at idle up the Torch River we reached the Torch River Bridge. The kids insisted on stopping to swing on a rope that leans out over the water next to the bridge. There goes another hour, and at 37, I have to admit I enjoyed swinging off the rope a couple times myself. We headed now into Torch Lake, the largest of the inland waters in this region. About one half-mile north of the bridge is a sand bar where many boaters stop for a few hours of social boating recreation. The water is only six inches deep here. It’s a good spot to play water baseball, chat with boaters visiting from all over the country or catch up on some shallow water snorkeling. It’s only accessible by boat and you can see as many as 20 or 30 boats beached there on a given warm summer day. (Since we were there for the fourth of July we also returned for late night boating and a great fireworks display).

Over 300 boats anchored off shore for the July 3rd 99 Fireworks in the Fog (which lifted before the show).

Farther up Torch on the eastern side is Clam Lake. The Dockside Restaurant is right at the inlet and is the only restaurant on the chain to have its own dock (there is also a general store at the Torch River Bridge with a dock) Also at Dockside be sure to ask for the Dockside famous Burrito, and tell them the Website Boating America sent you). After a filling lunch we headed into Clam, a long east west lake with enough room for water skiing, a public ramp on its north side, and even a float plane to take off and land. At the top and a little to the north (or left going in) is the Grass River Inlet. It’s a grass land area with a winding river that makes you feel like you are almost in another country. About 300 yards into the river is a small foot trail with a dock where you can take a short hike into the pines and enjoy nature at its best. Tall pine trees dot the forest here. Farther up stream you will find your self deeper into the wilderness as the river becomes a little shallower and narrower but yet very clear. Wild turtles are normally visible on trees lying partially in the water. Around a few more bends and you approach Lake Bellaire (formally called Grass Lake in the 50s). Grass is the last lake of the lower chain which offers plenty of room for tubing, skiing and relatively little traffic. We then turned around and headed back to Elk Rapids. After a full day we have tracked 51 miles on the chain. This chain can easily be run by Jet Ski, 18 foot boat or even a 27 foot vessel (check on water levels on the Grass River before attempting during a dry season especially on a larger 23’ or above vessel).

Fishing is outstanding on all the lakes. From Muskie to Northern Pike, and all the blue gill your kids can catch, you won’t forget a chain lakes trip like this or for that matter a trip to the Grand Traverse Bay region.

To access the region take I 75 north to Grayling, and pick up Michigan State Route 72 west into Traverse City. All the marinas in Traverse City have charts you can study or purchase. If the weather is calm I recommend visiting the bay itself or Lake Michigan at Sleeping Bear Dunes. Please remember the Dunes are a national park and should be treated as such. The Manitou Islands are also part of the park and can also be visited by Ferry service out of Leland north of Glen Arbor. Grand Traverse Bay is ideal for all vessels from PWC to 36 footers and up. The inland lakes including the chain of lakes in the area (including the Crooked Tree Burt Lake and Imperial Lake chain as well as the chain we ran) is suitable for watercraft of 27’ feet or less (Imperial is best on an 18 foot boat or less in low water) . There are shallow spots in the rivers especially near the entrance to Lake Bellaire. To reserve a room just click on the Travelocity icon (a sponsor of Boating America) and use the city symbol TVC for Traverse City. Boat rentals are available at most public marinas and the region is served by Northwest and American Airlines. Have a great summer boating! -Mark Cameron